First Presbyterian Church Baton Rouge
Nominating Committee Procedures
Before First Meeting
1. Mail packet to nominating committee which includes:
a) Book of Order Description of Offices
b) FPCBR Officer Qualities and Expectations
c) Nominating Committee Procedures
2. Nominating Committee members are expected to come to the first meeting having read the description, qualities and expectations of officers
First Meeting (thirty minutes, organizational, to be held in spring)
Materials needed (Pastor’s Assistant to secure)
Copies of procedures, definitions, duties and qualifications of office
Lists of current officers, lists of names suggested by congregation.
1--Chairman’s Introduction
Open with Prayer
Review the Process
Review the Definitions and Duties of Office
Pass Out List of Currently Serving Officers, noting clearly who is eligible for re-election and who is not.
Assignment for next meeting. Begin to make a list of prayerfully considered names for the offices of elder, deacon and trustee. Send to the chairman by one week before next meeting.
Congregational Participation
In the spring of the year, introduce the congregation, by newsletter and worship announcements, to the process of officer nomination, the qualifications and duties of the officers. Invite the congregation to submit names for consideration.
Second Meeting (one hour, name compilation)
Materials needed (Pastor’s assistant to secure)
Church directories
Paper, pencils, chart pad
Chairman will compile List of names suggested by congregation and committee members with Pastor’s assistant to help as asked.
Pass out list of names suggested by category, elder, deacon and trustee.
Add any additional names.
Review the master list of names briefly, saying the name, looking up faces in Directory, making note of known church activities.
Assignment: Chair, with Pastor’s Assistant will edit the master list so that it shows names, what service attended, known activities, previous service.
Third Meeting (Elder Selection Two Hours)
Open with Prayer, review procedures for day
Pass out fresh master list.
A) Considering Names for Elder
i) Beginning to chairman’s right, discuss first name on list. Invite each member of the nom com to speak briefly about the person.
ii) Then, beginning with person on chairman’s left, discuss in turn the second name, according to the expectations of discussion in the procedures.
iii) Continue in this manner until all names are discussed.
B) Selecting Elder Nominees
i) Pause for Prayer
ii) Hand out slips of paper. Chairman invites members of nom com to write down their top ten names for elder.
iii) Compile the list on a chart pad, writing down every person who gets named on a paper, adding checks by those who get more than one.
iv) Rank the top elder selections in order from this process.
v.) Review the results prayerfully to determine if it reflects the will of the committee.
vi.) This method will continue, being adjusted at the chairman’s will, until a slate of the top fifteen elders is compiled. Every nominee must have received at least a simple majority of the nominating committee.
vi). Assign nom com members to call the top ten, and a report time to the chairman.
vii.) The chairman will call the next five in order as needed.
viii.)Review results at next meeting, select additional nominees by a similar process if needed.
Fourth Meeting (Finish Elders, Nominate Deacons, two hours)
Review results of Elders calls, identify any needed additional elders by a process similar to that above, assign callers.
Nomination of Deacons
Follows the same process as Elder nomination
Fifth Meeting (Finish Elders, Deacons)
Review results of Elder and Deacon calls, identify any additional needed elders and deacons by similar process, assign callers.
Assignment: Communicate Slate of Nominees for Orders of Worship and Church Newsletter according to Policy deadlines.
Officer Nominating Committee Guidelines
Our task is to present a slate of officers to the congregation for their votes in October. We are to be guided by the suggestions the congregation has made, but we are not bound by them. We are not simply tabulating the results of a popularity contest. Rather, we attempt to discern the Spirit as we review the names. Central to the Reformed view of “call” is the belief that God calls people to his service through the voice of the church. We are, with God’s help, to be that voice.
*We are looking for people who clearly have a vivid personal relationship with Jesus Christ and are dedicated to his church. The vows taken by officers are very specific and demand a clear commitment to orthodox Christian faith.
*We are looking for people whose gifts match the needs of the church and whose willingness to work rises to the level of the church’s mission.
*We hope to achieve a balance of officers, between long-time members and newer members, between men and women.
*The session requires members who will be the spiritual leaders of the church, overseeing its life and work, and leading by example as they dedicate their time, talents, financial resources, gifts and insights to the service of Christ through this church.
*The Board of Deacons focuses primarily on the ministry of compassion as expressed through our local mission programs and in-church ministries of caring.
*In our discernment, we will be sensitive to the unlikely suggestion, the lesser known candidate as well as to the well-known and proven.
*Each member of the nominating committee is needed not only to affirm suggestions, but to raise concerns about a name suggested if there is any reason why that person would not make a suitable, excellent officer. It is understood that the pastor or members of the nominating committee may express a “veto” of a candidate they feel strongly would not be appropriate.
*Therefore, all discussion and votes are to be strictly confidential.
What Potential Officers Need to Know
*It is important to be up-front about the responsibilities of office when we invite people to consider standing for election. While we may express our enthusiasm for the candidate, we will also communicate that being an officer requires a high degree of commitment to Christ and the church.
