Leadership

Leadership Structure at Central

If you are interested in learning more about Central’s operation and leadership, you can read or download our guiding documents on this page. Our Confession of Faith lays out our beliefs and what we teach, while Central’s Constitution lays out our leadership structure and the roles of elders and pastors. You can read more about our beliefs on our What We Believe page.

Additionally, you can read minutes from our elder’s meetings to see what is being discussed and prayed over by our Elder Board.

Confession of Faith

Constitution

Elder Minutes

Elders

Central Church is led by a group of elders, of which our Executive Team is a part of. You can contact our elders using the form below. Further down on this page, we have an F.A.Q. on what elders do and their role at Central.

Contact Elders

Dr. Matt Shackelford

Lead Pastor

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In November 2019, Pastor Matt became the Lead Pastor of Central Church. After the Covid-19 reset, Central Church emerged with a new leadership, vision, and passion to multiply and mature disciples for Jesus Christ.

Pastor Matt’s personal goal for ministry is to glorify God by shepherding the flock of God and preaching Christ-centered expositional messages that bring glory to God and joy to God’s people.

Pastor Matt is married to Ashley, and together they have four children: Caleb, Selah, Phoebe, and Lydia. They enjoy hiking, movies, college football, and bonfires. Pastor Matt especially loves a game of “Settlers of Catan” with his wife and kids. Unfortunately, they have become shrewd and ruthless traders, who enjoy joining forces to defeat him.

Matt has also earned theological degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.), Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Th.M.), The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (D.Min.), and finished his Ph.D in Expository Preaching from Midwestern Baptist Theological in 2026.

Stay up-to-date with Pastor Matt at momentoftruth.org. If you’d like to inquire about a speaking engagement or meeting with Pastor Matt, please use the form below.

Click here to learn more about Pastor Matt.

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Todd Parr

Executive Pastor of Ministries

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I am married to Amber and have two adult children, Zoe and Zane. I’ve served in ministry since 1994 and as an Executive Pastor since 2008. Since Texas is home, the Longhorns are my team of choice.

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Tim Clay

Chief Operations Officer

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I joined the staff at Central in 1996. In 2020, I was pleased to take on the role of COO where I serve by partnering with Pastor Matt and the Elders to ensure the day to day operations of the church are running smoothly. I graduated from Crichton College and majored in Biblical Studies. When I’m not at the church you will find me spending time with my wife Allison and daughter Zoey.

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Jonathan Burk

Personnel Chairman

Mike Ebbs

Kelly McElrath

Finance Chairman

Dennis Rutledge

Steve Strong

Elder Chairman

Mark Whitby

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What is an elder?

These leaders are known by three titles all seen in 1 Peter 5:1-2, each of which reveals a separate aspect of their function. They are first called “elders,” indicating they are to be godly leaders whose wisdom and maturity are respected by God’s people. They are also called “overseers,” indicating their responsibility for the oversight of the church’s resources and the guardian of its people. They are also called “shepherds,” which is also translated as “pastors,” indicating their role of caring for and leading the church.

We see that within the New Testament model of church organization, authority for leadership is not granted to just one individual pastor, nor is it given as democratic rule by the congregation. Instead, the Scripture states that authority for leadership is conducted by a plurality of leaders who are appointed by the church and accountable to God. Some of these elders fill church vocational roles, and are therefore commonly referred to by the title of “pastor.” Other elders fill non-vocational roles, and are therefore commonly referred to by the title of “elder.”

What are the biblical qualifications of an elder?

All elders and pastors shall be selected and held accountable to the standards of 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, Acts 20:27-32, and 1 Peter 5:1-3. All elders and pastors shall be in full accord with Central Church’s Constitution, Confession of Faith, and policies, as well as Central Church’s current Mission, Core Values, and Vision. Pastors additionally shall qualify for their positions according to giftedness and experience in the ministry position to be filled.

How are the elders structured?

The elders of Central consist of two groups: the Council of Elders and the Elder Board.

The Council of Elders consists of all elders of the church. The Elder Board consists of between seven to twelve elders from the council, the Lead Teaching Pastor, and the Executive Pastor.

What does an elder do at Central?

Generally speaking, the elders are given both the responsibility and authority to skillfully and lovingly lead the church, to teach church members through the accurate and insightful reading of the Bible, to care for church members through prayer and ministry, and to protect the church from harmful influences and beliefs.

The Council of Elders is the shepherding ministry of the church (1 Peter 5:1-4). The main role of the council is to promote the spiritual interests and unity of the church (Acts 6:1-6; Ephesians 4:1-3; 1 Peter 5:1-4). In addition, they select new elders to join the Council, select elders from the council to serve on the Elder Board, and they advise and support the Elder Board.

The Elder Board, in addition to their responsibilities as members of the Council of Elders, is ultimately responsible for the “oversight” of the church’s ministries and resources as prescribed in the New Testament (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2). In particular, they are responsible for ensuring proper doctrine is taught in the church and enacting church discipline when necessary. Other responsibility include: to receive new members into the church; to ordain and install pastors, elders, and deacons; to oversee the service of the deacons; to oversee the Christian education of all age groups in the church; to approve offerings for special uses and church purposes; and to oversee the public worship of God.

Do you have deacons?

Acts 6:2 – “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables…”

In January 2023, our church body unanimously voted to include deacons as one of the offices of the church. However, we do not believe that deacons hold a leadership role in the church; they exist to meet the needs of the church body. By being the hands and feet of Jesus, deacons can take care of the physical needs of our facilities and our people.

Do you have any formal governance documents?

The constitution lays out how our elders function, the criteria for being an elder, and other governance of the church. Our Confession of Faith lays out our beliefs and what we teach.