Leaders at Vintage Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, have launched an investigation following the removal of founding pastor Tyler Jones after he confessed to a long-term inappropriate relationship. Jones, who also served as a vice president within the Acts 29 church-planting network, admitted during an elders' meeting that he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a woman who was not his wife.
Following his confession, the elders of Vintage Church met to discuss the matter and ultimately voted to remove Jones from his position as lead pastor. Church leaders later informed members that the behavior was inconsistent with the biblical qualifications and leadership standards required for pastoral leadership. Soon after the decision, Acts 29 also announced that Jones would no longer serve in his leadership role within the global church-planting network.
According to reports, the relationship may have taken place over a number of years prior to Jones' employment with Acts 29 in 2022. The organization stated that while the conduct occurred before his official role with the network, the situation nevertheless failed to meet the standards expected of leaders connected with Acts 29.
Jones founded Vintage Church in 2002 after moving to the Raleigh area with his wife following their time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. What began as a small church plant eventually grew into a multi-campus congregation serving communities throughout the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region. Over the years, Jones became a prominent figure within the Acts 29 network, which focuses on planting churches and training church leaders around the world.
Vintage Church leaders said they are committed to addressing the situation with transparency and care for those impacted. The church is now moving forward with an internal process to review the circumstances surrounding the relationship while also guiding the congregation through a period of leadership transition.
Church leaders have encouraged members to pray for all those involved, including Jones and his family, as well as the broader church community as it navigates the next steps. The situation marks a significant moment for the congregation that Jones helped establish more than two decades ago, as Vintage Church now begins the process of moving forward without its founding pastor.
