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And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.
-1 Corinthians 12:28, NRSV
The last quarter of the year presents the church with some operational tasks. The two big ones are setting a proposed expense budget for the upcoming year, and the elections of new Elders as the third year Elders rotate off Session. Last Monday evening the Stewardship team after consultations with the ministry teams presented a proposed expense budget for the new year. The suggested budget fulfills the requests from the ministry teams and will be the basis for the upcoming “Give, Go, Live – Again!” fall stewardship campaign. The proposed budget is modestly bigger than the 2021 budget. The session voted unanimously in favor of the proposed 2022 expense budget.
Identifying and securing a new class of six Elders is the next big item. The Elder Nominating Committee will have its first meeting this week, mainly to review the mechanism of Elder selection and to ask the congregation for its input. The qualifications for an Elder as identified in the Bible will guide JCPC’s nominating committee who will seek nominations from the congregation. Elders should model a Christlike lifestyle, by living a faithful stewardship of time, talents, and gifts in support of God’s work.
Elders must participate in the governance of the church and participate when asked to serve on the various ministry teams. You will see Elders serving Communion, participating in worship, and attending church activities and special services. We seek Elders who while serving on the Session seek to discern the will of God as opposed to representing various agendas. As JCPC has needs such as meeting payroll and mortgage, supporting its missions, maintaining its physical plant and teaching future generations, the church needs Elders who are gifted in many different fields. Every Elder I have met has told me that they did not, when first asked, feel qualified enough to serve as an Elder. All of us are at different levels of our personal faith journeys. There is no mandatory level for an Elder. Living a Christian lifestyle is enough.
We will be asking for nominations from the congregation over the next weeks. Elders must be members of JCPC for at least three years and model a Christian lifestyle. Please participate in the Elder nomination process and if you believe one of your fellow church members should be guiding the church, then offer their name in nomination.
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