*Officers are expected to lead the church through their participation in worship, events, mission and fellowship activities as well as through their specific duties. Also, the ordination vows call for a clear, specific commitment to the standards of faith (including the unique Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of Scripture) and church officers need to be aware of those vows and desirous of affirming them.
*Training sessions are mandated by the Book of Order. Our training consists of four Sunday a.m. classes and one Sunday night session in September and October.
*The session examination is 7PM the fourth Monday of November and is essential.
*Session meetings are generally the fourth Monday of each month, except in December and July when we do not meet.
*All officers are expected to attend the annual retreat in January.
*Ordination/Installation Sunday is the fourth Sunday in January.
General Officer Expectations
1) Spiritual Growth: "Those duties which all Christians are bound to perform by the law of love are especially incumbent upon elders [and deacons] because of their calling to office and are to be fulfilled by them as official responsibilities" (PC (USA) Book of Order G.6.0304). Allow your work as an officer to be an external stimulation for spiritual growth and service!
2) Consecrated Hearts/Informed Minds While the vows of membership in a Presbyterian Church are quite broad, the vows for ordained office are rigorous and specific. The officers are responsible to preserve and pass on the priceless heritage of the church’s core beliefs. Each officer is expected to wholeheartedly affirm the Essentials of the FAITH AND Ordination vows. As I Timothy 3: 9 says regarding deacons, “They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.”
3) Patience: Bear patiently the reality that we have a high calling which is often exercised among trivial pursuits!
4) Exemplary Lives. While we recognize that we all have failings, the EPC Book of Order reminds us that officers “should be blameless in life, sound in faith, wise in the things of God, and discreet in all things. Persons who fill this office should exhibit a lifestyle that is an example to all, both in and outside the Church”. We are not perfect, but we commit ourselves to walk in Christ’s way.
5) Open Hearts: Loyalty: We work in the system, not outside the system. Address concerns in meetings not parking lots. Represent the goals/work of the church to its members; put names and faces and numbers to criticisms; bring important issues to the minister; rally the people to the work God has given us.
6) Open Ears: Listening: keep your finger on the pulse and bring your findings to the boards so that our people may be heard and our boards be responsive.
7) Open Arms: Dedication/Availability For this season of your term, church is a high priority, attendance at worship, funerals, functions. This is your place now! Committee work, studies, communion. Expect to be leaned upon.
8) Open Eyes to Needs: Problems are the responsibility of those who see them; officers commit to opening their eyes and creating solutions.
9) Open Minds/Spirits to Vision: Together we seek the leading of God in our congregation.
Deacons
Definition: The EPC Book of Order (G-10- 7; 10-8) states “The office of deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of compassion, concern for needs, and of serving others.”
Therefore:
The first duty of the Deacon is sympathy and service. Historically, to this office has been given the duty of being the Church’s instrument for ministry of compassion.
Such duties may include:
• the care, maintenance and preparation of the church and its facilities.
Since the Board of Deacons is not a court of the Church, and since it is under the authority of the Church Session, to the Deacons both individually and collectively the Church Session may assign from time to time special duties felt to be appropriate to that office.
The life of the Deacon: According to Scripture, those who bear this office should exhibit especially those spiritual qualities of the Christian, and should be earnest and whole hearted followers of Christ.
• They should be persons who are steady and reliable, well thought of by all.
• They should not be new in the faith and should be tested for faithfulness before election.”
Deacon Responsibilities: First Cares
1. Deacon Hospital Visitation. By each day of the month being taken by a deacon for hospital visitation, every one in the hospital is visited daily by a deacon.
2. Transportation: This subsection of the deacons provides transportation to members who need to get to appointments or stores but have no means of transportation.
3. Congregational Hosting: The deacons serve as welcoming hosts on Sunday mornings, greeting visitors and members, giving directions, and attending to details to make Sundays run smoothly.
4. Board Faithfulness: Regular attendance and encouraging participation at the deacon meetings. (10x/year, monthly). The annual officer retreat in January is crucial.
5. Committee Work: While not required by office, deacons are encouraged to serve on the church committee of their choice.
Elders
Definition: From the EPC Book of Order (G-10-4; 10-5; 10-6): “In the Old Testament, the office of Elder was established for the oversight of the Church. In the New Testament, this office is continued. Those who fill this office today for governing the Church are called Ruling Elders. Chosen by the people of a particular congregation, these Ruling Elders are to watch over the spiritual welfare of that congregation. When appointed to participate in Presbytery or General Assembly, they shall:
• watch over the spiritual welfare and participate diligently in the workings of that portion of the Church to which they are commissioned, recognized that the Evangelical Presbyterian Church is a connectional church.
The Ruling Elder shares authority with the Teaching Elder in all of the courts of the Church, in both rights and duties. As a representative of the people, it is the first duty of the Ruing Elder to represent the mind of Christ as that person understands it, in the various courts of the Church.”
