About Us
Lay Leaders
The governing body of United is the Consistory. The Consistory is made up of church members, called by God and elected by the congregation to serve as Elders and Deacons. The Pastor is the President of the Consistory. One Elder is elected by the Consistory to serve as Vice President. The Deacons and Elders, with God's help, offer their time and talents to assist eight committees:
- Administration and Finance
- Christian Education
- Outreach
- Parish Life
- Properties
- The Farm
- Worship
Each committee consists of congregational volunteers committing their love and abilities to serve God's church and community.
Elders: minister to the congregation's spiritual needs
The duties belonging to the office of elder consist of continuing in prayer and ruling the church of Christ according to the principles taught in Scripture, in order that purity of doctrine and holiness of life may be practiced. They shall see to it that their fellow-elders, the minister(s) and the deacons faithfully discharge their offices. They are to maintain the purity of the Word and Sacraments; assist in catechizing the youth; promote God-centered schooling; visit the members of the congregation according to their needs; engage in family visiting; exercise discipline in the congregation; actively promote the work of evangelism and missions; and insure that everything is done decently and in good order. *Deacons: minister to the congregation's material needs
The duties belonging to the office of deacon consist of continuing in prayer and supervising the works of Christian mercy among the congregation; acquainting themselves with congregational needs; exhorting members of the congregation to show mercy; gathering and managing the offerings of God's people in Christ's name and distributing these offerings according to need; and encouraging and comforting, with the Word of God, those who receive the gifts of Christ's mercy. Needs of those outside the congregation, especially of other believers, should also be considered as resources permit. The deacons shall ordinarily meet every month to transact the business pertaining to their office and they shall render an account of their work to the Consistory. *(*Church Order of the United Reformed Churches in North America Second Edition, 1997; http://www.rca.org/)