Elders

Elders are appointed, qualified men who care for the church by living lives of exemplary character, exercising spiritual oversight as they preach and teach the full counsel of God’s Word, protecting the church from false teaching as they shepherd the flock of God (Titus 1:6-9, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Acts 20:27-28, 1 Tiim 4:1-5, 16, 1 Timothy 2:12).

Elders pray for our members (Acts 6:4), particularly the sick (James 5:14), organize our gatherings to equip the saints and glorify God (Ephesians 4:11-12), prayerfully seek God’s will for our church community and steward her resources to the best of our ability based on our study of the Scriptures and following of the Spirit (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1–4), lovingly exercising discipline when necessary, for the glory of God, the good of the one disciplined and the health of the church as a whole (Matt. 18:15–20; 1 Cor. 5; Gal. 6:1; James 5:19–20), and elders identify, train, and appoint future elders and deacons according to the criteria assigned to them in the Scriptures (1 Tim. 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–9; 1 Pet. 5:1–4).

To learn more about elders click here.

Deacons

Deacons - literally “servants” - are qualified, appointed men who assist the elders in caring for the congregation in practical ways, such as benevolent care or in facilitating ministries that serve the church and her needs (in the case of the Jerusalem church in Acts 6, it was caring for and feeding widows who had been overlooked or discriminated against). Deacons help foster the practical care that a fellowship of people require, assisting the elders in pastoring the church both administratively, practically, and ministerially. The assistance deacons provide allows the elders to prioritize their focus on preaching and prayer (Acts 6:4).

Though all of our deacons function in assisting the elders, some of them have a ministry focus they help facilitate as they serve the Lord and his church.

To learn more about deacons, click here.