Our Elders are men of high Christian character who joyfully and wholeheartedly affirm our Elder Affirmation of Faith and they commit to live out and model our Member Covenant.

In addition, with God’s help, our Elders joyfully embrace these six commitments:

1. We are happy Calvinists, with an accent on happy.

We are fully committed to classic Reformed soteriology and a heavy emphasis on the sovereignty of God in all things. We commit to allow this theology to inspire in us steadfast happiness and we commit to teach others how they can embrace this theology in such a way that they too will be filled with steadfast happiness. We believe that this theology should humble us beyond measure and we commit, with God’s helps, to avoid the arrogance that is stereotypically associated with this theology. We commit to doing all that we can do so that we will be happy men, marked by warmth, joy, and humility, and we commit to quickly repent when we have no modeled this well.

2. We choose holiness over giftedness.

We commit to pursuing personal godliness ahead of platform, notoriety, skill, or visible ministry success. Giftedness may draw a crowd, but only holiness qualifies a man to shepherd God’s people. We greatly appreciate talents and spiritual gifts, and we commit to pursue the competencies we need to effectively lead, but we prioritize holiness and Christian character above talents, skills, and spiritual gifts, both in our own lives as well as when we seek to add other men to our team of Elders.

3. We do what we say we’re going to do.

We commit to being men of our word. We aim, with God’s help, to be reliable, consistent, and true to our commitments. We recognize that integrity in the small things builds the trust required for the weighty things, and a shepherd’s word must be as dependable as his character.

4. We always tell the truth, even when it hurts.

We commit to speaking truthfully, even when it is uncomfortable, costly, or unwelcome. We recognize that genuine love for the flock sometimes requires hard words spoken in grace, and we commit that we shall not withhold truth simply for the sake of comfort or self-protection—ours or anyone else’s.

5. We do the best we can with what we’ve got.

We commit to faithfully stewarding the time, resources, skills, and spiritual gifts God has given us, without making excuses or comparing ourselves to other Elders. We believe that carrying out our responsibilities with excellence honors God and inspires others, so we will strive to do our work to the best of our own abilities. We also recognize that God has given different men different gifts and strengths. Therefore, an Elder’s performance should not be measured against the gifts or abilities of another Elder. We commit to measure the performance of each Elder according to how faithfully and effectively he uses the gifts, skills, and abilities God has given him.

6. We are shepherds who smell like sheep.

We believe that an Elder who never spends time with the people he is shepherding is not capable of truly shepherding those people well; we believe proximately breeds the rapport and insights needed to effectively shepherd God’s people. Therefore, we commit to be present and involved in the lives of the people we shepherd, to the best of our ability, not distant or merely administrative; seeking to be a faithful presence both in crisis and in ordinary life.

7. We cover our people in prayer.

We recognize that prayer is one of the primary means by which God grows his people. Therefore, we commit to devote specific time, daily, to intercede for the Members of our church, by name, with specificity and fervency.