Our Pastor/Elders

Pastoral/Elder Leadership at Emmanuel

We are committed to shared, or plurality of leadership in our local church. We believe the giftedness, ability and time required for the responsibility of shepherding our local church cannot be fulfilled by a single man, and are not consistent with the interdependent image of the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12). We believe the various responsibilities of the Elders should be allocated among the Elders based on their gifts, abilities and availability. We believe all Elders share in ensuring these tasks are being accomplished in our local body, and all Elders have input in how these tasks are accomplished.

We are committed to council of equals among the Elders. We believe in an Elder council structure in which each elder shares equally the position, authority, and responsibility of the office, and provides the best environment to use the gifts and wisdom provided to each Elder by the Holy Spirit. We are committed to the principle of consensus in making decisions on the council, and ensuring all elders have an equal say in the decisions made by the council.

We are committed to male leadership. Just as Paul teaches male headship in the family, he teaches male headship in the local church (1 Tim. 2:8-3:7). Because the family is the basic social unit and the man is the established family authority, we expect that men would become the elders of the larger church family.

We are committed to qualified leadership. The overriding concern of the New Testament in relation to church leadership is to ensure that the right kind of men will serve as Elders and Deacons. The offices of God’s church are not honorary positions bestowed on individuals who have attended church faithfully, are senior in years, rich donors, charismatic personalities, or seminary graduates. Our council of Elders is open to all men who meet the biblical requirements and believe they are called to shepherd in our local congregation.

ELDERS

Greg Couser

Greg and Ronna have been married for 26 years and have four daughters (13, 15, 17, & 19). Greg has a bachelor’s in Pastoral Studies and a Master of Arts in New Testament from Liberty University, a Master of Divinity from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in New Testament from Aberdeen University, Scotland. He has attended Emmanuel for 15 years. Greg is a Professor of Bible and Greek at Cedarville University where he is primarily involved in training young men and women for ministries in the church and/or academy. Ronna graduated from Liberty University with degrees in Christian Education and Elementary Education (K-8) and has a master’s degree in Education from Marygrove College. Currently, she is an eighth-grade Language Arts teacher at Central Middle School in the Xenia Community Schools.

Elder responsibilities/ministry interests: Greg oversees the worship service organization and structure with Ed; leads about a half of the worship teaching during the year; helps to organize and direct the Adult Bible Studies offered by the church; leads a small group fellowship; oversees church membership issues; coordinates or advises weddings, funerals, and baptisms; and teaches adult Bible studies.

Email: COUSERG@cedarville.edu

Galen Smith

Galen and Claudia have been married for nearly 44 years, and have two grown children and four grandchildren. Galen graduated from Washburn University with a BBA in Business and holds Masters degrees in economics and theology with additional graduate work in economics. He also holds a DMIN from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Galen has attended Emmanuel for 29 years. He has taught economics at Cedarville University for the past 29 years. He also serves as pulpit supply for the speaker's bureau at Cedarville and has spoken at a number of churches in the state of Ohio.

Elder Responsibilities/ministry interests: Galen is our elder representative on the Mission's Board. He also does hospital visitation and pulpit supply when needed. He leads a small group fellowship and is active in teaching in our adult Bible studies.

Will Urschel

Will and Kim have been married for 29 years, and have two sons (26 & 16) and a daughter (25). Will graduated from MIT with a BS in Electrical Engineering and a MS in computer Science, and has attended Emmanuel for 32 years. Will has worked at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base as an engineer for the last 28 years. Will serves as chair for the Xenia Area Association of Churches, chair for the CLEFT youth ministries in Xenia, and on board of Dayton Christian Schools. Kim is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton, and is currently a full time homemaker.

Elder responsibility/ministry interests: Will is employed part time (20hrs/week) at the church as the current staff elder; overseas church staff and leads the weekly staff meetings; oversees the small group fellowships; oversees community outreach activities; leads a small group fellowship; and teaches adult Bible studies.Will and his wife Kim

Van Holloway

Van and Janell have been married for 20 years, and have four boys (ages 13-18). Van graduated from Cedarville University with a BS in Biology and a Masters in Education, and has attended Emmanuel for 22 years. Van has taught science and Bible classes at Xenia Christian High School for 22 years and has been the high school boys tennis coach for 17 years. Janell is a graduate of Cedarville University as well, and is currently a full time homemaker.

Elder Responsibilities/ministry interests: Van is our Elder lead for the deacons; heads up our people care ministries with the deacons (caring for widows, the elderly, and those in need, visiting shut-ins); leads a weekly ministry to the County Juvenile Detention Center; preaches regularly and leads a ministry at an assisted living facility in Xenia; leads a small group fellowship; and teaches adult Bible studies

David Myles

David and his wife Tammy have been married for 12 years and have four children, DJ (9),
Jackson (7), Taylor (4) and Jayden (1). David has a bachelor’s of science in
Corporate Community Fitness and a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has been
involved in leadership at Salem Evangelical Free Church, Waukegan Baptist Bible Church and Brooklyn Park Evangelical Free Church. Tammy and David recently moved to the Xenia area when called to become the vocational elder at EBC (March, 2012).

Email: David.Myles@ebcxenia.org

Ed Uszynski

Ed and Amy have been married for 10 years and have two sons (4 & 9) and a daughter (6). Ed has a bachelor’s degree in communication from Kent State, two Masters in Divinity and Christian Worldview from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and has attended Emmanuel for 10 years. Ed does leader development and ministry material production for Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, and frequently speaks to college students, men's groups, and churches around the country. Since 2004, Ed and Amy have been speaking at Weekend to Remember Conferences for the ministry of Family Life. Ed is currently in his second year of PhD studies at Bowling Green State University in American Culture Studies. Amy graduated from Trinity International University before joining the staff team of AIA, and is currently full-time homemaker and a part-time minister to college women and young moms.

Elder responsibilities/ministry interests: Ed oversees the worship service organization and structure with Greg; leads about a third of the worship teaching during the year; oversees leadership development and the men’s & women’s ministries; leads a small group fellowship; and teaches adult Bible studies.