Elder Election
Nathan Gurnsey
I was blessed to be raised in a home that taught the Word and was called to faith at a young age. I attended Pensacola Christian College where I met my wife Sarah, and we have been married for over 26 years. We lived most of our married life in eastern Nebraska, where God blessed us with 8 children: Jude, Levi, Luke, Selah, Sophia, Justus, Ezra and Ezekiel. About 16 years ago, the Lord began stirring our hearts and transitioning our theology to Reformed theology. We were led by God to plant our family in Moscow almost 5 years ago, and began attending what was then CCD (and continued through its particularization to King’s Cross). I am a transactional attorney by trade and practice law in the Midwest and northern Idaho. I also serve as a board member of White Horse Hall. My family is thankful to be a part of King’s Cross and the broader community here in Moscow.
Chris King
Chris came to the Lord after graduating high school in Mississippi and was introduced to the Reformed tradition prior to his senior year of college in Indiana. He was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force and traveled around the country as an F-16 pilot and eventually test pilot flying more than 50 different airframes. Chris and Mercy met in Phoenix while Chris was doing some flight training and they were married a little under three months after they met. They’ve been married for almost 25 years now, and they have been blessed with ten children, two who are married, all walking with the Lord, ranging in ages from one to twenty-three. They have three grandchildren who love raising their hands and singing the doxology.
Chris left the military in 2010 and went to law school in Alabama. He clerked for the Honorable Roy Moore, Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and then went into private practice. Apart from various business endeavors, Chris has helped plant a CREC church in southern California, served as a deacon for a CREC church in Birmingham, Alabama, and started a classical Christian School just west of Nashville, Tennessee. He taught New Testament and mathematics for Logos School here in Moscow for the past two years and now is helping get the Moscow Boys School up and going. Chris has a passion for teaching, especially God’s Word, delights in leading family worship, and loves to boisterously sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
Chris and his family moved to Moscow in 2024 to be a part of and serve in a strong Christian community and to allow his children to participate in a variety of educational endeavors here in Moscow. In his free time, Chris serves as a volunteer EMT and fireman, and thoroughly enjoys the hospitality that his wife has helped facilitate in their home over the past several decades. If the Lord allows, Chris would view it as an honor to be able to serve the flock as a parish elder.
Brian Points
Brian Points has lived in Moscow for the majority of the past 24 years. As a fourth generation Idahoan, he grew up in Boise before moving to Moscow to study at the University of Idaho. He was saved in college through the evangelistic work of several local churches. Over the past two decades, the Points have also lived in California, Virginia, and Indiana for a combination of educational and professional pursuits. He and his wife of 18 years, Morgan, have four daughters between the ages of 15 and 10 who all attend Logos School. Since 2019 he has had the privilege of serving as Owner of Points Consulting, where he leads a team who address municipal planning and economic issues. He has served as a Deacon since 2019, initially at Christ Church and then at King's Cross. Outside of these things, he enjoys occasionally cooking, playing/coaching basketball, and mountain biking.
From our Constitution:
Electors
In church elections, voting is done by household. Those households eligible to vote will be called elector households. For voting purposes, an elector household is defined as a household where the head of that household is a member in good standing. Independant unmarried members are also considered elector households for purposes of voting. Elector households may vote in the elections of elders and deacons. The elders will qualify elector households. Three weeks prior to any church election, a ballot will be provided. Elections will be conducted at appropriate times set by the elders.
Election of Parish Elders
A prospect for parish elder may be identified by the elders, by the congregation, or may volunteer himself. The elders will discuss the prospects, examine them, and narrow the list down as appropriate. If the nominee has any disagreement or mental reservation about any portion of the church’s book of Confessions or this constitution, he must inform the elders of it. All prospects for elder must meet the qualifications for the office set down in Scripture (1 Tim. 3:1–7; Tit. 1:5–9; 1 Pet. 5:2–4; 1 Tim. 3:8–13).
Once approved, the nominee may work through a short course of training on eldership under the oversight of the current session. His name will then be placed on a ballot for the electors. Each ballot will provide the option of voting yes, no, or abstain.
If the candidate receives a two-thirds majority of the congregational votes cast, the elders will ordain him for a two-year term through the laying on of hands and prayer. If any elector votes no and includes a reason for the no vote on the ballot, the elders must carefully weigh the scriptural merit of the objection before ordaining the elder elect.
At the end of a two-year term, if he desires to continue serving the congregation, the parish elder must be reaffirmed by a two-thirds majority of the congregational votes cast. If elected, the elders will extend his ordination for an additional five-year term. If any elector votes no and includes a reason for the no vote on the ballot, the elders must carefully weigh the scriptural merit of the objection before ordaining the elder elect.
After the subsequent five-year term, if the elder wishes to continue his service, another church wide election will occur. If in this election, the candidate receives a three-quarters majority of the congregational votes cast, the elders will extend his ordination for life. If any elector votes no and includes a reason for the no vote on the ballot, the elders must carefully weigh the scriptural merit of the objection and meet as necessary with the electors who cast the no votes. If these conditions are met, the elders will extend the parish elder’s ordination to a life-term. If events warrant it, during an elder’s term of office, the session may grant a leave of absence for a length of time specified at the time of the leave. If the leave of absence coincides with an elder election to renew or extend his term of service, his election may be postponed until the leave of absence is concluded.