Elders on Session – Time Commitment

The Nominating Committee is charged each year with identifying nominees to succeed the elders who are rotating off session at the end of the year. People are chosen not for any one “logical” reason in particular, but because this committee, after rigorous discussion and prayer, believes God is pointing us to those specific people. An effective elder will have these three characteristics: availability, dependability, and stability.

Logistically, as far as time commitments, there are some that are up front, and some ongoing.

1. Between election and the new year, 4-6 Officer Training Sessions of 90-120 minutes each.

2. The first Thursday evening in December, meet with the current session for examination.

3. The first Sunday in January, from after church until 3:45, the Session Retreat (The service of ordination will be that morning during the 11:00 service.)

4. The first Thursday of each month at 6:30 P.M., session meetings can be expected to last two hours, but may go a little shorter or longer. Also, from time to time, the meeting date must be moved, but that is the exception.

5. Sunday mornings at 10:30 all available members of the Session gather in the Session room for prayer and to keep each other updated.

6. Convening and moderating a committee—the decisions about which elder serves on which committee are made by the session as a whole at the January session retreat. Training is given regarding church committees and how to run an effective meeting etc. Some committees meet monthly; some meet quarterly; some meet occasionally.

7. Also, we ask elders to expect to be in worship regularly, as well as being involved in some kind of regular Bible study, be it Education Hour on Sunday mornings, Wednesday evening Bible study, or whatever else is available and suitable.

Other commitments of time will depend on the elder and the roles she or he undertakes.

November 21, 2009