Pastor's Corner - Officer Elections
Dear Friends,
As you know, this Sunday we will have a congregational meeting following the worship service to hold our first-ever church officer election at Cornerstone. I am very excited and thankful to God for His provision and the six men that He has raised up to stand for election.
You many be wondering, "What are church officer elections? How do they work?" Our BCO (Book of Church Order) explains this well in 24-1.
Every church shall elect persons to the offices of ruling elder and deacon in the following manner: At such times as determined by the Session, communicant members of the congregation may submit names to the Session, keeping in mind that each prospective officer should be an active male member who meets the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. After the close of the nomination period nominees for the office of ruling elder and/or deacon shall receive instruction in the qualifications and work of the office. Each nominee shall then be examined in: a. his Christian experience, especially his personal character and family management (based on the qualifications set out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9), b. his knowledge of Bible content, c. his knowledge of the system of doctrine, government, discipline contained in the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America (BCO Preface III, The Constitution Defined), d. the duties of the office to which he has been nominated, and e. his willingness to give assent to the questions required for ordination. (BCO 24-6)If there are candidates eligible for the election, the Session shall report to the congregation those eligible, giving at least thirty (30) days prior notice of the time and place of a congregational meeting for elections. If one-fourth (1/4) of the persons entitled to vote shall at any time request the Session to call a congregational meeting for the purpose of electing additional officers, it shall be the duty of the Session to call such a meeting on the above procedure. The number of officers to be elected shall be determined by the congregation after hearing the Session’s recommendation.
According to these guidelines, the Session has already informed the congregation that the following men are eligible for election this Sunday. For elder: Shep Park, Mike Honeywell, and Frank Cohee. For deacon: Matt Harrison, Paul Duprè and Randy Cox. All of these men may be elected by members of the congregation therefore there is no limit on how many from each group can be elected.
It is important to know that a church officer election is different from a local, state or national election. There is no need to get discouraged if your candidate doesn't get elected. Church officer elections don't work that way. All six of these men have been nominated by the congregation, whole-heartedly endorsed by the Session, and are now before you for a simple yes or no vote.
Furthermore, BCO 24-3 states: All communing members in good and regular standing, but no others, are entitled to vote in the election of church officers in the churches to which they respectively belong. A majority vote of those present is required for election. Simply stated, a man is elected by a simple majority vote. When you vote, you may vote for all the men nominated or only select the ones you believe are led to serve.
Again, I cannot state to you enough how excited the Session is with this slate of officers. We truly believe these men are called of God and that all six of them will serve us well. Please be in prayer for these men and their families. Lord willing, on Sunday, December 14th, we will have an ordination and installation service for our newly elected officers.
Merry Christmas! See you Sunday.
Your friend,
Wilson