Leadership at Central
ELDERS
Our congregation is led by a group of elders who provide shepherding, oversight, care, and direction for the body at Central according to their individual giftedness. Our leaders are men of integrity and spiritual maturity. They commit themselves to prayer, service, pastoral care, and seeking God’s will for Central.
You are always welcome to reach out to our elders individually or contact them here.
DEACONS
Central's deacons provide a variety of volunteer services based on their own gifts and related to the changing needs of the church family. These men lead by their selfless examples of sacrificial service.
Finance:
Clint Latham
Lonnie Granado
Facility:
Shane Self
Nick Cearley
Justin Boardman
Long-Range Planning:
Jamie McCarrell
Tim Bynum
Michael Nash
Security:
Mitch Woodard
Doug Richardson
Scott & Kim Bentley
“Our hope and prayer for Central is that we continue to find ways to enhance our ministry beyond our walls in Amarillo and beyond.”
The Bentleys have been members of Central since 1994. They have been active in various roles including class leaders/teachers & small groups. Scott served as the Chairman of Central’s Ignite initiative, a two-year $9.6 million campaign to expand our Christian ministries, locally and around the world, and to update our local ministry outpost, our building. Scott also serves as a Trustee of Great Cities Missions.
Scott was born and raised in Perryton and is the Amarillo Market President of First United Bank. Kim, an Amarillo native, is an elementary school principal. They have two grown children, Conner and his wife Emily who reside in Dallas, and Brooke who lives in Nashville.
Larry & Callie Borger
“We love the caring and generous spirit of the Central family and pray that we’ll continue to be faithful to God and to his work in the downtown area.”
Larry and Callie have been married for 35 years and have been members at Central since 1983. Larry grew up in Amarillo, Callie was raised in Gruver, and they both graduated from Abilene Christian University. Larry owns and operates Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm and Callie is a retired elementary school teacher of 30 years. They have three married children, Dayton in Abilene, Neely in Austin, and Blake in Midland, and three grandsons, Barron, Mason, and Griffin in Abilene.
The Borgers have been involved with Central's student and youth ministries, Care Central, missions committee, Connections Class, and have led small groups.
Steve & Debra Cearley
“We are excited to see Central move in a more focused way toward working for God’s mission in our community like we have for so many years in foreign countries.”
Steve and Debra were both born and raised in Amarillo, they met each other as high schoolers at the Bell Avenue Church of Christ, and were married in 1975 at the age of nineteen. Steve completed pharmacy school in Austin four years later and moved back to Amarillo for a job at Northwest Texas Hospital where he worked as a pharmacist for 42 years, retiring in May 2021.
Since joining Central in 1979, the Cearleys have led Huddle groups in the youth ministry, spent many years working in the women’s ministry, and for the past ten years they’ve been active in what has become their true love: foreign missions. Steve serves as the chairman for Central’s Foreign Missions Committee and is driven to ensure our sponsored mission teams receive personal spiritual support and guidance.
The Cearleys have two married sons who worship and serve at Central: Nick and his wife Lacey, Lance and his wife Melanie, and four children between them who call Steve and Debra “Pop” and “DeDe.”
John Todd & Kami Cornett
* Chairman of the Elders
“We love seeing how God has shaped, equipped, and refined the wonderful people of Central to declare the coming of the Kingdom of God from our neighborhood in Amarillo to the far reaches of the globe for His glory.”
John Todd grew up at Central. Central welcomed Kami into the family when they married in 1992. She grew up in the small town of Bryson outside of Wichita Falls. Central helped shape and raise their three children who are now in their early adult years: Ellie in Portland, OR, Brock in Fort Worth, and Grant at ACU.
The Cornetts have been actively involved in Central’s Latin American mission efforts for almost 30 years. Their efforts with Great Cities Missions have allowed them to have a hand in many works in South America. John Todd has served as a Trustee for several years and is currently serving as chairman.
Over the last few years, God has placed within them the desire to work more closely with our young adults. They desire to be a resource where this generation of people can find relationships that will be a demonstration of the many blessings afforded through being part of God’s family in today’s world.
Central has been a great blessing to them and their family and they love the people of this church.
Craig & Donna Gladman
* Currently on Sabbatical
“I admire the tenacity of the people at Central, never wavering from the core mission since making the difficult decision many years ago to remain as a downtown urban church.”
