Dear Members,

As you are aware, we are at the beginning of a process to select and appoint elders for the congregation. An open meeting was held at the building on Sunday, July 11 at 4:30 to determine the best process to identify and appoint elders. At the meeting, those attending reached a consensus regarding this process. This letter contains a description of this process and instructions for your participation. A group of four men, our current ministers (James Hinkle and Matthew Hiatt) and deacons (John Gabriel and Charlie Dauphin), will serve as a “resource committee” for this process.

If you are interested in becoming an elder, please present a signed note stating your intentions to one of these men, or place it in the locked box available in the foyer. This letter is due by the evening of Sunday, August 1.

If you would like to nominate someone, we request that you encourage him individually to submit his name. The resource committee will not be accepting nominations, only personal intentions to serve.

The committee will compile a list of the men who have identified themselves. They will verify to make sure that no one is “obviously” unqualified to serve, prior to announcing the candidates’ names on Sunday, August 8. We will then send a letter to all members to make sure everyone is aware of the candidates who have come forward.

The committee will then accept written and signed feedback regarding these candidates, both positive and negative, until the evening of August 29. You can personally deliver your thoughts to any member of this committee, place your note in the box in the foyer, or send a letter to the attention of the “Eldership Resource Committee” to the church address. After the period for comments is over, the committee will review the comments made, follow up with the candidates to resolve any potential issues, and God willing, they will submit the men for installation on Sunday, September 12, 2010.
Should one of the committee members decide to pursue the eldership, he will excuse himself from discussions about himself, and if necessary, the committee will add additional members, likely former deacons and ministry leaders, to help work through the members’ comments.

We are asking every member to pray diligently for the church right now. Pray for wisdom and guidance during this process. We are asking every qualified man to consider his responsibility to the church and to step up to assume the role of an elder. We are asking for your honest and helpful positive and negative feedback each step of the way. We are a family, and if we all work together, we will soon be a better, more biblically functioning family.

If you have any questions about this process, feel free to contact any member of the resource committee. We can provide more detailed notes or a recording from the July 11 meeting. We look forward to seeing this process to completion!

For Christ and His Church,

The Resource Committee

John Gabriel, Deacon

Charlie Dauphin, Deacon

James Hinkle, Minister

Matthew Hiatt, Associate Minister