Elders

Scripture teaches that local churches are to be led by a team of elders (Acts 14:23; 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:2-5). Elders are qualified and called men who carry the highest governing authority in their local congregation, all while in submission to Jesus Christ (1 Peter 5:4), the head of His church, and to each other. They lead as a team, and they have a team leader. Elders are pastors (or shepherds) who govern, guard and guide the church through setting doctrine, giving direction, caring for the flock, overseeing church affairs, mobilizing members (Ephesians 4:12), and if need be, practicing discipline (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5; Galatians 6:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 1 Timothy 5:20). At Mercy commons we use the terms elder and pastor interchangeably, as the New Testament sets this precedent in using both words alongside an additional one (overseer or bishop) to describe functions of one and the same person.

Nicholas

Saltas

Lead Pastor

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. He 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 a 5 tool player at Mercy Commons.

Mitch

Buchanan

Pastor, Serve Teams Lead

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

Pastor, Worship Lead

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 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

Although we believe in the autonomy of the local church under the leadership of its elders, we do not believe it is healthy or wise for a church to be totally independent. We therefore 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. These are mostly represented within our primary partnership in the Advance Movement.

Key Decisions

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.

Financial Counsel

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.