Oikos is an elder-led church. We currently have three elders (Nathan, Eric, and Daniel), with a fourth (Nicholas) to be added soon. One of our elders—Daniel—serves at Oikos full-time. We also have a deacon, Adam.
Nathan Schwind
Nathan is an Ohio native who came to faith in Christ at a young age. Nathan and his wife Andrea have served as members of Oikos community church since 2010, and in 2014 Nathan was called to serve as a bi-vocational pastor at Oikos. In addition to ministering to the body at Oikos, Nathan has served the residents of Columbus, Ohio, as a Police Officer for 18 years. Nathan and Andrea have been blessed with five children, Gabriel, Matthew, Grace, Eden, and Selah. Although they love to serve the body and the greater community as a whole, Nathan and Andrea feel their most treasured calling has been raising their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
Eric Crawford
Eric has a B.S. from Cedarville University in Biblical Studies, as well as a M. Div. from Grace Theological Seminary. Eric served as a full-time pastor in two different churches upon graduating from Grace Seminary. However, after five years of ministry, Eric and his wife sensed that the unique pressures of full-time ministry were not creating a healthy culture in their family. Therefore, since 2006, Eric has served as either a volunteer pastor or a bi-vocational pastor. He and his family began attending Oikos in 2012, and then was asked to serve as a teaching elder in 2016. Eric’s vocational hours are invested in the Construction industry, where he serves as President of a company that serves residential clients in central Ohio.
Eric is married to Kim, and together they have seven children.
Daniel Funke
Daniel was born in Germany, growing up in a very secular context. By God’s grace he was gifted a Bible and came to faith at the age of 19. After serving in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan, he moved to Scotland to pursue theological education. He’s been a full-time pastor since 2017 and has served at Oikos since the summer of 2023. In addition, he is pursuing doctoral research in New Testament studies through the University of Aberdeen.
He is married to Monet, and together they have one son, Zacchaeus.
Nicholas Kallis
Nicholas was born and raised in Hilliard, OH, and has spent most of his life in the central Ohio area. He started to follow Jesus wholeheartedly during his freshman year of high school, and discerned a call to full-time Christian ministry during his senior year in high school. Nicholas attended Cedarville University, where he fell deeply in love with the word of God, and where the Lord shaped his heart for pastoral ministry. Nicholas graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and a Master of Divinity. At Cedarville, Nicholas fell deeply in love with his wife, Mary. Together, they have three children—Miriam, Judah, and one coming in May.
Currently, Nicholas serves as an elder-in-training at Oikos and is active in abortion abolition ministry. He is also employed full-time by Shekinah Christian School as their Secondary Bible teacher.
Adam Bates
Adam is a lifelong Ohio resident who was raised in a Christian family. Although he grew up in church, he was not genuinely converted until the age of 18. He later married his wife Sarrah, and eventually moved to Columbus where he works as a software engineer. They joined Oikos in 2011, and several years later Adam was appointed as a deacon in the church. Adam and Sarrah have two sons, Caleb and Levi.