Relentless Elders

We are pleased to announce the installation of our very first Elders at Relentless Church. Learn more about our elders below and about the role and theology behind elders at Relentless Church. Contact our elder team at elders@relentlesschurch.cc

O'neil Branch

The Branch family (Kim, O’neil, Nia and Cupid) are lifelong North Carolinians from Winston Salem and Mt. Olive. After moving from Greenville, NC in 2017, they began attending Relentless Church.  Relentless became their  church home upon seeing a willingness to discuss real life matters with a biblical focus.  They have always strived to be servants with a lens for a healthy church. O’neil and Kim both serve in different capacities to be a part of what Relentless is missioned to do.  They fully believe in the multicultural, multiethnic shared experience in growing and living out a relationship with God.  They know that in all of their imperfections they have a need to love and grow for God, and they desire to be a help to others learning and knowing how to rely on and trust in God.

Raf Gonzalez

Raf Gonzalez has been serving as associate pastor at Relentless Church since 2017, and leads our RC Students, Discipleship and Outreach ministries. He met his wife Misty in Boston and they eventually relocated to Versailles, KY where he would be baptized into new life, discipled by our lead Pastor David Jones, and called into full-time ministry. Raf and Misty live in Fuquay Varina with their four amazing kids, where you will often find them on a ball field or in the kitchen cooking together. In addition to Jesus and Relentless Church, Raf is passionate about New England sports and all things food.

David Hardy

David was born and raised in Raleigh, NC. He grew up in a Christian home and surrendered his life to Jesus at an early age. God brought David and Kelly together when she relocated with her family from Fort Worth, TX, to Raleigh, where they met at Sanderson High School and began dating. Nine years later they were married in 2001.

They are passionate about Relentless’ mission of being a “Gospel-centered, forever-focused, multi-ethnic movement.” David and Kelly currently serve in Guest Services, have led several small groups, and are involved in both the men’s and women’s ministries.

They are proud parents to their twin sons, Adam and Caleb, and their baby girl, Emma. The Hardys are unashamed NC State Wolfpack fans, owners of the HoneyBaked Ham Store in Wake Forest, and enjoy playing golf and going on travel adventures together.

Chauncey Hatcher

The Hatcher family, originally from Chicago, moved to NC in 2006 to be a part of a church plant in Cary, NC. Chauncey met David through a mutual friend and began meeting with him as a thought partner in January 2014. After attending a conference together with multiple core members, he and his wife, Lanaya, felt God led them to become partners at Relentless. They have joyfully served in multiple capacities at Relentless since August 2014. They have 5 amazing and beautiful children aged 24, 22 and 20. Yes, you read that correctly, they have 2 sets of twins(22-20).

David Jones

God has been preparing Pastor David and Kelly strategically and specifically to plant Relentless Church since their marriage in 1997. David and Kelly have been in ministry all of their adult lives. They were born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC. They have three awesome kids: Mia, Jackson and Eli and two mediocre dogs: Ripley and Hooper.

About The Role of Elder at Relentless Church

We selected elders based on the 17 biblical qualifications of elders as well as a proven history of displaying godly leadership and character. The men chosen as elders demonstrate the pillars of partnership: Show, Grow, Serve, Give, Bring. We began to meet and develop as a leadership team in March 2021.

Each original elder shall be asked for either a two or three-year commitment, with a mandated year off after the commitment is fulfilled. After the first group of elders is installed, all future elders will serve on a two-year on, one-year off schedule. The mandated one year off is to keep the group fresh and the individual leader healthy. Staff that serve as elders, including the lead pastor, will also rotate off of the eldership every third or fourth year.

At Relentless Church, we believe women are capable of leadership. Females lead in various capacities throughout our church. We do recognize the biblical principle of gender roles, not gender ranking, but gender roles. Our understanding of scripture is that God designed and desires males to fulfill the role of elder. Elder wives are encouraged to take an active role in the decision-making process of their husband.

If you would like to understand more about how we arrived at our position of ordaining women pastors, empowering women leaders, but also having a male-only eldership, please watch this YouTube podcast link, this conversation was helpful and integral in unifying our staff, elders, and elder wives.

Each year the current elders will take prospective elders through a training program. The first step towards this program is to fill out an application for leadership training. Upon completion of the training program, the elders will collectively decide which candidates they will recommend for elder installation.

