Obedience to Jesus requires that the church has organized structures regarding policy and leadership.

Jesus is in charge of the church and it should be structured based on His Word.

Under the direction of Jesus and His Word, there are to be qualified elders or pastors in every church that bears His name.

1) The church in Jerusalem - Acts 15:22 “it seemed good to the apostles and elders”

2) The church at Ephesus – Acts 20:17 “He sent to Ephesus and called the elders”

3) The church in Crete – Titus 1:5 “This is why I left you in Crete … appoint elders”

4) All the churches that James wrote to – All churches that were not in Palestine - James 5:14 “Let him call for the elders of the church”

5) The churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia - 1 Peter 5:1 “Exhort the elders among you”

6) All the churches Paul planted - Acts 14:23 “And when they had appointed Elders”

Elders are a group of qualified men who hold an official office given to shepherd, teach, and oversee.

Elders model Christian maturity and are to be followed and imitated, not because they are perfect, but because they exhibiting Christ-like attributes!

The biblical model of church government is Jesus as the head of the church, godly elders teaching and overseeing, godly deacons serving the members, and the members praying for and holding their leaders accountable.

1) The elders of the church share equal authority.

2) These are official offices in the church that require you go through a process.

3) There are 14 people in total on this team and only 2 are compensated for their time.

1) If you're not plugged into a group, you are not in the direct line of care the church has to offer.

2) Our hope is that this structure will be scalable.

3) The elders don’t ignore the members who are not in the groups under them, but we do share the responsibility to shepherd!

My church, my forever family is not perfect, but we are dedicated to each other and to Jesus.

My church, my forever family is not perfect, but we care for each other despite how inconvenient it may be.

My church, my forever family is not perfect, but we are honest and transparent with each other.

My church, my forever family is not perfect, but we are there for each other, which means I am not alone.

A church that loves and supports, however imperfect they are, helps quiet fears and kills many anxieties.