Nominations

Here at First & Calvary we gladly exercise what we call “ordered leadership.” Our officers (elders & deacons) and our Nominating Committee members are nominated and elected by the congregation, are considered and approved by the Nominating Committee and Session, and serve for a specified term. All leaders must be Covenant Partners who regularly attend and give to the church, and elders and deacons prayerfully take vows for how they will exercise Christ-like leadership.The process for discerning each new class of leaders is unhurried, prayerful, and ordered. We believe that “wisdom is found in counsel” (Proverbs 13:10) and seek that wisdom through the following 3-part process:

NOMINATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Here at First & Calvary, our congregation’s nomination and election of new leaders is
facilitated by our Nominating Committee.

What do Nominating Committee members do?
Nominating Committee Members facilitate the church’s ordered process of nominating,
discerning, and electing a new class of leaders (Elders, Deacons, and Nominating Committee
Members) to take the place of the class of leaders whose terms are ending. Nominating
Committee Members serve a three-year term.

Who serves on the Nominating Committee?1

• 6 elected members (2 per class)

• 1 elder liaison

• Senior Pastor (ex-officio, without vote)

What does the Nominating Committee do?2

• Educate the congregation about leadership roles and the ordered process for electing a new class of leaders – starting at least 3 months prior to the Congregational Meetingwhere the congregation will vote for a new class of leaders.

• Receive nominations from the congregation and vet and consider all qualified nominees communicating with the congregation if more nominees are needed.

• Present a slate of officers for approval by Session at the November Session meeting. (FYI from our bylaws: “Once the slate of officers recommended by the Nominating Committee is approved by the Session, the slate is considered complete and published to the covenant partners. Nominations from the floor must be submitted to the Clerk of Session fourteen (14) days prior to the congregational meeting.”)
   

What should be considered when nominating someone as a Nominating Committee
Member?
 

• Nominating Committee members must be active Covenant Partners who regularly attend and give to the church.

• While there is no mention of such an office in the Bible, the biblical description of deacons is apropos; therefore, Nominating Committee members should aspire to conform, more and more over time, to the biblical description of deacons we have in Acts 6:1-6 and I Timothy 3:8-13.

ELDERS

Here at First & Calvary, our congregation is governed by our session, which is made up
of our ordained and installed pastors and elders.

What do Elders do?
Elders oversee the spiritual health of the congregation and her faithfulness to God’s mission,3
exercising their oversight individually through their active engagement with the worship,
programs, and people of the church, and corporately through prayerful participation in session
and select committee meetings. Elders serve a three-year term.

What should be considered when nominating someone as an elder?
 

• Elders must be active Covenant Partners who regularly attend and give to the church.

• Elders must have an active faith, responding to God’s grace by pursuing growth as a disciple of Jesus.

• Elders must be able to honestly affirm all of the elder vows (see below).

• Elders should aspire to conform, more and more over time, to the biblical description of elders we have in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.

How are elders prepared for service?
Prior to the start of their term, new elders are asked to:

• Read chapters 3,4,5 in Eldership and the Mission of God by Briggs & Hyatt

• Watch ECO’s Core Competency Video 1

• Attend Orientation for New Elders

What are the vows that elders take?
During their Ordination & Installation, new elders vow4:

a. I believe in One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and boldly declare Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord, and acknowledge Him Lord of all and Head of the Church.
b. I believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God, and,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, the unique witness to Jesus Christ and the authority for
Christian faith and life.
c. I will receive, adopt, and be bound by the Essential Tenets of ECO as a reliable
exposition of what Scripture teaches us to do and to believe, and will be guided by them
in my life and ministry.
d. Relying on the Holy Spirit, I humbly submit to God’s call on my life, committing myself to
God’s mission, and fulfilling my ministry in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority
of Scripture and guided by our confessions.
e. I will be governed by ECO’s polity and discipline and will be accountable to my fellow
elders, deacons, and pastors as I lead.
f. I promise to be faithful in maintaining the truth of the Gospel and the peace, unity, and
purity of the Church.
g. I will pray for and seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and
love.
h. (1) (for elder) I will be a faithful elder, watching over the people in their worship, nurture,
and service to God.

What does the ongoing training of elders include?

• Watching ECO's Core Competency videos 3,4

• Reading chapters 8,9,10 in Eldership and the Mission of God by Briggs & Hyatt

• Reading and discussing assigned annual leadership book

DEACONS