Our ELDERS

The Role of Elders at Journey Christian Church

When we read the New Testament, evidence indicates that churches had a plurality of Elders (Acts 11:30; 20:17; Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5). In Paul’s First Epistle to Timothy, he writes, “Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.”  But what do Elders do?
 
First, Elders pray (Acts 6:4; James 5:14).  Elders plead for the people of God under their care. To speak to people for God, Elders must speak to God for people. They consistently pray for them, and per James 5, they anoint and pray over any church member who requests it.

In addition, Elders lead. Journey Christian Church is an Elder-led organization. The Elder Team determines Journey’s Vision and has authority over and responsibility for our doctrinal integrity. The day-to-day responsibility for the functions of the church, including the various ministries and carrying out our vision and mission, is delegated through the appointment and employment of our Lead Pastor, Pastor Dustin Aagaard. Our Elders pray for and support Pastor Dustin and annually evaluate his success in ensuring doctrinal integrity, carrying out the vision & mission of Journey Christian Church, and his compliance with the limitations outlined in our governance policies.  

Furthermore, Elders provide financial and legal oversight. The ultimate responsibility of financial oversight lies with the Elder Team, primarily because they are the biblical shepherds and overseers of Journey and, additionally, because all boards of non-profits have a fiduciary responsibility for organizational oversight.

Finally, Elders lead by example (Hebrews 13:7; Titus 2:7).  Elders lead by their example of obeying Christ and modeling Christian maturity. They are to keep a close watch on their doctrine, themselves, and their families (1 Timothy 3:2-7, 4:12, 4:16; Titus 1:6-9).

“The Elder team and the Elder Governance Policies at Journey are among my favorite things about Journey. They ensure health, accountability, and wisdom for the church and its leadership to do its job in a Biblical and healthy manner. Our Elder positions are volunteer positions, and these men of God take their role seriously, as they should. They take praying for you and leading Journey as a top honor that they steward with reverence and humility. May we pray for and support them as they pray for and lead us.”
-Pastor Dustin

If you have any questions for our Elder Team, please feel free to contact them at elders@journeychristian.com.

Sheel Amin

Jenifer and I have been happily married for 11 years and are blessed with two wonderful boys, Ashton and Noah. On top of being an amazing mom to our boys, Jenefer works part-time at the boys’ school, Orangewood Christian School. I have worked as a certified public accountant for 12 years and I am currently working at Darden Restaurants in their Corporate Tax department. Jenefer and I are very passionate about local and global missions and we're grateful to go on our first mission trip as a family last summer with Journey in Ecuador. I have served in the Journey High School Ministry for 8 years and as a table leader at Man-Zone.

Kennie Armstead

My wife, Alexandra, and I have been happily married for 20 years.  We have five adult children and a younger daughter still at home.  We also have 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. We have been attending Journey Christian Church since October of 2018.  I was baptized here on November 18, 2018.  My wife, Alexandra, is a Registered Nurse and works for the Advent Health system.  Prior to retirement I worked in the New York City Jail system for thirty years until 2017.  I have served on 6 different teams within Journey.  Some include leading Rooted groups and serving  as a project manager for Serve Day.

Bob Beal

Dianne and I have been married for 53 years. We have one son, Robert Wayne Beal. He is married to Kim Beal and they have two children, Ethan and Ella. Dianne and I are both retired. She worked for the Jewett Orthopedic Clinic for 34 years. I worked for the City of Orlando Police Department for 38 years (24 years as a Sworn Police Officer and 14 as a Civilian Manager).  Between stints at the Orlando Police Department, I worked as an Investigator for Travelers Insurance for 4 years. Both Dianne and I are life long Christians. We began attending Journey in December of 2017. We joined the Connections Team and have been serving at the New Here Center since 2018. We started serving with Food For Life last year. I believe that the Good Lord led us to Journey. Both Dianne and I are excited to serve in any way we can.

Wayne Hobbs

Karen and I have been members at Journey Christian Church for 5 years and love serving our Lord and Savior in whatever role He puts us in.  We are celebrating 12 years of marriage.  We own an Aerospace Engineering Consultant business, and I traveled extensively until recently.  Karen worked as an Executive Assistant, and even worked on the Journey staff for a time.  You’ll find Karen serving on the Connections Team and will see me on the Worship Team.  We have enjoyed leading Rooted Groups and leading a life group.  We love Journey Christian Church and look forward to continuing to be a part of God’s plan for our church family.

Robin McCart

Kimberly and I have been married for three years. We are blessed with four adult children, and nine grandchildren. I work as the nuclear sales manager in Central Florida for Jubilant Radiopharma and worked in a variety of capacities for GE Healthcare in previous years. Kimberly has a degree in herbology and works as a health care consultant. For many years, she worked in the financial services industry. We are in our third year being a part of the Journey family. Prior to moving to Florida just over three years ago, I lived in the far western Chicago suburbs and was very involved at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva, Illinois in senior leadership roles, student ministries, and missions. We both attended Meadowbrook Christian Church in Ocala for a time before relocating to Mount Dora. Kimberly served periodically as a greeter there. At Journey, we have been connecting in various ways. We went through Rooted together and then co-led a group the following session. When needed, we help out with the Connections Team.

Brian McIntosh

Lori and I have been happily married for nearly 22 years and are blessed with two wonderful sons – Zachary and Carson. On top of being an amazing mother to Zachary and Carson, Lori works full time as an Admissions Coordinator at Trinity Christian School in Apopka. I have worked in the Information Technology industry for over 25 years, and I am currently working at AdventHealth in their IT Project Management Office leading strategic acquisitions and growth projects.  I am very passionate about serving in our community, and have been grateful to lead and participate in many opportunities over the 18 years we’ve attended Journey. One of the most rewarding opportunities was leading the Journey Golf Go-Group for over 5 years. This opportunity allowed many of our church family members to combine golf with serving, giving, and fellowship, where we grew as a community of golfers on a life changing journey with Jesus.

Denny Winship

I have had the opportunity to serve as a youth leader, teacher, and also as an Elder with previous churches. In September of 2015, I began attending Journey Christian Church. Quickly I joined a Life Group and met my wife, Rosa. We are both graduates of Rooted. I serve on the Security team, and Rosa serves with Journey Kids.  In 2014, I  retired from Lockheed Martin, and that same year, my wife Rosa retired from the New York City School System. Rose and I got married in 2019 and together have a total of seven adult children and eight grandchildren.