Elder leadership is not a committee-run church. It is also not a board, like the boards in large corporations. It is leadership by community.

com·mu·ni·ty (kə-myōō’nĭ-tē)
n. pl. com·mu·ni·ties
a.  A group viewed as forming a distinct segment of society: the gay community; the community of color.

b.  Similarity or identity: a community of interests.

c.  Sharing, participation, and fellowship.

The elders who should lead a church are a community within a community. They are a group of men, called by God and confirmed by God’s people to work together in leadership.

It is not common to think of laymen are being called into a specific ministry in the church, but biblically there is no distinction between the calling of a vocational pastor and a lay pastor. At Grace, we want everyone to understand that the distinction is one of role and not one of authority.

Neither the senior pastor or the lay elders have any inherent authority over the others. We are a community that has authority as a community within the church community.