1. Husband devoted to wife (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim 3:2) one-woman man. This is a major qualification in light of the marriage picturing Christ and the church (Eph. 5:22 ff.). The pastors in the church lead by example. They exhibit Christ‘s love for His church—His bride by their love, devotedness and exclusive faithfulness to their wife. This does not disqualify a single man from being an elder…Jesus was single and Paul was single but it is the exception.

2. Children in submission (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim 3:4-5) not perfect. Equally important is the pastor leading his family. 1 Timothy 3:5 explains that if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church. If an elder’s family is not in order, the larger flock will suffer. Paul instructs fathers not to provoke [their] children to anger, but [to] bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).

3. Faithful Steward (Titus 1:7) Here the term used is overseer (Greek episkopos). It is not another office, but a functional title of the elder. It is what he does. He is a steward, a manager of God‘s resources and Jesus‘ flock. He takes responsibility, but not ownership.

4. Humble – not arrogant (Titus 1:7) An elder must constantly demonstrate the gospel by admitting wrong and assuming responsibility and restoring relationships. Arrogance is only being concerned with oneself.

5. Gentle – not quick-tempered (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3) No man will be of any use in the kingdom that is quick-tempered and lashes out at others. The difference between how Jesus demonstrated anger is that He was angry at the abuse of others and the dishonoring of God. We get angry at how it affects us.

6. Moderate – not a drunkard (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3) This is not just overindulgence in alcohol but is idiomatic for any behavior that fuels addictive responses.

7. Peaceful – not violent (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3) An elder should not be prone to inflict violence through his words or actions. He is to be a peacemaker.

8. Financial Integrity – not greedy for gain (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3; 1 Peter 5:3) An elder is to be upright in his financial dealings and not accused of pursuing money over the kingdom of God.

9. Hospitable (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2) A elder‘s home is to be open for others to enjoy.

10. Lover of Good (Titus 1:8) An elder genuinely loves what is good.

11. Self-controlled (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2) Self-control is a characterization of every area of a elder’s life. He is disciplined in his diet, time, mouth, exercise, relationships, sex, and money. He is consistently training in righteousness to be able to run the race set before him.

12. Upright (Titus 1:8) He is upright in his relationships and in how he treats others.

13. Holy (Titus 1:8) The opposite is unholy and that is not helpful when counseling others. It is a life devoted wholeheartedly to Jesus, externally and internally.

14. Able to teach (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim 3:2) He is to be able to teach sound doctrine, not just be able to communicate in an excellent manner. His teaching can be to one or two, to twenty, to a hundred or to a thousand. Most of the churches in Crete were house churches. The elders were to defend the faith once delivered to the saints against the numerous false teachers that arose.

15. Spiritually Mature (1 Tim 3:6) Positions of authority without spiritual maturity lead to the trap of pride. When pride grows in a man sin abounds. 1 Timothy 3:6 says, “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.”

16. Respectable (1 Tim 3:7) 1 Timothy 3:7 says that an elder must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. That does not mean that all will like him or even appreciate him. It means that there is no criminal, moral or ethical offense against him.

17. Example to the Flock (1 Peter 5:3) We need models in our life to emulate. Elders are examples of Biblical character such as sexuality, time management, marriage, parenting, worship, relationships and many others. An elder should be someone your sons could pattern their life after and the kind of man your daughter should marry.

I. MODEL

  • Model pillars of partnership at Relentless: Show, Grow, Serve, Give, Bring
  • Model 17 biblical qualifications of an elder
  • Ask for and seek wisdom to oversee God’s church

II. SHEPHERD

  • Shepherd the flock, specifically by:
    • Praying for the people, committed to being a prayer warrior.
    • Prayer/Visit and care for sick/hurting.
    • Helping to disciple the people according to the overall discipleship plan, whether through mentoring, small group leading, one-on-one teaching, or some sort of system where different leaders are assigned families within the church to check in on.

III. PROTECT

  • Elders exist to protect the people of the church over the church as an organization.
  • Elders will provide guardrails for the overall church
  • Elders serve as guardrails through the lens of:
    • Mission – mission of the organization
    • Budget – resources of the organization (approve the annual budget as well as have total control/authority over lead pastor salary/bonus/pay/benefits package)
  • Theology of the organization
  • Protect the unity of the church
  • Assist David in conflict resolution/crisis management. -Protect by overseeing church finances. -Defend/protect the mission/vision/values of RC. Protecting the people of the church comes before protecting anything in the organization. The covering up of sin of a Pastor or Elder or any individual to protect “the church” should be an automatic removal from office. Silencing a victim/witness will never be tolerated and is the reason for removal from office.
  • Support and encourage Lead Pastor and other ministerial staff.

