• Teach • Elders insure that the church receives a steady diet of biblical teaching. • Lead • Elders lead our church by seeking God's desire for our church, they lead our church in the direction we need to be moving. • Model • An elder also models what it means to be a faithful christian man by guiding who manages his own home and the church by allowing God to guide and direct him through scripture. • Pray • Elders pray for the church as a whole as well as individuals in the church.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 (New Living Translation) Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons 1 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader,[a] he desires an honorable position.” 2 So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife.[b] He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 3 He must not be a heavy drinker[c] or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 4 He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. 5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?6 A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall.[d] 7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap. Titus 1:5-9 (New Living Translation) Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good 5 I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. 6 An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife,[a] and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 A church leader[b] is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker,[c] violent, or dishonest with money. 8 Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.

Article IV Section 1: The elders shall be male members of the congregation who are elected by the membership on the basis of the Scriptural qualifications of I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. The elders, as overseers, shall have authority and responsibility consistent with the teaching of the New Testament. Article V Section 1: A person must be a member of the congregation for one (1) year before he is eligible to be elected as an elder.

You can contact them by emailing: Elders@thewocc.com

Elders are nominated each year. Pursue a life described in scripture that an Elder leads (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9). Become a member of White Oak Christian Church.