Structure of Leadership and Ministry:
God has a structure for His church. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the leader, or “head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23), and has given His church a mission:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
-Matthew 28:19-20
Gashland Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), as part of God’s universal church, seeks to carry out this mission in the unique place and time He has placed us. The following structure falls under the leadership of Jesus Christ Himself.
The Session
God gives further direction to His leadership structure through an office in the church known as “Elder.” The elders together create a team called “The Session.” The Session is responsible for the primary leadership and oversight of the church. In the Bible, elders are specifically responsible for two items:
1) The Ministry of the Word
2) Prayer
There are four ministry teams that seek to oversee the ministry of the Word. Those teams form the acronym W.O.R.D., which stands for Worship, Outreach, Relationships, and Discipleship. There is a fifth team, the Coordinating Team, that oversees other duties assigned to the elders by our denomination, the EPC. The Clerk of the Session is Ruling Elder Tom Clapham.
For more specific information on each team and their respective leaders, click on the team title below.
Worship Team
The Worship Team’s primary responsibility is to facilitate and implement biblically based, Christ-centered worship services. These services are focused on God’s redemptive work for sinful people through the death and resurrection of God the Son – Jesus Christ!
Current Elders:
Michael Morefield, Jim Langford
Outreach Team
The Outreach team plans and oversees GEPC’s ministries that focus on bringing the power and hope of the Gospel to a lost and broken world. They manage outreach events of the church as well as the missionaries Gashland supports.
Current Elders:
Mark Johnson, Bob Williams
Relationships Team
The Relationships team initiates and oversees the various ministries that foster loving relationships among the members of GEPC. It also functions to encourage the Session and individual members to grow in relationship with one another.
Current Elders:
Michael Morefield, Ethan Funk, Mark Blakley
Discipleship Team
The Discipleship Team provides leadership, perspective, and oversight for all Christian education ministries. The Discipleship Team encourages spiritual growth and development, based out of Matthew 28:20, committing to “teaching these new disciples to obey all the commands I [Jesus] have given you.”
Current Elders:
Michael Morefield, Mike Brink
Coordinating Team
The Coordinating Team provides oversight and facilitates the functioning of the body, members, and staff, in accordance with the Holy Scriptures, the EPC Book of Order, and Book of Government through service to the glory of the Almighty God.
Current Elders:
Dave Wiersma
Deacon Representative:
Steve Moberg
Elder Class Structure:
Class of 2024:
Dave Wiersma
Jim Langford
Tom Crossett
Class of 2025:
Mike Brink
Tom Clapham
Bob Williams
Class of 2026:
Mark Blakley
Ethan Funk
Mark Johnson
The Deacons:
In Acts chapter 6, the office of Deacon falls under the umbrella of leadership of the Session. The Deacons are an office of service, and seek to manage the material items of the church as well as help in the areas of mercy and benevolence within the church and the surrounding community. The four teams listed below oversee these aspects of ministry. Finance and Property oversee the material items of the church, while Mercy and Helps serve and meet other needs.
Mercy Team
The Mercy Team provides help and care for the sick, elderly, and those in need within Gashland EPC. It also assists with walk-in requests and catastrophic situations outside of Gashland.
Current Deacons:
Mary Lancaster, Laura Cooper, Steve Phelan
Property Team
The Property Team seeks to keep the property functional and operational, and maintain the integrity of the building so that the ministries of the church can go forward unhindered.
Current Deacon:
Josiah Colle
Helps Team
The Helps Team serves Gashland by presenting a warm welcome on Sunday mornings, as well as working with the above Session teams to help serve any ministry event needs.
Current Deacons:
Dave Smith, Dan Scheneman
Finance Team
The Finance Team records and reports the financial resources of the church. They also seek to give the Session financial information that is important for the church to carry out Gashland’s ministry vision.
Current Deacons:
Larry Anderson, Debbie Failing
Deacon Class Structure:
Class of 2024:
Steve Moberg
Josiah Colle
Steve Phelan
Class of 2025:
Dan Scheneman
Dave Smith
Larry Anderson
Class of 2026:
Mary Lancaster
Laura Cooper
Debbie Failing