The Elders of WOCC: Who are they and What do they do?
- Kyle Cannon
- Apr 19, 2023
- 3 min read
In recent years, I have received feedback from many at White Oak who expressed their interest in learning more about our WOCC Elders and their role within our church. I am excited to share some valuable information with you through this article, which will provide an overview of our Elders and their important work. My hope is that by the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of who we are, what we do and how we lead at White Oak.
Annually at WOCC, men are selected by the congregation to serve as Elders. We are vetted by the existing Elders, confirmed by the congregation in the fall, and join the existing group of Elders at the beginning of the following year.Our group consists of men from both campuses. We serve a three-year term followed by a one-year sabbatical before being eligible to serve again. We meet twice a month to pray as a group and discuss activities pertaining to our responsibilities. We may also serve on special committees, such as the Finance or Prayer/Pastoral Committees. The current serving Elders are shown in the following picture, except Fred Mabry.
Serving 2023 WOCC Elders
From left to right:
Front row – Bill Hausller, Steve Graham, Carl Fries, Joe Easton, David Willmore
Back row – Tom Flischel, Loyd Hamilton, Will Mueller, Steve Lane
As Elders we are expected to be men of faith, vision, and strength who will guide the church in ways that will honor Jesus Christ and glorify God. We look after the spiritual welfare of the congregation, shepherd, and lead with a vision of what God can do through this congregation (For Elder qualifications, see 1 Timothy 3 1-7, Titus 1:5-9.) This begins by whole heartedly believing in the following core statements of faith:
God is the Creator of all. (Genesis 1:1, Ephesians 4:6)
Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God, who died for our sins, arose from the dead, and is coming again to gather his people and judge the world. (John 1:14, 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian and empowers us for service. (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 12:1-11)
The Bible is the inspired word of God and is our guide and final authority for all matters of faith and practice. (Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-2)
Every person has value as a creation of God, but all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23)
Salvation, forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life, is available to all who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and those who accept Him must repent of sin, confess their faith, and be baptized. (Mark 16:16; John 3:16; 14:6, 16:31; Acts 2:38, 4:12; Romans 3:28, 10:9)
The church is the body of Christ, God’s family of faith on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit to make disciples. (Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Timothy 3:15; Acts 16:5)
As Elders we are expected to be men of faith, vision, and strength who will guide the church in ways that will honor Jesus Christ and glorify God.
We are ultimately accountable for all aspects of WOCC. These include, but are not limited to the following:
Mission:
Why We Exist - Connecting People to Full Life in Jesus
Vision:
Where We Are Going - Everyone is on the path to full life by discovering their identity in Jesus, being equipped to love, and deployed for mission
Core Values: How We Behave
Generosity - Together We Pour Ourselves Out (Matthew 26:6–13 - Empty the Jar)
Community - Together We Are More (Acts 2:42–47 - Unity in Love)
Authenticity -Together We Show Up (Luke 19:1-10 - Jesus and Zacchaeus)
Multiplication – Together We Grow (John 12:24–26, Matthew 13:10-23 - Go and Die)
Fun - Together We Celebrate (Luke 14:15-24 - You’re Invited to the Party)
We are entrusted with the spiritual, moral, legal, and financial responsibilities for WOCC. We are responsible for strategy and vision and typically do not get involved with daily operations of the church. We are also responsible for prayer, which includes praying for our church family, pastoring, protection, policy, preaching and teaching.
We are very accessible on Sundays, happy to chat, and will gladly answer questions. (If we don’t know the answer, we will get an answer and get back with you.) Also, feel free to contact us by email at any time at elders@thewocc.com. (Emails sent to the Elders are held in confidence.) Elder meetings are generally not open, but that doesn’t mean we won’t meet with you. If you want to meet with us to discuss a specific topic, send a request via email. (elders@thewocc.com) If you have a prayer needs that you specifically want the Elders to pray over, send a prayer request via email. (elders@thewocc.com)
