The Bible tells us that while Christ established the Church through the Apostles, He authorized the leadership of local churches by specially appointed men, called elders. In the Bible, elders are sometimes called “pastors” or “bishops.” We normally only use the title “pastor” or “elder,” but all three words are used interchangeably throughout the New Testament. Elders are responsible to administer the Word and the sacrament, to lead the church spiritually so that it grows in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ and is more and more conformed to His image. In addition to pastors, other men, called deacons, which means "servants," were appointed to help the pastors by freeing them to devote themselves completely to the ministry of the Word and of prayer. Deacons serve the church by taking care of the material needs of the people and the ministry. You can read about ERBC's current elder and deacons below.