## Summary John Wimber (1934–1997) was an American pastor and the leading figure behind the Vineyard Movement, a network of charismatic churches that grew rapidly from the 1980s onward. A former musician, he became known for teaching on healing and what he called "power evangelism." The Vineyard became one of the more influential charismatic movements of the late twentieth century. ## Substance Wimber worked in the music industry before his conversion and later served in church ministry and consulting on church growth. In the early 1980s he led a congregation that affiliated with the Vineyard, and he soon became the movement's central leader. He taught that signs, healing, and other charismatic gifts should accompany evangelism, a theme he developed in widely circulated courses and books. Under his leadership the Vineyard grew into an international association of churches. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wimber's movement had a period of association with a group of ministers known as the Kansas City Prophets. That relationship and its later cooling are documented in movement histories. Wimber died in 1997. ## Why it matters in this wiki Wimber is a key figure for understanding modern charismatic theology, especially teaching on healing and prophecy that this wiki examines critically. The Vineyard's link to the Kansas City Prophets connects him to later prophetic movements. ## Related - [[Kansas City Prophets]]