River Rock Vineyard History
Tim and Pam Dolan – founding pastors
Tim and Pam Dolan are the founding pastors of River Rock Vineyard and have been Vineyard pastors since 1998. Much of their early years were spent on ranches. In 2005 they planted River Rock Vineyard Church.
After 30 plus years in ministry Tim found himself weary and running out of energy and desire for ministry. The church blessed him to take a long needed six month sabbatical in 2023. As the sabbatical drew to an end, Tim realized he could no longer lead is the same capacity as senior pastor, but would help facilitate a team leadership model. Our leadership team agreed. Currently River Rock Vineyard is now by a team of leaders rather than a head pastor. Dolans remain as part of this leadership team, serving along side some amazing young families.
Leadership: River Rock Vineyard is led by a Core Team of five couples who help lead the spiritual direction and decisions of the church through prayer and prophetic listening & response, through creative ideas and implementation of those ideas. Each couple facilitates a Sunday such as a teaching, worship and prophetic words, community questions that encourage us to engage with each other and process together, or sharing a meal together as a whole body. We also have an Administrative Team that facilitates the financial responsibilities and decisions of the church.
History of RRV
In the spring of 1994 the Dolans moved from Grass Range, MT to Dillon where Pam completed her college degree. Tim was employed on a ranch breaking colts and working with cattle. They immediately became involved with a small Four Square Church plant pastored by Gary Smith, which later adopted into the Vineyard in 1995. Dolans grew in their own spiritual lives and ministry leadership, eventually returning to Grass Range to plant a new church in the small ranching community in 1998.
Several families from the Grass Range community helped to form the new church plant team, Community Christian Fellowship. The first service was October 11, 1998. Sunday services, youth group, home groups, and children’s church continued to develop. Pam was employed as a teacher at the Grass Range K-12 school while Tim day-worked for various ranches, loggers, and the school as a bus driver and custodian throughout the next seven years. Both Tim & Pam experienced the life in ministry as bi-vocational pastors.
In 2004 Tim sensed God’s leading to plant a new church in the Belgrade area. Pam was born in Bozeman and both graduated from Bozeman High School, but never dreamed God would lead them back to the Gallatin Valley to live. Through many months of prayer and confirmation, the transition began, passing the Grass Range church on to another pastor who was officially voted in by the GR congregation as the new pastor in the summer of 2005.
Dolans moved to the Belgrade area in June 2005 where Tim accepted a job with a plumbing company and Pam accepted teaching positions at a Christian school and later Belgrade High School. They began to meet with a few couples in October 2005 to build and prepare a leadership team. The River Rock Vineyard Church plant was finalized in April 2006, a few days before the first public service.
They first met Sunday evenings at Foothills Fellowship on Spring Hill Road. Later, gatherings were held in Dolans’ large garage, anticipated just for the summer months of 2007. In the spring of 2008, Dehaun Construction made accommodations to Bridger View Storage for the new site of River Rock Vineyard Church. As the church grew, Dehauns continued to remodel in order to expand space and necessities. It is the present location of the church today.
Church planting is never easy. It’s a process much like pioneering. It is a leap of faith to leave all that is familiar in order to venture out into the wilderness of the unknown. Since the leap of faith to move back to the Gallatin Valley, God has shifted much of the Dolan’s perspectives on church. He has stripped away old mindsets, religious perspectives (formulaic or agenda oriented) and a pragmatic manner of “doing” church. He continues to teach River Rock Vineyard about His Presence.
Jesus is the focus. Everyone is welcome to participate in this experience of growing closer in relationship with Him in an environment of freedom and permission, to be empowered by and for His goodness. River Rock Vineyard Church has become an organic growing place where we all are encouraged to fan the flames of each individual’s personal identity and God-given. We are like a big family.