The point of this article is to let you know that Lance Powers has been nominated to serve on the board of Good News Church as an elder. Let me fill you in on the details:

1. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? WHAT IS AN ELDER AT GOOD NEWS CHURCH?

Good question. Good News Church is governed by a group of people that we call elders. We use that word because it is an English translation of a Greek word found the in the Bible: “presbuteros.” The word refers to a godly man who leads (and often teaches) in a church. There are a couple of other Greek words in the Bible that also refer to church leaders, and when translated into English they are words like overseer, shepherd, bishop, and pastor. And it seems to us that the New Testament even uses these terms interchangeably in passages like 1 Timothy 3:1-5 & 5:17, Titus 1:6-7, 1 Peter 5:1-2, and Ephesians 4:11. So, long story short, elder is a Bible word for church leader.

At Good News, the elder's oversight includes teaching, protecting, leading, discipling, equipping, and caring for the church body, as well as oversight of all ministry, operations, and finances of the church. They are responsible to be obedient to the Scriptures, and they appoint new elders as needed. At Good News, the elders delegate to Mario oversight of the day-to-day activities and programs of the church.

2. WHO IS LANCE POWERS?

Many of you already know Lance. Lance Powers co-leads a community group with me, serves as a guitarist in our church band, and has lead the music at our church a couple of times when Kennon was out of town. He is a financial advisor with Raymond James and the current elders (Mario Villella, Bruce Hawk, and Gary Haverdink) have asked him to come on board as an elder.

3. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SOMEONE WHO IS A PART OF GOOD NEWS CHURCH?

Well, there are two main things we want you to know that relate to your responsibility as the people of Good News Church:

First, if you know anything about Lance that you think we need to know, now is your time to let us know. In fact, this what our church bylaws say about this: “Typically, the attendees of the church will be allowed to raise concerns before any prospective elder is confirmed. However, confirmation of the elder will be at the final discretion of the elders.” This means that while we‘ve chosen Lance as a man that we believe fits the qualifications of an elder (See I Timothy 3:1-7) we wanted to give you all the chance to let us know if there is anything in contradiction to that, that we need to know. If there is a particular unrepentant sin or a character issue that you are aware of that hasn‘t been dealt with, please contact us and let us know. Otherwise, if there are no legitimate accusations that would disqualify him, then he will be officially installed as an elder sometime in the latter half of October.

Second, assuming Lance is confirmed as the next elder in October, please begin praying for him. As a church leader he must live a life worth imitating, and he is planning on setting aside even more time to serve the church than he has in the past. Also, be prepared to submit to him as a leader in this church. Hebrews 13:7 & 17 say, “Remember your leaders who have spoken God‘s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith’Obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”