Elder Candidates

Andrew was born in Pensacola, FL, but he mostly grew up in Asheboro, NC. He came to know Christ as a child. His church hosted a revival, and he was profoundly struck by his need for Christ and the gospel.

Andrew is married to Ellen, and they have two sons (Walker age 3, and Noah age 1). It was Ellen who first brought Andrew to Redeemer. She has been attending with her family since 2006. The Christenberrys met while students at Covenant College. They were married and moved to Indy soon after graduation, which is when they began attending Redeemer.

Andrew says that Redeemer feels like home because of its rich, Christ-centered community, Gospel-oriented worship and teaching, and profoundly recognized dependence on the good news of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. He feels called to be an elder because, “I love Redeemer and long for the Lord to use me for His good purposes in our community. While I have often found it difficult to discern the Lord’s calling on my life, over the past year, as I have reflected, I can see how He has been at work in equipping me, both through Redeemer’s leadership training and throughout my life, to serve as an elder. This is something I desire to take seriously, just as I desire to serve the Lord and desire to obey His call.”

For fun, Andrew loves going to concerts, trying new restaurants, sitting around a fire with good friends, and biking.

Matthias hails from Elgin, IL. He grew up in the church but did not really come to know Christ until his junior year of college. Earlier that year, he connected with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). It was through this ministry that the gospel came alive to him.

After college, Matthias worked with RUF at Indiana University for a few years. It was here that he met his wife, Mary Paxton (Redeemer Students Associate Girls Director). After RUF, he took a job in Indy, and the Linds have been part of Redeemer since moving here three years ago.

A large part of Matthias’ story of faith is how he came to experience the love of Christ instead of just knowing about the love of Christ. He loves Redeemer because it is a church that works hard to keep its focus on Christ and builds a community that reflects that. It’s complicated, messy, awkward, and time-consuming, but it’s also the same kind of community that brought him to Christ. It’s home because at Redeemer people matter, and loving them like Christ matters. Tie that in with good theology and liturgy, and you have a place to call home.

When asked why he feels called to be an elder, Matthias says, “This is always a tough question to answer. I tend to think of calling as the confluence of things like opportunity, need, affirmation, desire, etc. Most importantly, I see it as ‘what is God doing here and how can I serve that purpose?’ So, in that regard, I find myself in the middle of a Venn diagram of expressed need, personal desire to lead and care for my church, the affirmation of my community, and an opportunity to continue to grow as a leader and follower of Christ. I feel called to this role because God is working through Redeemer, and I’m here to take on the roles he leads me to.”

Matthias loves exploring Indy on his bike. Over the past few years, he has pedaled thousands of miles around town, which has helped him to know and love the city in an intimate way. He also loves to check out new restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and all the interesting things Indy offers. You can often find Matthias and Mary Paxton hanging out on their porch in Irvington with their dog, Doug. Come by and say hello!