Welcome from Pastor Phil Miller

Phil Miller – Senior Teaching Pastor

Phil Miller is the Senior Pastor of ELMchurch and enjoys shepherding through teaching, strategic decision-making, and offering wise counsel.  His personal mission is to ‘offer ideas that help people’, especially for the development of spiritual maturity.  His ministry vision focuses on adopting strategic principles in a team oriented approach. 

Phil grew up in the suburb of Glen Ellyn, and always wanted to minister in a suburb with ‘tree-lined streets and a college’.  He is married to Linda, who grew up on the mission field of Santiago Chile.  They have enjoyed living in Elmhurst since 1997.  They have three young-adult children – Jeremy, Jennifer, and Curt.

Phil’s pastoral training includes a Master of Divinity degree from Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary. He also obtained a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in a track entitled Spiritual Renewal in the Family of God. 

John Bennett – Pastor of
Next Generation Ministries

Joining the staff at First Baptist Church in November of 2007, John and his family moved from Omaha, Nebraska. Having served on staffs, paid and volunteer, in both Omaha, NE and Pinole, CA, John enjoys seeing children and teens come to a real and personal faith. John loves to teach, engage, and empower others to experience the Christian life. Through his love of God’s Word, relevant, honest discussions and an all-hands-on-deck approach, John is passionate about activating others to discover their mission and purpose.

John is married to an amazing woman named Marci, who also grew up in Omaha, NE. They have a three-year-old son, Hayden, and another baby is due in December, 2008.

John’s pastoral training includes a Masters of Christian Education degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with an emphasis in Youth Ministry.

OFFICE STAFF - Secretaries

MIssy Bishop, Receptionist - Administrative Assistant
Primarily responsible for communication, general office duties and assisting staff based on requests.

Cheryl Van Zandbergen, Systems - Administrative Assistant
Primarily responsible for computer use for desktop publishing and database maintenance, and assisting with general office duties.

DEACONS

The Deacon Board is comprised of nine men elected by the church membership to govern the life of the church and accept responsibility for the accomplishment of the mission of the church. The Deacon Board represents the church membership and maintains regular communication with the membership. The Board governs through written policy, adhering to what is written in the Church constitution.

The primary areas of Deacon responsibility are: legal and financial management, facility management, membership and evaluation of policy effectiveness.