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Elders/Overseers/Pastors Acts 11:30 14:23 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23 20:17, 28 Eph. 4:11 Phil. 1:1 1 Tim. 3:1, 2 4:14 5:17, 19 Tit. 1:5, 7 Jms. 5:14 1 Pet. 5:1-5.

Acts 11:30 KJV Read in context

³⁰Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

Acts 14:23 KJV Read in context

²³And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23 KJV Read in context

²When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. ⁴And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. ⁶And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. ²²Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: ²³And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:

Acts 20:17, 28 KJV Read in context

¹⁷And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. ²⁸Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Eph. 4:11 KJV Read in context

¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Phil. 1:1 KJV Read in context

¹Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

1 Tim. 3:1, 2 KJV Read in context

¹This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. ²A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

1 Tim. 4:14 KJV Read in context

¹⁴Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

1 Tim. 5:17, 19 KJV Read in context

¹⁷Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. ¹⁹Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.

Tit. 1:5, 7 KJV Read in context

⁵For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: ⁷For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

Jms. 5:14 KJV Read in context

¹⁴Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

1 Pet. 5:1-5 KJV Read in context

¹The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: ²Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; ³Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. ⁴And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. ⁵Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Deacons Acts 6:3-4 Phil. 1:1 1 Tim. 3:8-13.

Acts 6:3-4 KJV Read in context

³Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. ⁴But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Phil. 1:1 KJV Read in context

¹Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

1 Tim. 3:8-13 KJV Read in context

⁸Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; ⁹Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. ¹⁰And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. ¹¹Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. ¹²Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. ¹³For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Nomination: The members of the church select the man or men for the office(s) Acts 6:3.

Acts 6:3 KJV Read in context

³Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

This will be done through a properly conducted vote of the church (see ARTICLE 6). This point of the process is called nomination.

Investigation: Once selected to fill either office, the candidate will undergo a two-month period of personal, domestic, and ministerial testing in accordance with 1 Timothy 3:10.

1 Timothy 3:10 KJV Read in context

¹⁰And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

Confirmation: At the end of the two-month period, the church shall vote on the candidate(s). Once the candidate has been voted into office, an ordination to office will be conducted.

Ordination: The elders appoint the man to the office(s) Acts 6:1-5 1 Tim. 4:14.

Acts 6:1-5 KJV Read in context

¹And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. ²Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. ³Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. ⁴But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. ⁵And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

1 Tim. 4:14 KJV Read in context

¹⁴Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

This will be conducted before the congregation with prayer and laying on of hands. This church reserves the right to call in pastors from other churches to assist it in the ordination of any of its officers. The elder(s), deacon(s), and/or steering committee will propose an ordination council to the congregation if and when the need arises. All ordination councils comprised of members outside of this church must be approved by a properly conducted vote of the church.

Duration: All appointments are indefinite. The elder(s), deacon(s), and/or steering committee will examine proposed resignations individually. Disqualification occurs when the standards of 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, or 1 Timothy 3:8-13 are not upheld or when full agreement with this constitution and full subscription to the 2^nd LCF can no longer be affirmed.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 KJV Read in context

¹This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. ²A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; ³Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; ⁴One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; ⁵(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) ⁶Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Titus 1:6-9 KJV Read in context

⁶If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. ⁷For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; ⁸But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; ⁹Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 KJV Read in context

⁸Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; ⁹Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. ¹⁰And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. ¹¹Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. ¹²Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. ¹³For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

If any elder desires to serve elsewhere in a ministerial capacity, the church shall be informed at the annual business meeting or at a properly called periodic business meeting. Permission to be released must be secured by a properly conducted vote of the church.

In order to insure that the office bearers are upholding the biblical and constitutional standards for qualifications, the elder(s) shall conduct yearly confirmation meetings with each officer. The results of these meetings will be brought before the church at the annual business meeting in the form of a brief letter. If the church is ever left with only one elder, the deacons or steering committee shall conduct the confirmation meeting with the sole elder and give the report to the church. Along with this, the members are encouraged to go to office bearers as members with concerns and use pastoral visitations for counsel on these matters. All annual confirmation reports will be received into the official documents of the church by a properly conducted vote of the church.

The elder(s) will also be interviewed in December of each year by a board of three pastors from three sister churches to insure that he/they are maintaining a full subscription view of the Confession and are still fully committed to this Constitution. The elder(s), deacon(s), and/or steering committee will propose the board members to the church at the annual business meeting. Approval of the proposed board members requires a properly conducted vote of the church. The results of these interviews will be brought before the church at the annual business meeting in the form of a brief letter. All annual confirmation reports will be received into the official documents of the church by a properly conducted vote of the church.

If GRBC is ever in the position of having one pastor and no deacons, a temporary steering committee will be formed of three male members of the church. The purpose of the steering committee is for accountability for the pastor and assistance in the administration of church affairs that would normally be handled by pastors and/or deacons. The pastor will propose the committee members to the congregation at a meeting of the church. Approval of the proposed steering committee requires a properly conducted vote of the church. Once the church acquires a plurality of elders or a deacon or deacons, the steering committee will be dissolved immediately.

If GRBC is ever in the position of having no elders and no deacons or no elders and only one deacon, a temporary steering committee will be formed of three male members of the church. The purpose of the steering committee is for the administration of church affairs that would normally be handled by pastors and deacons. The church will meet to discuss prospective committee members. Approval of the steering committee requires a properly conducted vote of the church. Once the church acquires a plurality of elders or deacons, or one elder and one deacon, the steering committee will be dissolved immediately.