Elders
meet our elders
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Segun was born in Lagos, Nigeria and has lived in Atlanta GA, Sanford NC, Shanghai China, and has settled here in New York City for the last 11 years with his wife Kristen and three young children Victoria, Harrison, and Isabel Riece. Segun has attended Church of the City from the beginning, faithfully serving across multiply ministries including: Setup, Prayer, Community Groups and Men’s Discipleship. Segun attended Georgia Tech to become a chemical engineer, with the intention of working in the Oil Field industry. Instead doors were opened for him to steward his gifts into Operations in the Beauty industry. As a Global Vice President, Segun has a passion for elevating the people in his organization and community. He is intentional about leaving every situation better than he found it. In his current role at L’Oreal, he operates at the intersection of innovation and market trends, to orchestrate the commercialization of new products from concept to delivery on shelf to the consumer. His inspiration comes from quality time around the table with family and friends, and his favorite retreats are afternoon naps and seeking presence of the Lord in prayer and worship.
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Thomas is the founder and CEO of Many Hopes, a non-profit organization rescuing children from injustice and equipping them to become adults of influence able to rescue others. Born in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles,” he was educated at Queens University, Belfast, worked for one of the two Nobel prize-winning signatories of the Belfast Peace Agreement, and is a former columnist. His career has spanned the media, politics and for-purpose missions in the UK, USA, Africa and Latin America. His belief that seemingly intractable problems can be solved by bringing the right influences to bear on them is rooted in his faith. He travels more than he wants to speaking on issues of justice and generosity and has a very patient wife and dog.
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Sergio is originally from La Paz, Bolivia then at the age of 7 his family moved to Florida. He resided, studied, worked, served in ministries, in Florida until early 2005 and then moved to New York City mid-year of 2005. He has been living in New York City since, to include a short 3 year residence in New Jersey. He has served as a volunteer since the conception of Church of the City, as well as, worked for the church for 1.5 years during its transition period of becoming its own non-profit. He works in the IT Field and has been part of said industry for 20+ years. He met his wife (Suzy) in New York City and they have been faithfully serving in ministry together before they were married and into marriage, roughly 14 years. They reside in Manhattan with their son Julian and dog Baxter.
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Stanley has been in New York since college. He met and married Carolina at church in NYC in 1990, and is Dad to three incredible, adult children. Stanley has a heart for the people of NYC. Alongside Carolina, he is committed to encouraging others in their pursuit of Jesus, personal discipleship, healthy marriages, and missional living. Stanley has walked with Jesus since childhood and testifies of His enduring faithfulness. Life verse, Psalm 3:5. Stanley has worked in the construction industry for nearly 25 years and is currently the Engineering Business Development Manager of a global manufacturing firm. He has completed extensive coursework towards a Master of Divinity. He cherishes time with Carolina, family & friends, loves great food, museums, & the outdoors.
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Suzy Silk is the Teaching Pastor at Church of the City New York. She served as a lay leader in our church for ten years, and then joined the pastoral team six year ago. Suzy has experience working as a campus minister and women's ministry leader with Cru, both in New York and abroad. She received her MA in Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages from Jewish Theological Seminary, and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Hebrew Literature at that same institution. Suzy and her husband Sergio live in Manhattan with their son.
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NYC has been Carolina’s home since grad school. She is married to her husband, Stanley, for 31 years. They have three children together. Carolina holds a graduate degree in counseling. She has experience working in university settings within Career Counseling and Student Affairs. She worked as a Pregnancy Loss Counselor for HFNY, served on the executive leadership team at Bible Study Fellowship NYC, and alongside Stanley, has extensive background in establishing marriage ministries within the church setting. She loves discipling and mentoring women, encouraging them to live fully for Jesus. Her greatest accomplishment has been raising three children as a full time mother. Carolina and Stanley are passionate about the need for strong Christian marriages. For the past 20 years, they have been mentoring young couples from engagement into the early years of marriage. Carolina cherishes time with Stanley, and loves long walks in NYC and the beach.
ELDER information
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Our Elders have been installed as spiritual leaders over our community, and we believe this is deeply foundational to being a biblically functioning community. The leadership we call the Elders to provide is one deeply rooted in the example of Jesus and the commands of Scripture.
1 Peter 5:1-5 instructs us, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
This leadership is an entrustment of Jesus, not a self-appointment.
This leadership is about stewarding Gods people, not our own.
This leadership places people under care, not control.
This leadership is based on servanthood, not a desire for personal gain.
This leadership is based on shepherding, not “lording it over people.”
In Matthew 20 Jesus elaborates on the kind of leadership to be modeled in His family, “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Our Elders hold authority over our community, but this is a distinct kind of leadership. They are shepherds not tyrants, and servants, not lords.
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We have developed an extensive process of installing Elders that runs a little over a year.
These leaders were nominated out of our Leadership Community by members of our Leadership Community. They had already been trained, tested, and made a covenant commitment to our church.
They were then presented for consideration, and a two week window was given for anonymous feedback, questions, and concerns.
Following this window, if no issues were presented, they were invited into a one year Elder Formation Cohort that included leadership development, character focus, theological training, and spiritual formation.
At the end of the Elder Formation Cohort, they were again presented to the Leadership Community for recommendation, and another two week period of anonymous feedback was given.
Then, through a period of prayer, fasting, interview, and affirmation from peers and co-workers they were invited to become Elders overseeing Church of the City New York.
Finally, they were installed to the office of Elder before the church community.
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If you have questions, or would like to meet with an Elder, please email hello@church.nyc.