Pastors/Elders* are servant-leaders at Cornerstone who shepherd, teach, and lead the church as undershepherds of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 5:1- 4, Acts 20:28-32). Elders keep watch over souls (Hebrews 13:17), manage the church of God (1 Timothy 3:4-5), teach the Word (1 Timothy 3:2), preach the gospel (2 Timothy 4:1-2), rule the body (1 Timothy 5:17), protect from wolves (Acts 20:28-29), pray for healing (James 5:14), contend for the faith (Jude 3), rebuke false doctrine (Titus 1:9), equip the saints for ministry (Ephesians 4:12) and set an example to the believers (1 Peter 5:3)—for which they are held to account by God (Hebrews 13:17).
Rick Gamache, Pastor
Rick has served on staff since 2000. Rick's primary responsibility is to advance the mission of Cornerstone through preaching and teaching the Word of God. Rick was born and raised in the Chicago area and moved to Minnesota to attend college. He graduated from Bethel Seminary and worked at Desiring God before entering pastoral ministry. Rick enjoys a wide array of music, film, and literature. Rick and Delaine live in Burnsville and have five adult children. Email Rick
Justin Lakemacher, Pastoral Resident
Justin has been a member of Cornerstone since 2013. As a former heroin addict, Justin is passionate about the gospel and recovery. Since 2011 he has worked in the Christian rehab & recovery field helping men worship their way out of addiction. He is now Program Director and counselor at Redemption House, a gospel-centered addiction recovery ministry. Justin is also passionate about the local church. His passions for the gospel, recovery, and church led him to begin a Christ-centered addiction recovery meeting at Cornerstone called Grace Abounds. As Justin works his way through the Sovereign Grace Churches ordination process, he is also overseeing community groups at Cornerstone. He is married to Megan, a music therapist, who also serves as a deacon. Justin and Megan enjoy travel, hiking, reading, and music. Email Justin
*The New Testament uses three main terms to speak of what we typically call a “pastor”: elder (presbyteros-Titus 1:5; 1 Tim. 5:17), overseer/bishop (episkopos-1 Tim. 3:1-2; Titus 1:7), and pastor (poimēn-Eph. 4:11). These terms, instead of indicating separate offices, are actually used interchangeably, giving us three different facets of the same office:
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Overseer/bishop indicates the role of oversight
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Pastor indicates the role of care
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Elder indicates the necessity of spiritual maturity
Acts 20:17-18, 28
Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders [presbyteros] of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them… “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos], to care for [poimainō] the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.