IV. ACCOUNTABILITY

Provide accountability for staying true to the vision, mission, and values of Relentless Church

  • Vision: to become a gospel-centered, forever-focused multiethnic movement of God.
  • Mission: Create a community of Christ followers that are in consistent growth in their relationship with God (love God), relationship with others (love people), and impact on the world.
  • Values: to be a church that welcomes the untold and unconvinced.
    • Relationship > Religion
    • Transformation >Transaction
    • Lifestyle > List Clear
    • Healthy and Efficient
  • My primary responsibility today is to spend quality time with God. Love the Longshot.

Provide personal, mutual, two-way accountability with the lead pastor on areas of personal holiness concerning being a godly husband, father, and leader. (Part of this two-way accountability is permitting spouses of elders and staff to approach elder group about any red flags or potential issues with their spouse.) Hear, process, and take appropriate action regarding any accusations against the lead pastor, any elder, staff, or any Relentless-related individual. For situations that would make it difficult for a woman to come and report something to an all-male eldership, we are in the process of setting up a group of women who could receive any such reports.

 

Elders will vote on essential items listed below, all of which must be unanimous among elders to pass:

  • location change
  • bylaw change
  • land acquisition
  • debt
  • removal of the lead pastor
  • the hiring of a lead pastor. NOTE: any decision connected to the removal or hiring of a lead pastor would be made by non-staff elders only.

Lead pastor submits to non-staff elders ability and authority to remove him from the lead pastor position for any of the following reasons:

  • False teaching
  • Sexual sin
  • Unethical financial practices
  • Pattern of ungodly treatment of people
  • Unrepentant sinful behavior

Removal of elders, structural or procedural changes can be made with at least 60% current elder vote.

Trust vs. Suspicion Commitment: (the following commitment applies to how Relentless leaders relationally interact with each other, it does NOT apply in a situation where an accusation has been made against an elder)

  • When there is a gap between what I expected and what I experienced, I will fill it with trust.
  • When other people assume the worst about you, I will come to your defense.
  • If what I experience begins to erode my trust, I will come directly to you about it.◦

Elders Don’t

  • Manage Staff (That is the lead pastor’s job)
  • Make Programming Decisions
  • Oversee day-to-day operations of the church (staff job)
  • Hire or fire staff outside of the lead pastor position

Elders Read More »

 A Message from David on Sabbatical

Listen as David gives some last information on his sabbatical for this summer.

 

May 15th Message:

Fear of Missing Out #4

 

Pete Scazzero Podcast:

Part 1

Part 2

 

Super 7

Raf Gonzalez, Joy Bey, Seth Helfrich, Tokishia Dockery-Ragland, Chauncey Hatcher, O’neil Branch, and David Hardy

 

A Message from David on Sabbatical Read More »

Reopen Plan - Relenltess Church Open Doors

WE ARE ONLINE 12/27/20 THRU 2/28/21

We are excited for all God is going to do at Relentless and in our community this coming year; and we invite you to be a part of it. For the health of our staff and servant leaders we take a collective breath as a church after Christmas and prepare for the New Year. This year we have decided to remain online through February with the intent to begin in-person services again March 7th, 2021. 

  • Sunday, 3/7 – Join us in-person or online at 10:15 AM

Live streaming will be available on our website, YouTube, and Facebook.

We can’t wait to welcome you back in-person on March 7th, but encourage you to lean into our online services until then! Learn more about our Covid policies currently in place for in-person services:

  • MASKS – volunteers and staff will be wearing masks. We encourage masks for all attendees, but it will not be required.
  •  SOCIAL DISTANCING – chairs will be spaced out so families and pods can sit together. We ask that you not congregate before and after service.
  • COFFEE & DONUT SERVICE – will be temporarily suspended
  • SANITIZATION – we have hired a professional cleaning crew to clean and sanitize the church each week. We will also have sanitization stations available throughout common areas. 
  • RC KIDS – Nursery, Preschool & Elementary rooms will be open. Temperatures will be checked with a no-contact thermometer outside of each room (must be less than 100.4). Snack will not be served in the preschool room and high-contact activities and sharing of materials will be avoided. Read our full RC KID’S PLAN & WELLNESS POLICY HERE

Out of an abundance of caution, Relentless will be different than what you may be used to and we thank you in advance for your help and understanding as we do our best to keep everyone safe. We’ll be adhering to state and local gathering guidance, as well as closely monitoring changes and recommendations. We will also be following recommended guidelines for attendance capacity at each of our services.

