Over the next few weeks the Nominating Committee will be approaching some church members with requests to prayerfully consider taking on elected positions within North Shore Community Baptist Church as Elders, Deacons-at-Large, Auditors, and Nominating Committee members. These leadership roles are a great way to serve church members and provide direction to the church.
What needs to be done within the church?
At any church there are tasks that need to get done. On a physical level there are phone calls to make, trash to be emptied, coffee to be brewed, leaves to be raked. On a spiritual level we are to care for one another, pray for one another, and support one another. The church is to be like Jesus in thought and action, caring for those outside the body of Christ, and inside.
Who does what around here?
As individuals we are all called to be participating members in the church because that is the example that Christ gave to us. (Read more about why one attender became a church member.) After all, Jesus was a foot-washing, crowd-feeding, child-comforting carpenter. However, within any church body, as different levels of organization and structure emerge, some people are called to be leaders within the church. We witness this in Acts.
Who is qualified to serve as a leader?
Leaders in the church must be qualified. For certain positions, such as those of Elders and Deacons-at-Large, we look to the Bible to tell us what the qualifications are, found in 1 Timothy 3. As a Baptist church, we also respect our historical roots which allow for the congregational vote, knowing that the Bible is the ultimate authority. Rich Schoenert, previous pastor, preached a sermon about leadership within the church.
We also seek to match roles within the church with those who have demonstrated spiritual gifts, personality traits, abilities, and motivation. As our church Constitution states (p. 6 and following), for some leadership roles, we require membership.
How does the nomination and election process work?
The Nominating Committee follows the process laid out in our church Constitution on pages 15-17. We solicit recommendations from the congregation, and you don’t need to be a member to suggest someone. These recommendations can be via email or paper, and we have a form on the church website. We weigh the recommendations along with suggestions from other leaders within the church and select a ballot of qualified members to serve. Once we have published a list of those willing to serve for 2 weeks, we publish a ballot for not less than 4 weeks. This ballot is voted on during the annual January business meeting.
What can you do?
Although this process may seem to take place outside the average attender’s awareness, there are a number of key ways that anyone can be involved:
- Encourage church members to explore their leadership gifts and affirm them when they display these gifts. Let them know you believe they would be a good fit for a leadership role.
- You are welcome to nominate those who have served in the past, as many people can be re-elected for back-to-back terms.
- We also encourage you to seek membership within the church if you have not already done so in order to be qualified for these leadership roles. Learn more about membership at Connect II (the next one is October 16).
- Support and encourage those in elected roles.
If you have any hesitancies about the process or those who are selected, be forthright with the Nominating Committee and provide any concerns you have to anyone on the Nominating Committee, Mark Fitzgerald (Elder representative), or Bobby Warrenburg (Senior Pastor). Current Nominating Committee members are: Beth Melillo, Marilyn Sweet, Marcia Kercher, Mark Horvath, and Lance Maggiacomo.
Beth Melillo is the current chair of the Nominating Committee. She is passionate about seeing people use their abilities, gifts, and experiences to serve in areas they love both inside and outside the church.