According to Scripture, those who bear this office should exhibit certain characteristics of life. This includes being :
• blameless in life,
• sound in the faith,
• wise in the things of God, and
• discreet in all things.
Persons who fill this office should exhibit a lifestyle that is an example to all, both in and outside the Church. A congregation preparing to elect persons to this holy office should carefully study appropriate passages of Scripture relating to the Ruling Elder and be very prayerful in selecting persons to this office.
While the power to rule is a joint power exercised in church courts in regular gradation, each Ruling Elder also exercises the power of order. Thus:
• The Ruling Elder should study and learn the Word and become equipped to teach that Word, even to supplying a regular ministry of the Word where none is available.
• The Ruling Elder should become adept at leading worship and at leading in prayer.
• As a Under shepherd, that person should visit the sick, the bereaved, the lonely, the aged, the shut-in, and all those who have a pastoral need.
• In cases where there is a special need, the Ruling Elder shall be careful to inform the Pastor.
It is especially incumbent upon the Ruling Elder to:
• see to the development of the children of the congregation,
• to inquire after the inactive members, to encourage new members in spiritual development, and
• to watch for moral failure and seek to warn, to admonish, and otherwise re-claim those who stray. In special cases, where it is deemed necessary such failure should be brought to the attention of the Church Session for appropriate action of discipline.
As the law of love places certain duties upon each Christian, the Ruling Elder is especially bound to fulfill those duties and to be an example to all.
The thirty elders comprise the session of the church, responsible for the church’s entire life and ministry.
Elder Responsibility
Specifically, in our church, the work of the church as directed by the session is done through departments/committees. Each elder serves on a committee and all committees are chaired by elders.
The session has stated meeting ten times yearly on the fourth Monday of the month at 7:00PM. (We try not to meet in December and July). Other special meetings may be called, especially for reception of new members before worship.
An annual Officer Retreat, of crucial importance, is held in January every year.
Elders also assist in serving communion, greeting before worship, and in Tuesday morning prayer and Bible study (6:30AM, Library).
Ordination Vows
1) Do you reaffirm your faith in Jesus Christ as your own personal Lord and Savior?
2) Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, totally trustworthy, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, the supreme, final, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice?
3) Do you affirm the “Essentials of Our Faith” without exception?
4) Do you affirm the system of doctrine taught in the Reformed Confessions (Scots Confession, Heidleberg Catechism, Second Helvetic Confession, and the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Catechisms) as an authentic and reliable exposition of what Scripture leads us to believe and do?
5) Do you affirm the “Ethical Imperatives” arising from this system of doctrine?
6) Do you subscribe to the government and discipline of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, New Wineskins Presbytery?
7) Do you promise subjection to your fellow Presbyters in the Lord?
8) Have you been induced, as far as you know your own heart, to accept the office of (Ruling Elder, Deacon) from love of God and sincere desire to promote his glory in the Gospel of his Son?
9) Do you promise to be zealous and faithful in promoting the truths of the Gospel and the purity and peace of the church, whatever persecution or opposition may arise to you on that account?
10) Will you seek to be faithful and diligent in the exercise of all your duties as (Ruling Elder, Deacon), whether personal or relative, private or public; and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your manner of life, and to walk with exemplary piety before this congregation of which God will make you an officer?
11) Are you now willing to take responsibility in the life of this congregation as a (Ruling Elder, Deacon), and will you seek to discharge your duties, relying upon the grace of God, in such a way that the entire church of Jesus Christ will be blessed?
Question to the Congregation (Clerk)
Do you, the members of this congregation, receive these persons as Ruling Elders and Deacons, and do you continue your promise to yield to them and all your officers all that honor, encouragement, and obedience in the Lord to which the ordination as an officer entitles them, according to the Word of God and the Constitution of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church?
The Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Ordination/Installation
(all ordained elders and ministers are invited forward)
Those to be ordained kneel. Hands laid.
Minister Prayer: O Lord God and heavenly Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast granted us in this place, for the maintenance and service of Thy church, men and women who are of good testimony and, as we trust, endued with thy Holy Spirit. We beseech Thee, replenish them more and more with such gifts as may be necessary for them in their ministrations. Give grace unto them that they may persevere in their faithful labor, and never become weary by reason of any trouble, pain, or persecution of the world.
Minister Placing hands consecutively on the heads of those to be ordained, shall say
_______ Take/Continue in the authority to execute the office of Elder\Deacon in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The Spirit of God be kindled within you; serve with faithfulness and joy.
The Declaration of Ordination/Installation (Pastor)
By the authority of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the church Session of this congregation, I declare that these persons have been ordained to the office of Ruling Elder and Deacon and have been properly installed in that office, agreeable to the Word of God and the laws of this Church. As such they are entitled to be given support, encouragement, honor and obedience in the Lord. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And now as a token of that support we extend to you the right hand of fellowship.