LEADERSHIP

ABOUT US

Jesus Christ is the Head of his church, which includes Mercy Commons. We believe Scripture teaches that local churches are to be led by a team of pastor-elders — and not subject to other forms of church government, such as bishops, governing boards or denominational officers. At Mercy Commons, pastor-elders lead this church in submission to Christ and each other.

Pastor-elders in a local church are the human under-shepherds appointed by the Chief Shepherd, Jesus. The men who lead Mercy Commons as pastor-elders are appointed and recognized with the gift of and grace for leadership (Eph. 4:1-3; Heb. 13:7, 17). Scripture uses three words interchangeably to refer to the function of one and the same person. (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5,7; 1 Pet. 2:25, 5:1-2)

“Presbuteros” — Elder (executes God’s justice and government and administers the affairs of the church).

“Episcopos” — Overseer or bishop (oversees as a guardian, gatekeeper or watchman).

“Poimain” — Shepherd or pastor (shepherds the flock, nurtures, cares for and feeds the flock).

Pastor-elders oversee every aspect of church life, are accountable to one another and are led by a visionary or lead elder. We place a high value on the team dynamics of our leadership.

For simplicity sake we just refer to these men simply as pastors.

PASTOR-ELDERS

Nick Saltas

Nick is married to Karin and they have 3 girls. Nick & Karin have been serving the church since 1997 and helped plant Mercy Commons in 2014. Nick has been serving as the lead pastor since then. Karin is a teacher, doula and 5 tool player at Mercy Commons. Nick leads the gifted team that leads Mercy Commons and his primary areas of service are in the oversight of preaching, leadership development, and vision.

Mitch Buchanan

Mitch is married to Mikaela and they have 1 son. Mitch and Mikaela have been part of Mercy Commons since it was planted in 2014. They have faithfully served in a multitude of areas since then. Mitch is a marketplace elder who works as a teacher to students with disabilities. Mikaela leads the Kid’s Ministry and does Administration at Mercy Commons. Mitch oversees serve teams at Mercy Commons.

Vic Stander

Vic has served as a pastor since 2005. He has been a part of Advance church leadership teams in South Africa and Canada, where he led a local church for 9 years prior to him joining the pastoral team here at Mercy Commons in April 2024. In addition to preaching and leading, he is also a talented and celebrated musician and leads our worship ministry. Vic also loves to create missional opportunities and intersections where believers and seekers get to interact! He is married to Tanya and they have 4 teenage children.

Accountability

As an eldership team we hold a value of plurality and consensus on decisions of doctrine, direction and discipline. We also believe every team has a leader. Nick Saltas is in the role of lead pastor as a “first among equals” — rather than as a senior pastor with associate pastors. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, in which the elders are the highest governing authority in that church, but we do not believe it is healthy or wise for a church to be totally independent. As a team, we actively seek accountability and counsel from trusted leaders in partner churches who exhibit the Ephesians 4 gifts of either apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher or evangelist.

Though not a member of a denomination, Mercy Commons is part of a global network of churches called Advance, a movement of churches partnering together to advance the gospel by planting and strengthening churches. When making key decisions regarding finances, leadership, discipline and theology, the elders invite members of the Advance team into that process to ensure that decisions are not made in isolation. The partnership with Advance is not just for and through the leaders of the church. Apostolic gifts exist for the maturing and protecting of the whole body (church) and any members has access to engage members of the Advance team.

As an eldership team, we also welcome the perspectives of a Financial Counsel Team, made up of business people within Mercy Commons who have particular strategic and financial insight to provide input and feedback on major financial decisions.

Deacons

Deacons This is the only other local church office mentioned in Scripture. The Greek word for deacon is “diakonis” and means “servant, one who ministers alongside, or helper.” This does not mean our deacons are only servants and only do menial jobs. Everyone in the church should have a servant heart. What it does mean is that the deacons come alongside the elders, assisting them in the pastoring of the church, releasing them “to prayer and ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:1–8). Our deacons, together with the elders, exercise oversight in life groups, serve teams and community engagement.