Special Announcement: October 2020
Dear Church,
I have some exciting news!
With our next membership meeting a month away — on November 15 — I wanted to inform you that the pastoral team intends to nominate two men to the office of elder: Kenny Ortiz and Ryan Griffith.
According to our bylaws, Section 5.6, the appointment of elders follows a series of four steps.
The elders select men from among our covenant membership to enter training and evaluation for the office.
The elders announce these men to the membership (what the present email accomplishes).
The nominees are presented to the membership at a scheduled membership meeting (which is the meeting on November 15).
The membership votes at the following meeting to affirm the nominees (scheduled on January 10, 2021).
Between the nomination on November 15 and the vote on January 10, we hope to provide a few pathways for you to get to know Kenny and Ryan, but in the meantime, I wanted to introduce these men to you:
Kenny Ortiz
Covenant member Kenny Ortiz, married to Malaina, was born and raised in Philadelphia. Kenny came to faith as a high schooler through the persistence of a friend who kept inviting him to church. At a young age, Kenny sensed God’s call into ministry, going on to serve with Teen Mania Ministries in Garden Valley, Texas and later Mosaic Church in Winter Garden, Florida. He is a graduate of Spurgeon College, and Midwestern Seminary, and is currently pursuing a PhD at Midwestern.
Kenny joined the staff at Cities Church in August 2019 as a pastoral resident, serving in the area of communication and connections. The pastoral residency involves a 12-month process of working alongside the pastoral team in view of a future nomination. As Kenny has been evaluated for the office, the pastors are eager to nominate him on November 15. I’m excited for each of you to get to know Kenny and Malaina over the next couple months, and a good place to start is Episode 09 of Gospel Stories!
Ryan Griffith
Covenant member Ryan Griffith was born in Lexington, Kentucky, but spent many of his early years in the cornfields of central Indiana. Through the faithful evangelism of family friends, Ryan came to faith in his teen years. He graduated from Wheaton College, and served overseas with a relief and development organization before returning to Wheaton for graduate study. In 2005, he moved to Minneapolis to be part of the pastoral apprenticeship program at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Ryan went on to serve as founding Director of Undergraduate Studies and Assistant Professor of Church History and Humanities at Bethlehem College & Seminary where he taught for twelve years. Ryan earned his PhD in Church History from Southern Seminary, and most recently he has served as Director of Global Training and Executive Director of The Gospel Coalition. Over the past couple months Cities Church has been pursuing Ryan for a new staff position as the Director of Training, a position that Ryan has accepted and will begin on November 1.
With Ryan’s ministry experience, shepherding heart, and theological expertise, the elders believe he will be a wonderful addition to our pastoral team. Upon evaluation by the pastoral team, the pastors intend to nominate Ryan for the office of elder on November 15. I’m excited for you to get to know Ryan better over the next couple months.
