Leadership & Staff

At University church of Christ, we are blessed with wonderful elders, deacons, ministers and staff members. We have 2 elders shepherding our congregation & 6 deacons to help carry out the responsibilities such as ministering to the needy, visiting the sick, caring for the church’s property, and assisting at worship.

Without evangelists, we are not able to spread the word of God for “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14. The term evangelist, which comes from the Greek word Euangelistes, is a derivation of the word Euangelion which is translated “gospel”. The gospel is the good news, which makes the evangelist the bringer of the good news.

ELDERS

One group of functional leaders which God placed within the church is described by three different terms in the New Testament. We usually call them “elders” (Titus 3:1), but two other terms used in the New Testament to refer to this group and the work they do are “overseer”(I Timothy 3:1) and “shepherd” (I Peter 5:1-2).

In part, we know the responsibilities of the elder/overseer/shepherd by how these terms were used in New Testament times. The title “elder” indicated someone who by reason of experience and wisdom were recognized as community leaders and examples. The word “overseer” (or “bishop”) suggested a manager or administrator. It carried the idea of someone who was a “steward”, that is, someone who was responsible for making sure that jobs get done and that the general welfare of the community is provided for. And finally, the word “shepherd” (or “pastor”) indicated a person who cared for the well-being of others. It suggested the idea of being responsible for protecting and providing for others.

Two clearly marked lists of qualifications of the elder/overseer/shepherd are found in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. The purpose in both of these passages is to show us the kind of leaders God wants us to have. We are blessed to have 7 men like these shepherding our congregation. They are:

Richard Jay | Vince Formica

DEACONS

At University we are blessed to have a wonderful group of deacons. Like elders, deacons are a special class of functional leaders in the church. We know this because, like elders, the New Testament presents a list of qualifications which must be met before one can serve as a deacon (I Timothy 3:8-13).

The name “deacon” literally means a servant and suggests that they are assistants who serve under the supervision of the elders/overseers/shepherds. Their responsibilities are quite varied as they carry out many different types of service including, but certainly not limited to, ministering to the needy, visiting the sick, caring for the church’s property, and assisting at worship. Presently, we have been blessed with 6 very conscientious deacons at University.

Clint Duncan | Richard Halstead | Greg Howard, SR | Jason McCutcheon | Al Newbill | Randall Wright