Leadership
Elders/Shepherds
The church of Christ in the first century was set up by Jesus’ apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Men who met a list of qualifications (as seen in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and Titus 1:5-9) where appointed as elders, and instructed to watch over, care for and oversee the church. Striving to follow the Bible’s pattern in everything we do, we have elders who meet those same qualifications given in the Bible, and watch over, care for and oversee the spiritual health of Christ’s church here in Oak Ridge.
Patrick Smith - elder
Patrick has served as an elder for the New York Ave congregation since 2012. He has also previously served as a deacon for the NYA congregation and for the Idaho Falls church of Christ in the areas of missions and benevolence. Patrick is married to Jamie, his wife of 41 years. They have five children and ten grandchildren. The Smith family homeschooled their children and served as missionaries to Durres, Albania from 2001- 2003.
Tim Harty - minister and elder
Tim began serving as the minister for the congregation in January of 2019 and started serving as an Elder in August 2021. He and his wife Karen have been married for 29 years and have an adult son named Paul.
After retiring from the broadcast industry, Tim attended the Southeast institute of Biblical Studies and graduated in 2018.
Steve Chapman - elder
Steve was born in West Virginia. He earned his Associate of Arts Degree from Ohio Valley College in Parkersburg, WV. Steve completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Bible with a minor in Religious Education from Oklahoma Christian University in August 1973. He and Becky have been married for 51 plus years. They have three daughters who are faithful Christians. Steve and Becky are proud grandparents of four grandsons and three granddaughters.
Steve spent 45 years preaching the gospel in West Virginia, Michigan, and Ohio. He spent 34 years driving a school bus and the last 12 years, he was also a playground monitor. Steve served as Chaplin for the Streetsboro, Ohio Fire Department for 25 years. Steve enjoys gospel music, sharing God’s word and fellowshipping with other Christians.
Deacons
As seen in the Bible, men who met a list of qualifications (as seen in 1 Timothy 3:8-13) were appointed as deacons to help take care of the physical needs of the church. With the Bible as our one and only guide, men who meet that same list of qualifications have been appointed and are making sure that the physical things here at the church of Christ on New York Avenue are getting done and kept up and running!
Dale Jackson - deacon
While Dale and his wife Kathy have served on a multitude of fronts over the years, from teaching kids’ Bible classes to fixing whatever needs to be fixed, he began officially serving as a deacon for the church on October 19th, 2014. Lots of Dale’s service involves helping with building maintenance and organizing seasonal cleanup of church property. Dale and Kathy have two grown children, Zackary and Luke.
Scot Winningham - deacon
Although Scot has been stepping up for years and helping wherever there has been a need, he agreed to start serving the congregation as a deacon in 2015 and help organize church education efforts. Both Scot and his wife Rachel enjoy serving as rotational Bible class teachers for the Intermediate Kids’ Class and the Nursery. They have two children, Kathryn and Callen. In their spare time they enjoy taking care of their ranch, family activities, and cheering the Vols on.
Elders/Shepherds/Overseers
“Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap”. 1 Timothy 3:1-7
“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless–not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it”. Titus 1:5-9
Deacons
“Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus” .
1 Timothy 3: 8-13