Mark and Steph and their children have been part of St Albans Vineyard, and then Verso Vineyard Church, for 13 years, with the most recent 7 years leading Verso Vineyard Church as Senior Pastors.

Through prayer and discernment, Mark and Steph have sensed God calling them into a new season and believe this is the right time to pass on the leadership of the church.

They are stepping forward in obedience to God’s leading, and we honour and bless them in this transition.  Mark and Steph will continue to lead Verso Vineyard Church until September 2025, at which point they will step down and move closer to their family in Australia.

Chuck & Taryn Freeland are experienced church leaders who have been Senior Pastors at Catalyst Vineyard in Scotland, a multi-site church with a strong heart for discipleship, community outreach, and multiplication.

They are also Associate National Directors for Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland, a role they will continue in while leading Verso Vineyard Church.

After a thorough, prayerful, and Spirit-led process, and working closely with Vineyard UK and Ireland, the Trustees and leadership team believe Chuck & Taryn are God’s choice to lead Verso into its next chapter.

You can find out more about Chuck and Taryn here: Meet your new Senior Pastors

Working closely with Vineyard UK & Ireland, the Trustees and leadership team undertook a prayerful, thorough, and HR-compliant process to guide the leadership transition at Verso. Initial conversations began in autumn last year, with the Trustees, Gil Yon, and Mark and Steph discerning what God might be saying. They also consulted with Nigel Hemming, who oversees succession planning within Vineyard UK & Ireland, reviewing three possible pathways: internal appointment, candidates from the wider Vineyard movement, or external recruitment. 

While preparing for external recruitment in early January, Mark received a call from John Wright (National Director, VCUKI) saying Chuck and Taryn Freeland were sensing a possible call to Verso. After an initial conversation, Chuck and Taryn visited Verso at the end of January. They spent time with the exec team, underwent a formal interview with Trustees and an external Senior Pastor (Andy Chapman), and attended both Sunday services. 

Following this, feedback was gathered across six key areas including character, competence, and calling. Input from national leaders like John and Debby Wright and Andrew McNeil further confirmed the direction. There was unanimous agreement among Trustees and leadership that the Lord was leading Chuck and Taryn to Verso, and the team completed a full process of due diligence before making the appointment.

Chuck and Taryn will arrive in January 2026, following a period of transition at their current church, followed by a sabbatical and time of preparation. Between September 2025 and January 2026, our leadership team and trustees will ensure continuity, providing stability and guidance as we move into this next chapter.

Yes, the current trustees, Tim Winfield (Chair), Andrea Taylor-Cummings and Bruce McKinnon, will remain in post for the time being to ensure stability and leadership through this season.

We are however currently recruiting for one or two additional trustees and will continue this process.

If you are interested in serving the church as a trustee at this exciting point in our history, please do email gil@verso.church.

While leadership is changing, our heart, vision, and mission remain the same.

Verso Vineyard Church will continue to be a place where people experience transformation as we create spaces and places for people to encounter Jesus.

This is a new chapter, but the same faithful God is leading us forward.

Absolutely! We will be celebrating and honouring Mark & Steph before they transition out of leadership. More details on this will be shared soon.

In the immediate future, Chuck & Taryn will be visiting Verso Vineyard Church on Sunday 4th May, and Mark and Steph will be interviewing them during the service at St Albans site, so you can get to know them better.

A formal commissioning service will take place closer to their arrival in January 2026.

The leadership team and trustees will oversee the church during the transition period to ensure continuity and stability. We are blessed with a great staff team, exec team and board of trustees, and we also have support from VCUKI.  We are excited to see the Lord continuing to move in us and through us during the autumn.

Regular updates will be given to keep everyone informed and engaged during the transition. Operationally, ministry plans for the year are already in place and the staff team will be able to continue working on these during the interim period under the leadership of the exec team.  We will also plan the preaching and leading of the services for this period.

Alongside this, we will be working with Chuck and Taryn before they go on sabbatical so that things are in place for when they start in January.

Yes, they will continue their role as Associate National Directors for Vineyard Churches UK &Ireland.

This means they will bring a wealth of experience, insight, and connection to the wider Vineyard movement while being fully committed to leading Verso Vineyard Church.

They currently work part time for VCUKI and so they will work part time for us, effectively splitting Mark’s full-time role between them. So, in that sense, they are replacing Mark not Mark and Steph.

Much of their VCUKI work will be done from here though so they will be around and available, even if they are sometimes working on VCUKI stuff.  The VCUKI work will not impact Sundays though.

The values of the church will not change; Chuck and Taryn are passionate about all the same things we are and are deeply rooted in Vineyard.

The outworking of that in terms of vision will likely change in time though, as it has always done as we have followed the Lord’s leading and as it has done under Mark’s leadership.

No, we appreciate that this feels like a lot of change in a short period of time, but we want to reassure you that Trevor and Edward’s decisions are not connected to Mark and Steph news.

Both Trevor and Edward went through their own discernment processes separate from Mark and Steph’s news. However, in the light of Mark and Steph leaving, that is why we are not replacing them immediately as we want Chuck and Taryn to be part of that process with such key staff roles.

Pray for Mark & Steph as they step into their next season, that God would bless and guide them as they not only step down from their role as Senior Pastors, but also plan to move to Australia.

Pray for Chuck & Taryn as they prepare to move, that God would equip and strengthen them.

Pray for our church family, that we would step into this next chapter with faith, unity, and expectation.

Get involved! Be part of welcoming Chuck & Taryn when they arrive, and continue to serve and support the church community.

You are welcome to speak to any of the leadership team if you have any questions.

More details will be shared in the coming months, including opportunities to celebrate, connect, and hear more from Chuck & Taryn.

Stay connected through our website, emails, and social media for updates.