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"Elders who direct the affairs of the church
well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching
and teaching....I charge you, in the sight of God, Christ Jesus and the
elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality,
and to do nothing
out of favoritism."
... I Timothy 5:17,21
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APPENDIX B:
ELDER SELECTION. Elders
shall be selected in accordance with the qualifications described in
I Timothy 3:1-7 & Titus 1:5-9.
In July of each year, the Elders currently serving shall determine the
number of positions, if any, to be filled that year on the Board of Elders.
If the Elders determine that additional Elders are needed, they shall
initiate the following process for Elder selection:
- The congregation shall be provided with teaching regarding the biblical
qualifications for Elders and their scriptural role. With the biblical
qualifications in mind, members of the Church will be given 30 days
to prayerfully submit to the Board of Elders the names of members for
consideration as Elder. Those submitting a name should receive permission
from the proposed nominee before his name is submitted to the Board
of Elders. The Board of Elders may add additional names of available
men for consideration. Any nominee may withdraw his name from consideration
at any time.
- The Board of Elders shall review the remaining names, and shall conduct
interviews with those nominees it considers potential candidates. After
prayerfully considering each nominee (Acts 20:28),
the Board of Elders shall determine the final list of candidates by
a three-quarters majority vote. If a nominee is available to serve as
a candidate (see A above) but is not considered by the Board of Elders
to be a suitable candidate, he will be informed by the Board of Elders
as to the reason for this conclusion.
- The Church Chairman shall be elected by the Church body from among
the members of the Board of Elders. His term of office shall be the
same as his remaining term of office on the Elder Board. The Elder Board
shall determine a candidate for Church Chairman by a three-quarters
majority vote.
- The names of the Elder candidates (including the candidate for Church
Chairman) shall be presented to the Church at least 30 days before the
annual business meeting. The members of the Church shall be asked to
read I Timothy 3:1-7 & Titus
1:5-9 and to consider each Elder candidate with those qualifications
in mind. If for any reason a member feels that a particular candidate
does not meet the biblical qualifications listed in those passages,
that member should bring his/her concern to a member of the Board of
Elders. After consultation with the Elder candidate in question, the
Board of Elders may remove his name from consideration at their discretion.
Any candidate, whose name is so removed from consideration, will be
informed by the Elder Board as to the reason for this action.
- After the 30-day period, at the annual business meeting in November,
the Elder candidates (including the candidate for Church Chairman, if
applicable) will be presented to the participating members of the Church
for affirmation by a three-quarters majority vote of the members voting.
- All Elders, including those newly elected, will later be presented
to the congregation at a Sunday morning service for the purposes of
affirmation and dedication (Acts 14:23).
- In the event of a vacancy or special need, the Elders may refer to
the previous nominees to select a candidate, or may re-initiate the
whole selection process, as they deem necessary. The term of office
for a newly elected Church Chairman or newly elected Elders will begin
on the date of the annual meeting.
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