You are not a committee of the Session, but of the Congregation.
MISSION
The mission of the Nominating Committee is to nominate the best available candidates for the office of Elder, so that the church's ministry can advance under the leadership of committed and effective Christians. The committee is also responsible for nominating members to serve on the Nominating Committee.
MEMBERSHIP
> the committee shall be representative of all active members of the church, including men and women, and giving fair representation to all
> at least two members of the committee shall be Elders designated by the Session, one of whom shall be currently on the Session and serve as moderator of the committee;
> the pastor shall be a member of this committee, serving ex officio and without vote;
The committee shall be chosen annually, and no member shall serve more than three years consecutively.
RESPONSIBILITIES
> Does not select members for Session, but assists the congregation in its search by obtaining nominees to be considered by the church members.
> Selects a slate of nominees consistent with the qualifications set forth in Scripture and the Book of Order, taking into careful consideration the needs of our congregation and the suggestions of our people.
> Approaches possible nominees, providing them with a full and honest explanation of the requirements of the office.
> Prepares a final report to the congregation.
HOW DOES THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE ACCOMPLISH ITS TASK?
1. Attend an "organizational" meeting of the Nominating Committee. At this meeting …
• the pastor will give you a print out of what you are finding on this web page, along with other helpful materials.
• the pastor will give you lists of the session members, elders in reserve, deacons in reserve, and active church members.
• the pastor will review the ministry and qualifications of the elder and deacon
• you will set a time to meet together for nominating officers
2. Go home, pray, an compile a list to be considered by the Nominating Committee. Do not contact anyone yet (you would put yourself in an embarrassing position if you asked someone to serve and yet the committee later declined to nominate that person -- you need to do this work as a committee working together and not as a group of individuals).
3. Attend meetings of the Nominating Committee to narrow down the list of nominees.
4. Identify people to invite to serve on the Session and Nominating Committee.
5. Announce the results in the bulletin and if possible, the newsletter using the following form.
The session has called a congregational meeting for (date and time), for the purpose of electing individuals to serve as elders and deacons. Your nominating committee will be presenting the names of the following members who have agreed to serve if elected: (list names). During the congregational meeting the floor will be open for further nominations. If you wish to nominate people other than those named by the committee, we suggest that you contact them prior to the meeting to determine if they would be willing to serve if elected.
6. At the congregational meeting, the pastor will ask the committee moderator to stand and formally present the report of the nominating committee by listing the names.
OTHER
HELPFUL HINTS
FOR THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE IN ITS WORK
HELPFUL HINTS
FOR THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE IN ITS WORK
1. DON'T LOOK FOR GOOD CHURCH MEMBERS. LOOK FOR GOOD ELDERS. One might attend church faithfully, participate in all events, lead an exemplary life, and yet not have the skills needed for ordained office.
2. DON'T NOMINATE IN ORDER TO NURTURE AN INDIVIDUAL. Thinking that John Doe might attend church more regularly if he were an elder NEVER works! Select people who are spiritually mature and nurture John Doe's faith some other way.
3. BE CAREFUL ABOUT NOMINATING CURRENT SESSION MEMBERS. A person may serve 2 consecutive terms, but for some six years is too long. Studies have shown that elders who serve two consecutive terms without a break are less productive their last 2 years of service, and are more likely to leave cease working in the church. Don't burn out your best leaders!
4. BE CAREFUL ABOUT NOMINATING PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED OUR CHURCH. A new member might be perfect for the session, but give that person time to get to know the congregation. A person who is good elder material will be even better next year!
5. NEVER ASK FOR VOLUNTEERS. Serving as elder is not for everyone. We take only the best, prayerfully chosen people. Besides, if you ask for volunteers, then you open yourself to those who may be ill-equipped, poor leaders, or those who have a personal agenda. No one wants to be in a position of asking for volunteers and then having to say to someone, "Sorry, we meant anyone BUT you."
6. KEEP THE NEED FOR BALANCE IN MIND. The best sessions have a healthy balance in terms of gender, age, and experience.
7. NOMINATE ONE PERSON PER VACANCY. If there are 7 vacancies, to nominate 8 will highlight a loser in the eyes of many. A committee might agree to seek 2 nominations per vacancy, but that process often stalls so that there are 8 nominees for 7 vacancies. If your committee nominates only one person per vacancy, you are not robbing the congregation of an opportunity to make a choice. Remember, at the congregational meeting, the floor MUST be opened for making additional nominations.
8. WHEN ASKING SOMEONE IF THEY WOULD SERVE... Never approach a person on the telephone (this is too important and must be done face to face), never start by asking "you wouldn't want to serve as elder, would you" (a negative base request will result in a negative based answer), never minimize the task (telling someone, "there's not much to it," is misleading).
9. MOST IMPORTANT - SEEK THE PASTOR'S INPUT BEFORE ASKING AN INDIVIDUAL IF HE OR SHE WOULD SERVE. It does not happen often, but occasionally the pastor may be aware of a valid reason why a person should not serve as elder. You are not giving control of the process over to the pastor by doing this, you are simply asking his or her input. Remember, the Book of Order requires that the pastor be an ex-officio member of this committee who has voice, but no vote.
10. ACCEPT "NO" AS AN ANSWER. Don't push people to agree to do this task if God is no calling them. What happens if you don't have enough people to say "yes"? Then simply present a partial slate of elder nominations. Perhaps God is moving the church toward a smaller Session. Just remember - it is better to have 3 great elders, than 3 great elders and 3 people who are elders in name only.
