At NCF we strive to keep things Biblical and simple. The way we understand and practice church leadership might look a little different from other churches you are familiar with, so here’s a basic overview.
We believe that Jesus is the head of the church, which the Bible describes as His body and His bride (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23). Practically, this means the church is not an organization that belongs to any one group of people. Instead, the church is a group of people who belong to Jesus. He is the chief shepherd, exercising the highest authority over the leadership of His people (1 Peter 5:4).
Additionally, Jesus has seen fit to establish and bless His church with two types of formal church leaders: elders and deacons. These individuals, fully submitted to Christ’s leadership, work in humility and interdependence to posture the church for success in the work Christ has called us to.
We are truly thankful that Christ has blessed His church with a number of gifted and faithful elders and deacons! In addition, we are always praying for God to help us identify and raise up new elder and deacon candidates. If you have any questions about our understanding and practice of church leadership, please contact one of the elders.
Elders
Elders are under-shepherds of Christ. They are men with a mature faith who are charged with providing spiritual oversight and pastoral ministry within the body (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter 5:1-3). Scripture calls us to seek a plurality of elders, each with complimentary giftedness and areas of focus. They are given by God as a gift to the church, to equip God’s people to carry out His purposes in the world (Ephesians 4:11-12). The elders have a mutual responsibility to provide encouragement, exhortation, and accountability for one another. Some elders may make their living through preaching and teaching, while others may work jobs outside the church, however no single elder holds more authority than another (1 Timothy 5:17).
Deacons
Deacons are servants of Christ. They are individuals who are charged with managing the day-to-day material and logistical needs of the church. First modeled in Acts 6, deacons help coordinate ministries which meet the temporal needs of the church and community. The work of the deacons is essential, as it frees up the elders to focus on prayer and the ministry of the word. Like the elders, those who serve as deacons are to be mature believers, with a track-record of faithfulness in their families and the church (1 Timothy 3:8-13).
NCF was started in 1987 to minister to the growing population of Fort Drum and Jefferson County. Located in Carthage, just minutes away from Ft Drum, Lowville and Watertown, it is a blended congregation of local and military folks, single soldiers, young families and grandparents.
35206 Sayre Road PO Box 823 Carthage NY 13619 315-493-3958
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