Who can serve as a Pastor/Elder?
To be considered as a pastor/elder, a man must have been called by God into leadership at
Christ Community Church (Acts 20:28) and be a man of the highest Christian character
according to the qualifications of Scripture (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9). While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. We look to seat between 5-7 non-staff Pastor Elders who will meet with and serve alongside the Senior Pastor, who is also identified as a Pastor Elder.
Men who currently hold the position of a Deacon are allowed to be nominated for this position. If installed, he will transition to the Pastor/Elder team for their new duties. Deacons will be back-filled to ensure work is God’s work is continued in their absence.
What does Scripture list as other qualifications?
In addition to the descriptions in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, they must competently and
consistently accomplish the biblical duties of a Pastor/Elder which include:
● Prayer and Scripture study (Acts 6:4)
● Leading the church (1 Timothy 5:17)
● Managing the church (1 Timothy 3:4–5)
● Caring for people in the church (1 Peter 5:2–5)
● Giving account to God for the church (Hebrews 13:17)
● Living exemplary lives (Hebrews 13:7)
● Rightly using the authority God has given them (Acts 20:28)
● Teaching the Bible correctly (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Timothy 3:2)
● Preaching (can be from the platform or in other environments such as mentoring (1
Timothy 5:17)
● Praying for the sick (James 5:13–15)
● Teaching sound doctrine and refuting false teachings (Titus 1:9)
● Working hard (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
● Rightly using money and power (1 Peter 5:1–3)
● Protecting the church from false teachers (Acts 20:17–31)
● Disciplining unrepentant Christians (Matthew 18:15–17).
What's the role of the Pastor/Elders?
The Council of Pastor/Elders will evaluate everything taking place in the church according to Christ Community‘s vision, mission, statement of faith, and resources. This includes sensitive conversations that must remain confidential that address the following areas: congregation spiritual growth needs, staff responsibilities, covenant member discipline, covenant member physical needs, budget allocation requests, ministry and missions guidance, and more.
The Council of Pastor/Elders may structure and organize however they deem necessary,
including the addition of ministerial staff and recommending deacons, for the sake of simplicity, clarity of communication, and efficiency of organization, according to the needs of the church and the size of the Council of Pastor/Elders so long as it preserves the plurality of elders and the doctrinal and character requirements for Pastor/Elders.
What time commitments are expected of Pastor/Elders?
Once a man becomes a Pastor/Elder at Christ Community Church, it is expected that the man would continue to serve as a Pastor/Elder, unless he needs to step down due to some
unforeseen circumstance or engages in behavior that would biblically disqualify him from
eldership service. The Pastor/Elder would serve up to a maximum of five (5) consecutive years.
Meetings are held as needed; minimally once per month. Meetings last 1-2 hours. Day to day commitments vary with pastoral and ministry needs. Pastor/Elder's are expected to prioritize their service as shepherds to the CCC family. We ask that Pastor/Elders be vocal in their thoughts and full participants in the leading of Christ Community, speaking on behalf of covenant members to ensure their spiritual, physical, and emotional needs are met according to God’s will.
Why do we use the term Pastor/Elder?
These terms are used interchangeably in the New Testament and while some traditions have attempted to differentiate between the two, we seek to express the plurality of leadership united by the purpose of shepherding and leading the flock. Our eldership will be composed of both paid and unpaid elders/pastors who follow the leading of Jesus-- the Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church (1 Peter 5:1–4).
What's the Nomination process for becoming a Pastor/Elder?
The man must be a covenant member in good standing at Christ Community Church who has demonstrated the calling, character, and competency of an elder. This evidence includes but is not limited to their servant heart focused on God and his mission, a commitment to His Word through regular study, fellowship within the church body, strong awareness of the spiritual needs of the church, and more.
He must be nominated by another covenant member of Christ Community Church through the church nomination form. We ask that the nominating member be someone with no familial relationship (spouse, child, relative, etc.) to the nominee. This is to prevent nepotism and bias. We believe that God will put the names of those to be nominated on the hearts and minds of our fellow covenant members. Their character should be evident outside of the household, visible to the congregation, and seen as a leader through their actions and spiritual maturity displayed at Christ Community Church.
What's the Vetting Process for Nominees?
Once nominations are collected, nominees are contacted and asked to spend a season
reviewing the scriptures in the above section as well as other areas of the BIble to discern God’s calling on their lives. Traditionally, the nominee is not expecting, campaigning, or forcing themselves into this process which denotes a heart of humility. Many feel undeserving due to the reverence they have for God and his church. That said, we ask individuals to seriously consider the nomination and ask God to search their hearts and motives.
The man must be willing to aspire to the office of Pastor/Elder as directed by 1 Tim. 3.
If accepted as a Pastor/Elder candidate, the man will then undergo a period of training and
testing which is as long as the current Pastor/Elders deem necessary. This includes, but is not limited to interviewing family, informational lunches, leadership training and development, honest conversation, and even written questionnaires. This traditionally takes a few months. We are not called to rush these processes for the sake of filling a seat. We want God to bless these decisions and give the existing Pastor/Elders team the ability to protect the Christ Community membership as is their role. We ask for patience from both the nominees as well as the congregation in this process to ensure we focus on God’s direction with ample time for ALL existing Pastors/Elders to be able to have their questions answered and concerns validated or alleviated.
Following this testing and vetting process, members of Christ Community will be notified that he has met the criteria of a pastor/elder and anyone in or out of the church having a concern regarding the man‘s qualifications to lead as a Pastor/Elder will have four weeks to notify the Pastor/Elders, who can investigate the matter to determine if there is any reason to disqualify the man.
If the Pastor/Elders or church members do not find any reason to reject the man as an official Pastor/Elder, a final vote of the Pastor/Elders and church members shall be taken. If he receives an affirmative 80% majority, the man will be installed.
Upon installation, the man will be brought before the congregation, prayed for, and
commissioned to the role with expectations outlined in this document.
Process Flowchart
- Nominee Collection
- Nominee Notification and self reflection
- Nominee Vettingv(interviews, meetings, studies, prayer, etc.)
- Pastor/Elder Nominee Affirmation Decisions
- Covenant Member communication of Pastor/Elder recommendation and affirmation
- Covenant Member evaluation period (4 weeks)
- Covenant Member Vote: 80% affirmation needed.
- Installation of new Pastor/Elders brought before congregation and commissioned through prayer.
