At our church, we are always striving to conform to the Scriptures in all areas. Our Presbyterian form of government is a reflection of our allegiance to the Word of God. The Lord Jesus Christ has given us elders and deacons for the good of his Bride, the Church. We are so thankful for the men that the Lord blessed us with in those offices.
As a Session, we are always trying to identify men in our congregation who can faithfully serve the Lord as elders or deacons in accordance with the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. A man is set aside to the office of the elder or deacon by a vote of the congregation and the laying on of hands of the Session. In order to provide all the information that the congregation, the Session, and the men themselves needed to make this important decision, we have devised a biblically informed process.
The Session has created two positions based on 1 Timothy 3:10a – "But let these also first be tested…." These two positions, elder intern and deacon intern, will provide the opportunity for all parties involved to observe men who have been identified as potential candidates to the offices in the exercising of several duties related to them.
The deacon intern will participate in deacons meeting with full privileges of discussion, but he will not have decision-making power. He will perform the general duties of a deacon for no less than three months and no more than six.
An elder intern is a man who has been identified as a potential candidate to the office of the elder and is being evaluated as to the propriety of placing him before the congregation for a vote. The elder intern will attend Session meetings, participate in Session discussions, but will not vote in any decision. He may be also asked to excuse himself from certain Session discussions. The Session will encourage the elder intern to attend presbytery and synod meetings. The elder intern may be included in visitation and counseling situations.
Both the elder intern and the deacon intern will serve in this capacity for no less than three and no more than six months. At the end of his internship, the Session will decide whether to nominate them to the congregation. When men are appointed to these positions, the congregation will be notified of the appointment and encouraged to pray for them and provide feedback to the Session.
Congregation will be able to observe how these men serve and will be better able to decide whether they should be ordained to the offices. The men too will be able to assess themselves as they gain experiential knowledge of the office. http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2016/10/an-announcement-concerning-officers-at.html
Put the internet to work for you.
| |
| Recommended for you |
