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This Sunday, we'll be privileged to have Jubilee Community Church worshipping with us at 9:30 a.m. Jubilee is a church plant that has been meeting at Southview for the last 4 months on Sunday afternoons. Plan to be here on time as we worship together at 9:30 a.m.! It should be a great time of worshipping, praising, fellowshipping, and learning from the Word of God together!
--Pastor William
Hi all,
Just a quick reminder that this is the last week for nominations for Southview's first elder team! I've gotten a couple of good questions, and so I've put together a small FAQ below - if you have additional questions, please feel free to email or call me!
Elder Nomination / Election Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Are currently serving deacons eligible to be nominated as Elders?
A: Absolutely - they are eligible, and if they agree to serve, they will be given the option of resigning as a deacon, in which case we'd begin a process to fill those vacant deacon positions.
Q: How many elders will be elected? As we vote for individuals on the ballot, how many votes against would keep someone from being an elder? Or will several candidates be offered and top 3 "get it?"
A: On the ballots, we've asked how many elders you think we should elect - a minimum of 3 is required by the bylaws in addition to the pastoral staff (which right now is just Pastor William). Based on the congregation's feedback on the number, the interim elder selection team (Southview's 2008 deacon officers) will then try to fill that many positions. The deacon officers and I will evaluate the names, look at the number of votes each received, do interviews, and try to select the best group we possibly can, under the leadership of God and bathed in much prayer.
Those names will be presented to the congregation for consideration. We won't do a 'top 3 or 4 or 5' get it - if one of the names presented does not pass, that person won't be an elder and we'll then go back and evaluate other potential elders, presenting the next qualified and willing name at the next business meeting. The vote % for elders by the congregation will be by simple majority (51% needed to be approved). Names will be publicized at least 1 week prior to the vote so that if anyone is aware of a scripturally based reason why one of the nominees should not be an elder, they can bring that to the elder selection team for their consideration and action - if indeed one of the candidates is not "above reproach", we won't present them as an elder candidate.
Hopefully this will answer some of your questions - if you have additional ones, my door is open as always! The deadline is Sunday, so don't forget to turn in your nominations this weekend!
Have a great week,
--Pastor William
Yesterday was an awesome day in worship as we commissioned 5 deacons for our deacon ministry team and ordained one who had not previously been set apart for this service.
In my charge to the deacons, I quoted author Richard Dresselhaus, who I believe speaks well to the deacon (as well as to the pastor and elder):
“As a spiritual leader, you will be called upon to lay aside what could be clearly understood as your personal rights in order to meet a higher demand of service.
You will need to hold your temper when you have every “right” to speak.
You will be called upon to serve beyond the limits of logic and fairness.
You will be confronted repeatedly with the privilege of honoring others above yourself.
You will need to lay down your life, and its “rights,” to be a reflection of the One whom we serve.
Spiritual leaders are called to lay down their own rights so that the righteousness of Jesus might be known.”
So many times, we are tempted to reject the servant-leader model of leadership that Jesus showed us. So many times, we think we know better and want to force our opinion or our way through. Being a deacon is about ministry - it's about serving the families that are entrusted to you, guarding the unity of the church as a whole, and serving together to see more and more people come to know Christ. Our goal is that the Word of God will spread, and people will connect with a God who desperately loves them. Nothing matters more than that - and nothing is higher on Southview's agenda than seeing people who are living far from God come to know Him.
Hi all,
I wanted to send out a note and remind you all that Elder nominations are currently underway for Southview's first Elder team. Members are asked to prayerfully submit their nominations for Elder by Sunday, January 20. Nomination ballots are available in the bulletin each week, and completed ballots can be placed in the Elder Nomination envelope located outside the church office door.
Once all nominations are in, our current deacon officers (Don Collins - chair, Mark Kime - vice chair, Gladys Kuhlmann - secretary, Wes Husted - benevolence team chair) and I will go over the nominations, contact nominees to talk with them about their willingness to serve, and put together a list of nominated, qualified, and willing-to-serve men and women. This list will be presented to the church at the February 17 quarterly business meeting scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Each member will be given an Elder selection ballot, and names will be voted for on an individual basis on the ballot.
Once elected, Elders serve 1 year terms. They can be re-elected by the congregation but can only serve four consecutive years after which they must take one year off (our deacons must also take a year off after serving three consecutive years).
Please be in prayer about who you will nominate to serve in this important position. If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact me - by email, by phone (703-860-8800), or we can set up an appointment to meet. I'm excited about this team and can't wait to see who God brings together!
Have a great week,
--Pastor William
