Thrive Vineyard Church
Staff & Leaders

Kevin Kiefer

Molly and Kevin met in graduate school at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN where they were both working on degrees in education. It wasn't love at first sight, but a case of mistaken identity as Kevin first approached Molly's twin, thinking they were in a class together. Molly and Kevin were married in the Chicago suburbs the following summer. And so began the search for a church they could call home. Molly was raised as a church talent show participant at a charismatic church. Kevin was raised as an altar boy at a Catholic church. Thankfully, they found the Vineyard Church in Elgin after a year of searching for a church where they could both connect with God. Both knew instantly this was home, feeling the presence of God and the power of community at work. Within that first year, they had the opportunity to lead a small group and fall in love with what God was doing in the Vineyard movement. Kevin was invited on staff, leaving his elementary school teaching job, to become the Community Pastor in 2000. They had a rich experience at the Elgin Vineyard leading small groups, youth group, young adult group, healing prayer ministry, overseas missions and Alpha class. In 2009, Kevin and Molly felt God stirring their hearts to take the reality of God's hope and good news to another community; to do what Vineyard founder, John Wimber called the Vineyard to do: take the best and go. They were so equipped and ministered to by the Elgin Vineyard, that they felt the urge to share with another community the riches of the Kingdom of God they had experienced in Elgin. They were convinced that God's love could transform lives and that there were people who needed to meet Jesus in a real way in their everyday lives. As they began to ask God where, they were drawn to the Palatine area. There seemed to be an opening for a church that would bring the solidarity of the Word and the real experience of the Kingdom to people in a culturally relevant way. Through much prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit, Kevin and Molly were sent out from the Elgin Vineyard with a team of 8 families to plant Thrive Vineyard in the fall of 2009. After meeting in their living room for 4 weeks, Thrive landed their weekly worship service at Christ Lutheran Church on Saturday nights. Two years later, we have seen God move on our behalf in such rich and faithful ways. We've faced victory and disappointment, but we are convinced, more than ever, that His grace is enough and that He longs to reveal Himself to us in exciting and surprising ways on a continual basis. We love partnering with God to see more and more of His Kingdom advance in our area.