Our Leaders
Shepherds Who Serve Together
Our Pastors
Shepherds Who Serve Together
Matt Sikes
Pastor
Matt has served as a pastor at Pray's Mill since March 2020, coming from Fort Worth, Texas. Before pastoral ministry he served as a musician with the U.S. Army Field Band. He and his wife Elise homeschool their five children.
Dylan Joyner
Pastor
Dylan joined the pastoral team in October 2020 from Elberton, Georgia, where he served as an associate pastor. He holds degrees from Liberty University and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Kate have four children.
Jon Norton
Pastor
Jon serves as a lay elder while continuing in the construction trade. Ordained at Pray's Mill in July 2023, he and his wife Nakitta have five children.
Scott Aniol
Pastor
Scott also serves as President of G3 Ministries (a ministry started out of Pray's Mill) and Professor of Pastoral Theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary. He and his wife Becky have four children.
Why a Plurality
Shepherds, not CEOs.
The New Testament knows nothing of a one-man show. The apostles appointed elders — always plural — in every church they planted (Acts 14:23). Paul left Titus in Crete to “appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). The biblical pattern is clear: each local congregation is shepherded by a plurality of qualified men, each accountable to the others and to the church.
At Pray’s Mill, our elders meet regularly to pray, study, plan, counsel, and bear together the spiritual weight of the congregation. They are not paid CEOs; they are servants of Christ and his Bride. See our articles: Plurality of elders and Why we practice church discipline.
Our Deacons
Servants who make the ministry of the Word possible.
The office of deacon was instituted by the apostles in Acts 6, when the practical needs of the early church threatened to crowd out the ministry of the Word. The apostles set apart men of good reputation to oversee those needs — so that the elders could give themselves to “prayer and the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4).
Our deacons serve the body in just this way — caring for benevolence, hospitality, maintenance, finances, and the practical life of the congregation. They are qualified men (1 Tim. 3:8–13), called and confirmed by the church, who give themselves to making the work of the elders possible.
- Scott Eskew
- Tommy Hester
- Bobby Hinsdale
- Judson Hughey
- Marqael Jordan
- Steve Knight
- Daniel Large
- Scott Mikeal
- Ron Mooney
- Ed Murphy
- Ken Norton
- Joey Rainwater
- Brandon Seale
- Ben Smith
- Jerrod Wilson
- Sean York