GCC Elders

Elders are provided by God to His church for the purpose of care and oversight of the local body. Their spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit in order for the church to become biblically centered and missional focused and to remain true to its unique contribution to the work of God's Kingdom (i.e. see Our Vision). Scripture teaches that the ultimate decision-making authority rests with the Eldership of the local church. For information about the roles and qualifications please click this link. Elder roles and qualifications


The following individuals, were prayerfully affirmed by the congregation and elected by the church membership November 2020. They are currently serving with Pastor Jonathan on the GCC Church Board of Elders.

  • Dale Benedetti

    Dale and his wife of 41 years, Anita, have attended GCC for 13 1/2 years. They have three married children, one grandson and one granddaughter.  Dale has served as a previous Elder, and currently as a Connection group coach and facilitator. When asked what inspires him most about the Vision of GCC, he responded with, "There is an organizational philosophy called the golden circle and says you need to have the why, how & what in your vision and to be effective everyone needs to know these.  I believe our vision does this perfectly:  our why is to be fully surrendered Christ followers, the how is an emotionally healthy church with hearts set ablaze and the what (or resulting output) is to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God." How has God affirmed your calling to serve as an Elder?  "I have spent much of the last 35 years in various church leadership roles.  I have never been more sure of God’s direction in a church than what I see at GCC.  I have had God affirm my job of supporting that direction since we came here.  I feel very blessed to have been asked to serve as an Elder."

  • Taurus James

    Taurus and his wife of 23 years, Trauna, have attended GCC for 6 years. They have one daughter, Tamilyn. Taurus serves on the Hospitality and Compassion teams. He is a Connection Group facilitator and part of the Band and Men's Fellowship. When asked what inspires him most about the Vision of GCC, he responded with, "It is a reminder of how, through Christ alone, God reversed His sentence on rebellious people.  Isaiah proclaimed (in Isaiah 5:9) the sentence, Christ reversed it (“He who has ears to hear, let him hear”), and God is giving us an opportunity to walk with Him now and take part in His work." How has God affirmed your calling to serve as an Elder? Taurus states, "I am still here at GCC".

  • Marlon Williams

    Marlon and his wife of eighteen years, Cameisha, have attended GCC for ten years. They have three children, ranging in age from eight to fourteen. Over the years, Marlon has faithfully served in various roles, including Connection Group Facilitator & Coach, Count Team Member & Leader, First Impressions Team Member & Leader, and as a Church Trustee Board Member.

    When asked what inspires him most about the Vision of GCC, he responded with, "I am most inspired by the phrase "fully surrendered Christ followers". This part of the vision may be one way of paraphrasing the Great Commandment, which calls us to love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. Aspiring to love God in this all-in way is my great hope and prayer for myself, for my family, and for every member of our GCC church body." How has God affirmed your calling to serve as an Elder? "During the last six years of serving on the Church Trustee Board and then Church Elder Board, God has used wise counsel from others to affirm His call on me to make myself available to continue to serve as an elder. Through prayer and an extended period of individual and collective discernment, I am confident that God has prepared me over many years for serving our local body in this role, at least in the near future."