Leadership - Emmaus KC

A plurality of leaders is a gift to the church. Christ is the head of the body and he graciously gives leaders to his people for the sake of his mission. At Emmaus, we organize our leadership in light of the reality that the work of ministry is too important and too varied for any one person to carry alone. Called by Jesus to promote unity in the gospel, our leaders work to facilitate ministry across the congregation so that the saints might be equipped to declare and display the gospel to the Northland of Kansas City and beyond (Eph. 4:11–12).

Scripture prescribes two offices of leadership for the church: elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3:1–13). Emmaus also believes God’s Word gives us the freedom to appoint other kinds of leaders, such as lay leaders and paid staff, as ministry needs arise. These additional roles operate under the oversight of the elders and alongside our deacons to carry out the mission and ministries of our church.

Elders are those mature brothers who are called, qualified, tested, and appointed to serve as overseers and under-shepherds of God’s flock. The Emmaus elder council leads the church primarily by publicly and privately instructing in sound doctrine, protecting the flock from false teachers, ensuring the right administration of the sacraments, guarding the church’s vision, directing its affairs, and providing spiritual care for its members. Our conviction is that it is a biblical and practical blessing for the elders to lead in plurality. The elders of Emmaus may differ from one another in experience and gifts, and one or two may labor more frequently in preaching than the others, but all are equal in authority.

Our ministry leadership also includes the biblical office of deacon. Our deacons lead alongside the elders to carry out much of the church’s day-to-day work. In Scripture, deacons are appointed to be “lead servants” who excel in the work of ministry, supporting the elders by caring for the congregation practically, tangibly, and organizationally. This arrangement frees the elders to remain devoted chiefly to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:1–7). Deacons are therefore a tremendous blessing to the church.