In the event of any changes, we will promptly update the information on this page and reach out to you via email. If you haven’t already joined our mailing list, click here to join!

Reopen Read More »

Join us in praying

SUNDAY

  • Pray that our church and you specifically will rely not on ourselves but on God!
  • Pray for unity in our multiethnic church, that we will unite in Jesus no matter what! Pray that our unity will bring glory to God and draw people to Him.
  • Pray for Governor Cooper, President Trump, and our country.

MONDAY

  • Pray for the untold and unconvinced, pray specifically by name for God to touch the heart of someone you know that does not know or follow Jesus.
  • Pray that you will spend undistracted time with God in His Word.

TUESDAY

  • Pray that our gentleness will be evident to all!
  • Pray for teachers, administrators, counselors, social workers and coaches in our schools.
  • Pray for our students from kindergarten through college.

WEDNESDAY

  • Pray for joy and peace Philippians 4 style!
  • Pray towards the November 3rd election, that God’s will is done and specifically that God’s church will stay together no matter the outcome, that we will remember who our King is!

THURSDAY

  • Pray for our frontline workers, from health care to emergency services.
  • Pray that we will overcome Covid-19, that cases and deaths will drop.

FRIDAY

  • Pray for people who have been impacted financially, parents struggling with online school and work, and families facing food insecurity and economic uncertainty.

SATURDAY

  • Pray for our Relentless Staff: David, Joy, Raf, Seth, and Vasti
  • Pray for our city and the greater Raleigh area, that the gospel will advance.
  • Pray for our local law enforcement, the chief of police in your particular city/town, Wake County Sheriff Wayne Baker

Unprecedented Prayer – Join Us Read More »

BIG IDEA: God has a plan for my life.

We usually start with a little bit of worship before we go into our lesson. Here are a few worship videos your kids can sing and dance along with.

Esther Saves Her People: Esther 8:5-17.

Preschool: BRAVE – Week 5 Read More »

BIG IDEA: God has a plan for my life.

We usually start with a little bit of worship before we jump into the lesson, so here are few songs your kids can sing and dance along with.

WORSHIP VIDEO LINKS: Open the Eyes of My Heart & Brave

Esther Saves Her People: Esther 8:5-17.

Click the image below to download and print, so your kids can follow along and participate with online churhc today.

Elementary: BRAVE – Week 5 Read More »

BIG IDEA: God can help me overcome difficulty.

We usually start with a little bit of worship before we go into our lesson. Here are a few worship videos your kids can sing and dance along with.

Esther Adapts to a New Culture:Esther 2, 4.

Preschool: BRAVE – Week 4 Read More »

BIG IDEA: God can help me overcome difficulty.

We usually start with a little bit of worship before we jump into the lesson, so here are few songs your kids can sing and dance along with.

WORSHIP VIDEO LINKS: Open the Eyes of My Heart & Brave

Esther Adapts to a New Culture: Esther 2, 4.

Click the image below to download and print, so your kids can follow along and participate with online churhc today.

Elementary: BRAVE – Week 4 Read More »

BIG IDEA: We can show others mercy.

We usually start with a little bit of worship before we go into our lesson. Here are a few worship videos your kids can sing and dance along with.

David Spares Saul’s Life: 1 Samuel 24:1-18.

Preschool: BRAVE – Week 3 Read More »

BIG IDEA: We can show others mercy.

We usually start with a little bit of worship before we jump into the lesson, so here are few songs your kids can sing and dance along with.

WORSHIP VIDEO LINKS: Open the Eyes of My Heart & Brave

David Spares Saul’s Life: 1 Samuel 24:1-18.

Click the image below to download and print, so your kids can follow along and participate with online churhc today.

Elementary: BRAVE – Week 3 Read More »

Scroll to Top