The Lord uses His church to spread the good news of Jesus to the world (Matt 28:19-20), and to build up and strengthen those who are in the church (Eph 4:15). The Lord has blessed His people with many individuals who edify and instruct (Eph 4:11-12). In Scripture, the Lord uses people like the prophets or the apostles to spread His truth. Within our congregation, we have many who are able to preach from the pulpit, teach Bible classes for various ages, or hold spiritual discussions. At Eastview, Aric Russell fills the special role of the primary minister.

Aric Russell joined the church family at Eastview in December 2022. He has worked in full-time ministry for 8 years previously, in Indiana, Kentucky, and Florida. He lives in Salem with his wife Corri and their four children, Landon, Jaxson, Grayson, and Emersyn.

"There are three words used in Scripture to help us understand what the preacher’s work entails. The first word is the word 'preacher' (I Tim. 2:7). The word 'preacher' means a herald, a public proclaimer. The Lord authorized and sent out His preachers or 'heralds' into all the world (Rom. 10:14-18). Their work is to proclaim His message and only His message (II Tim. 4:1-5). The second word is the word 'minister' (I Tim. 4:6). A minister is defined as a servant. In I Timothy 4:6, we learn that a minister is a servant of Jesus Christ. Romans 15:16 shows us a minister is to spread the Lord’s word to all people. The last word we find in reference to a preacher is the word 'evangelist' (Eph. 4:11-12). An evangelist is a messenger of the gospel. An evangelist’s job is to proclaim the good news. When I look at these three words and put it all together, I see my job is to teach the things Jesus and his apostles laid out for us in Scripture. Sometimes this is publicly in our worship. Sometimes this is one on one in bible studies. Sometimes this is done through counseling and encouragement. Anyway, my job is to teach God’s word."