ELDERS
Christ Community Elders
If you have a special need for prayer or might benefit from Elder direction during a personal, marriage, or family crisis or a health issue, Christ Community Elders (listed below) are available to meet and pray with and for you.
For other inquiries, it is often best to connect first with the staff member responsible for that ministry area; find the appropriate staff member via our directory.
CURRENT ELDERS
ST. CHARLES CAMPUS
•Jim & Sue Nicodem
•Marc & Marcy Beachler
•Taylor & Erin Clausen
•Mitch & Mary Crews
•Jeremy & Michelle Mejdrich
•Rob & Ann Morris
•Rick & Cindy Schmidgall
•Scott & Lisbeth Soukup
DEKALB CAMPUS
•Steve & Thelma Kerby
•Scott & Linda Walstrom
•Darin & Sara Halley
AURORA CAMPUS
•Bob & Janet Spence
STREAMWOOD CAMPUS
•Ben & Kayelani Dixon
•Bobby & Elizabeth Jackson
•Matt Restivo
HUNTLEY CAMPUS
•Steve & Catherine Masey
ELDER BIBLICAL QUALIFICATIONS
The elders shall be composed of individuals meeting biblical qualifications. Timothy 2:12, 1 Timothy 3:2-7, and Titus 1:6-9 suggest that the role of elder be limited to men who meet the following qualifications.
Elders must be Godly men – blameless, presenting no patterns of scriptural disobedience or grounds for accusation.
Elders who are married must be devoted to their wives.
Elders must be self-controlled, enslaved to nothing, free from excesses. Elders must be sober, sensible, wise, balanced in judgment, not given to quick or superficial decisions based on immature thinking.
Elders must be dignified and demonstrate a well-ordered life and good behavior. They must be well respected by unbelievers and free from hypocrisy. Elders must demonstrate verbal consistency and must not be prone to saying one thing to one person and something else to another. Those who are married must have spouses who model Godly character.
Elders must be unselfish with their personal resources. They must be willing to share blessings with others.
Elders must be stable in the faith and obedient to the Word of God, continually seeking to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Elders must be able to communicate the truth of God and exhort by sound doctrine in a non-argumentative way.
Elders must be free from addictions and must be willing to limit their liberty for the sake of others.
Elders must not be given to quarreling or selfish argumentation. They must be gentle and characterized by forbearance and tenderness, not having a quick temper. Elders must exercise self-control and patience in difficult situations.
Elders must not be stingy, greedy or out for sordid gain. They must not be preoccupied with material things, but should be models of giving. They must also be purely motivated in their service and not pursuing dishonest gain.
Elders must have well-ordered homes, a healthy family life, and well-behaved children. (This pertains to those children still under the authority of the parents).
Elders must not be new believers, but must have followed Christ long enough to demonstrate the reality of their conversion and the depth of their spirituality.
Elders must desire the will of God in every decision. Elders must be fair and impartial. Their judgments must be based on biblical principles.
Elders must be reverent, continually desiring to be separate from sin. They must be devoted to prayer, the study of Scripture, and the guarding of their own spiritual walk.
Elders must have proven over time that they are faithful and that their walk is credible. A suggested guideline for eligibility is that a person will have been a member of Christ Community Church for at least three years.
The Senior Pastor shall be a member and leader of the elder team. Each elder (except the Senior Pastor) serve a four-year term, to be followed by a recommended one-year sabbatical period, and elder terms shall be staggered so as to ensure continuity on the team. Leaving the team of elders will not preclude one’s future service as an elder, subject to subsequent appointment by the regular lead elder selection process.
Scripture gives evidence of the first elders being appointed by the founders of the church. By this example, it is implied that the existing spiritual leadership of a church be intimately involved in the process of selecting elders, to ensure selection based on spiritual, rather than superficial, qualifications. Beyond this, there are no specific guidelines given regarding the selection process. It would therefore appear that freedom is given to the individual church to develop a process that will best serve its own special needs and situation.
Each year, the current slate of elders shall determine the number of positions to be filled that year because of vacancies or newly created positions on the elder team and shall initiate the following process for selection of new elders:
1. Church members and leaders, having carefully reviewed the qualifications and duties of an elder, will be asked to submit the names of members for consideration as elders.
2. The elders shall review the submitted names, identifying those men who appear to have congregational support and the unreserved affirmation of each elder.
3. Individuals who thus far qualify shall be so informed and they shall be urged to engage in self-appraisal and personal evaluation. Any person may withdraw his name at this point if he does not aspire to the position of elder.
4. The elders shall conduct interviews with each individual before making a final selection.
5. The name of the prospective elders shall be brought before the congregation over a period of three weeks to provide the opportunity to show cause why any of the prospective elders would not be qualified to serve. At the end of this period, the prospective elders will be presented to the church for affirmation in a commissioning service. In the event of a vacancy or special need, the elders may refer to previous nominees from the current year’s congregational submissions to make a selection that will then be brought in front of the congregation for the requisite review period. The elders may also re-initiate the selection process at any time during the year, as they deem necessary.