Meet the Team
Our Leadership
Churches have different leadership models. Some have a bounded set model, which is more authoritarian, has rigid boundaries (people are in or out) and often a strong parent – child relational dynamic. Other churches may have the opposite of this where everything goes and people get to do whatever they like, known as the fuzzy set model. The leadership model for a Vineyard church is what we would call a centred set approach. This model sees kingdom values modelled by a core group (leaders), which attracts others who see in them the kind of life they would like to live. This model is flexible, highly relational, value driven and encourages adult to adult behaviour.
There is also a National Leadership team that oversees the Vineyard Pastors of South Africa.
Lead Couple
Mark and Tarryn Wesson lead the team at Mercy Vineyard Church. They hail from Kwazulu Natal, with Mark growing up in a Baptist Missionary home in Margate and Tarryn in the beautiful farming region of Northern KZN. They married in 2015, and together have 4 boys.
2016 was a busy year for them: moving province, a new church and schools, having a baby and adjusting to the life and culture of Cape Town. Mark worked in missions (Eastern Cape & KZN) for 7 years and has pastored in a number of different church “streams”. He has found his “happy place” in the Vineyard, and more specifically at Mercy Vineyard. Tarryn is a qualified textile designer, who also has a passion for dance and writing! Together they have a heart to see Mercy like a family, experiencing the presence of their Father.
Leadership Team
We believe that men and woman qualify for leadership and so have a mixed team of dedicated men & woman with great unity and strength.
Administrator and Operations
Laura Maree has been a member of Mercy Vineyard since the beginning and started working for the church in 2017 Monday to Thursday mornings. Having obtained her degree in Jewellery Design and Metalwork from Stellenbosch, she left for the UK in 2001 to travel and work for 9 years in various industries from architecture and gemstones to the NHS and charity work. In 2010 she returned to SA, married Gideon and has 2 beautiful children. She loves her job and has a passion for people and hopes to be serving Mercy and it’s members for a very long time!
Children's Church Coordinator
Stephanie Penkler has a passion for learning about God’s story and mission. She spent 2 years studying theology through the Vineyard Institute and completed the Advanced Certificate of Leadership. In 2019 God put it on her heart to start working with the children at Mercy Vineyard. Since then, she has learnt to grow down and meet people where they are at no matter what age they are. Stephanie is excited about reconciliation and breaking barriers. She loves to see how God works with children to bring the kingdom into this challenging world we live in. She works part-time for Mercy and part-time for the Department of Health as a Speech and Language Therapist, serving people of all ages with Intellectual Disability. Stephanie loves to give people a voice and help them walk the long journey to successful communication..
Finance Team
We have a small team of men and women who meet regularly to discuss Mercy’s financial matters and annual budget.