Craig and Donna actually met at Northwest Texas Hospital in 1975 — Donna was a young nursing student and Craig was a surgical scrub nurse. They began to date, started coming to Central together, and were married three years later. Today, Craig is a practicing optometrist and is now semi-retired having a specialty practice in medical only, non-surgical medical optometry at Rush Eye Associates in Amarillo. Donna, is a retired emergency room nurse. They have two sons and six grandchildren, all here in Amarillo.
The Gladmans help teach in our adult Bible classes and with the Central children’s ministry. They both volunteer and teach at Martha’s Home. And Craig is in his third decade as a trustee for Great Cities Missions.
Tom & Janice Grant
“We are grateful for the family, love, Godly examples, and encouragement that are abundant here in the Central family and that continuously change us as we grow.”
Tom and Janice are both vital members of the Central Foreign Missions Committee, taking trips over the years to support missionaries and church plants in Kenya, Brazil, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Colombia, and Haiti. Janice has also served in Central’s women’s ministry and has taught our children’s Bible classes. And for 15-years they’ve both been part of the Kairos prison ministry at the Neal and Clements units. The Grants actually met here at Central and have been married for twenty years.
Tom was born in Houston, spent his growing up years in Kenedy, Texas, and worked as an engineer for Phillips in Borger, Bartlesville, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Janice was born in Amarillo, grew up in Panhandle, and has been a school teacher for almost 40-years.
Their five children are scattered from Amarillo, San Angelo, and Austin up to Utah and Washington State. The Grants’ three grandchildren all live in Washington.
Tim & Eldrena McMenamy
“My hope and prayer for Central is that we continue building relationships with all kinds of people and reconciling them to God.”
Tim was reared in Amarillo and recently retired from a career in pharmaceutical sales. Eldrena was born in Winslow, Arizona, and reared on the Laguna (NM) and Hopi/Tewa (AZ) reservations, making her mark all over the country as a professional storyteller. They have three married children and five grandkids in San Francisco, Dallas, and Muskogee.
Tim and ‘Drena have been at Central since 1987, teaching and serving each Wednesday evening at Martha’s Home and leading the young marrieds class. Tim is also a certified Spiritual Director and offers his services to anyone desiring insights into his or her own personal spiritual growth.
Mike & Becky Robertson
“In becoming like Christ, Central increasingly serves as the hands, feet, and face of Christ, ministering to the city of Amarillo and the world.”
The Robertsons have been at Central since 1979, leading a Huddle in the students ministry for more than 20 years and working for a while with the young adults ministry. Mike and Becky are currently helping to lead and teach the Young Families Class and their own covenant group. Becky also serves on the Women’s Ministry Committee and the funeral meals committee, and Mike serves as a trustee for Great Cities Missions.
Mike was born and raised in Amarillo and went to Palo Duro High School. Becky was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, moved to Amarillo when she was in elementary school, and also went to Palo Duro High where she met Mike. They were married in 1973. Mike is a co-owner of Western Builders where he’s been for more than 40 years. Becky taught in the Amarillo College Continuing Education department and worked as an area manager at Northwest Texas Hospital. They have three children and four grandchildren spread out from Amarillo to Lubbock to Ankara, Turkey. Their son, Brandon, and his wife Tiffani and their two kids are here at Central.
Steve & Judy Rogers
“We appreciate the caring nature of both the leadership and the membership at Central.”
Steve Rogers was born and raised in Hale Center, Texas and makes his living as a real estate appraiser in Amarillo and the surrounding communities. His wife, Judy, is an accomplished artist. They have two sons: Mason lives in Amarillo with his wife and seven children and Logan is in Nashville with his wife and two children.
Steve and Judy have been actively involved members at Central for 40 years. Steve leads and teaches what we call The Sunday School Class.
Bruce & Celia Tidmore
“Our hope and prayer for Central is that every member would be blessed with a place where they can serve God and others.”
Bruce and Celia have been married for 47-years and have been Central members since 1981. Bruce grew up in Quanah and retired as a District Chief after a 31-year career with the Amarillo Fire Department. Celia was raised in Ralls and Stratford and, after a stint as a stay-at-home mom, worked for a dozen years with our student ministry here at Central. They have a son and daughter-in-law and four grandchildren in Abilene, another son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren in Amarillo, and a nephew in Frisco.
The Tidmores serve as class leaders for the Galatians 3:28 Bible class that meets in Room 17.