The New Testament makes it clear that, in order for it to be fully organized, a local church must be lead by a plurality of qualified men.

Several terms are used in Scripture to describe this position of leadership: elder (or presbyter), overseer (or bishop), and shepherd (or pastor). The book of Acts uses all three of these designations for the leaders of the church at Ephesus–"From Miletus he [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called to him the ELDERS of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, '...Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you OVERSEERS, to SHEPHERD the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:17-18, 28, emphasis mine). Furthermore, these descriptions tell us something about the work these men do in the church. "Elder" refers to the wisdom that comes along with the age and experience of these men. "Overseer" refers to their responsibilty to look out for the spiritual well-being of those under their care. "Shepherd" refers to the way they guide and feed the flock of God. Therefore, these are the terms we use to describe our leadership and these are the roles they seek to fulfill in this congregation.

God's word ALWAYS describes the leadership over the local church to be a plurality of men. For example, consider the wording in Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:28; 21:18; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 5:17; and Titus 1:5. There is never an indication in Scripture that a local church is be looked out for by one overseer, guided by one elder, or fed by one pastor. Therefore, we have multiple men overseeing, guiding, and feeding this congregation.

Finally, the Bible provides strict qualifications that must be met before an individual is appointed to serve as an elder. These qualifications are put forth comprehensively in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Therefore, the elders that serve this congregation are men who have demonstrated that they meet the qualifications listed in Scripture.

The church at Woodland Hills is blessed to have three men currently leading us:

Charles Birkner	Nicky Broomas	Alan Manz

Ken Osborne		Ty West

Our elders can be contacted via this email address: elders@conroechurch.com