Trinity Chapel Bible ChurchMeet your Elders!
MEET THE ELDERS OF TRINITY CHAPEL!
In Trinity Chapel's first major decision now that we are independent from our planting Church Christ Chapel, we approved our first Elder Board (Shepherding Team) who will serve as the lead shepherds/pastors over Trinity Chapel. In Scripture, elders carry great honor, but with it comes the weighty responsibility of guiding, leading, and being held accountable by God for, the spiritual state of the church. Click below to learn more about now-official elders and our voting process, which occurred on Sunday, Jan 13. In addition to Lead Pastor Ted Wueste, the men who were voted as elders are Jeff Bryan, Jeremy Dietrich, Karl Marshall, and Corbin Wilson. Congratulate and get to know these men; they're the leaders of our church!
Click on each elder’s picture to get to know about them, their families, their vision for Trinity Chapel, and more. Additionally, their contact information is made available for you to get to know them. Below their pictures are three other brief sections for you to read, so you can know more about elder leadership and how we voted: “What is an Elder?,” “Qualifications of an Elder,” and “Voting Process.”
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WHAT IS AN ELDER?
Elders are also called shepherds and overseers in Scripture. That’s why we refer to our elder board as a “Shepherding Team.” They are responsible for guarding the spiritual lives of worshippers and for making sure sound doctrine is taught in the church. They are advocates of spiritual growth in the church, not a “board of directors,” focused on the logistical matters of the church. Serving 2-year terms, elders are less like CEO’s or a board of directors, and more like fathers and spiritual decision-makers for the Trinity Chapel church body.
Specifically, our shepherding team carries out three functions:
- Oversee the body: Give prayerful direction to the corporate and individual membership of Trinity Chapel.
- Protect the body: Guard against false teaching, disunity, danger, and other divisive issues, spiritual and otherwise.
- Shepherd the body: Counsel, care for, discipline, and direct our membership in various ways and situations.
QUALIFICATIONS OF AN ELDER:
Scripture requires elders to be above reproach. That does not mean sinless, but does mean that the pattern of his life is one of dealing with sinful behaviors and attitudes. 1Tim 3 and Titus 1 provide some examples of being above reproach. As a part of the process of approving our new elder candidates, we present the following four men to Trinity Chapel’s church body, to affirm their qualifications for this highest office in the church. Read the Scripture passages aforementioned, compare them to the list below and pray whether these men are above reproach. We encourage you to give them a call. Take them to lunch. Get to know them. Ask them questions. Pick their brains. Hear their vision and passion for Trinity Chapel! If you have any questions regarding the character of these men, please e-mail the elder candidates directly or contact Ted at our office.
- Relation to God: A man (male) above reproach (without habitual character defects), able to teach (teach and defend sound doctrine), not a new convert (spiritually mature).
- Relation to Family: Husband of one wife (one-woman man, sexually pure), Has obedient children (faithful father), manages family well (provides for, leads, organizes, loves).
- Relation to Self: Temperate (mentally and emotionally stable), self-controlled (disciplined life, sound decision-making), not given to drunkenness (without addictions), not a lover of money (financially content and upright).
- Relation to Others: Respectable (worth following and imitating), hospitable (welcomes strangers and fellow believers), Not violent (even-tempered), Gentle (kind, gracious, loving), Not contentious (peaceable, not quarrelsome or divisive), Good reputation with outsiders (respected by non-Christians).
VOTING PROCESS:
On Sunday morning, January 13, after a four-week season of prayerful examination by the body, Trinity Chapel’s Ministry Partners had the opportunity to vote on these candidates, approving them as our elders. Each man received a 75% vote of approval, in order to be installed as an elder.