Officer Nominating Committee
“Brothers, choose seven men from
among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.
We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give
our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen,
a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus,
Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert
to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who
prayed and laid their hands on them.
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem
increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient
to the faith." Acts 6:3-7
Every year, our congregation elects new officers to serve
as Deacons and Elders of FPC. The process through which we
elect church officers is outlined in our Presbyterian Book
of Order.
Several members of the congregation are elected to serve
a two year term on The Officer Nominating Committee (ONC).
There are two elders, two deacons, and six members-at-large on the
committee, half of whom are elected each year.
The ONC is responsible for proposing - to the congregation
- a slate of Deacons (18) and Elders (10) each year. Officer
nominees are selected based upon input from the congregation,
qualifications for consideration, and discernment of ONC members.
From time to time, the ONC may also be called upon to propose
candidates for the Pastor Nominating Committees.
In general¹, the ONC
meets in January/February to review suggestions for new ONC
members. Typically, the ONC will be prepared to present a
slate of potential ONC members to the congregation in March.
Then in April the congregation suggests names for the new
Deacon and Elder classes. From May through August, the ONC
deliberates over the proposed candidates. In September the
ONC presents their proposal to the congregation. If a Pastor
Nominating Committee is required, this schedule is compressed,
as needed.
Candidates for office are not selected based upon voting
plurality of the congregation, but rather on criteria set
forth in the Bible, Book of Order, and ONC procedures. Officers
are selected with the intent of broad representation of the
congregation.
Current ONC Members: Theo Park, Chair; Bob Harper, Betty
Scarr, Earl Stine, Carrie Kennedy, Chris Gruehn, Melissa Gilbert,
Mike Clotfelter, Patricia George, and Wilkie Schell.
¹ The timeline mentioned above
is merely an example of typical procedure. Various vacancies
within the Session may result in an altered timeline.
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