Because the church has tasks to be done, there is a need for organization and leadership. In Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 the Scriptures express that there are differing parts of the body and that all working together will lead to accomplishing the mission of the church to go into all the world and teach others about Christ and to teach followers of Christ to observe all things that He has commanded (See our Mission Statement). To lead the efforts of the Golden Church of Christ, the congregation has selected men to fill the roles of Elders, Deacons, and Evangelist.

The function of oversight of the work is placed in the hands of men known variously as elders (or presbyters), bishops (or overseers) and shepherds (or pastors). The Scriptures use these terms interchangeably and describe the qualifications or attributes of these men - see Acts 20:17 and 28, I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9 and I Peter 5:1-4. The term elder or presbyter refers to one who demonstrates true spiritual maturity by the lifestyle he leads and the experiences he brings to the position. The term bishop or overseer indicates that there is leadership involved in the position and that duties of this position require the ability to lead and delegate while carrying the responsibility and accountability to see that the Lord’s work is being done correctly (Hebrews 13:7 and 17). The shepherd or pastor is to be one who tends the flock by providing spiritual nourishment and guidance using the same compassion, concern and servant hood as did The Good Shepherd (John 10:14). The Golden church has ordained four men to fill this role. To find out more about our elders or to contact them, click here.

The word deacon means "servant" or "one who renders service" and is used in the Scriptures to describe a group of men who work closely with the bishops to further the cause of Christ. Their qualifications are described in I Timothy 3:8-13. The church in Golden has five men who meet these qualifications and lead specific ministries for the church. To learn more about the ministries of our deacons, click here.

In the New Testament evangelists went about preaching the Word of God. Sometimes they did this from town to town (Acts 8:40) and sometimes they were located in one place (Acts 18:11, 19:10 and 21:8). Their work was to ‘preach the word, be ready in season and out of season; reprove, exhort, with great patience and instruction." (I Timothy 4:2). In our congregation, Rick Walker has filled this position for over fifteen years. His lessons are filled with Scripture and he looks for a "thus saith the Lord" in all he teaches. Click here to find out more about Rick or here to see his sermon notes.