Candidates to Leadership 2025

March 30, 2025 Congregational Meeting

Where we are today:
The Session has called a Congregational Meeting after the Sunday Worship Service on March 30, 2025 to vote for the incoming leadership of Christ Central Church. These candidates were nominated by you in the Fall of 2024 and received theological training this past year. Furthermore, all candidates were interviewed by the session. They are now presented to you with the session’s full recommendation to the office which they are being called.

Candidates for Leadership are:
  Ruling Elders: Bevan Hurlbert, Tom Bastian
  Women Shepherds: Molly Kruger, Stacey Lanier, Michelle Hurlbert
 Diaconate: Leslie Barefoot, John Dykstra

What are the roles of these offices:

Elder:
The office of elder is an office of oversight, prayer, and guidance. Elders set the course for the church. They admit, discipline, and remove members. God holds them accountable for the health and well-functioning of the church. 

Deacons/Deaconesses: 
The office of deacon is typically an office of mercy, service, and action directed especially at the physical and material needs of the congregation, but their main thrust is to serve the congregation in any way they are needed. They are to aid the elders and lead the congregation in caring for people both within and outside the church. 

Woman Shepherd:
The Bible also requires mature lay members to help lead the shepherding of Christ’s church. The Women’s Shepherds team was commissioned by the elders to help shepherd the whole congregation. Whether dealing with delicate matters better handled by women (working with an all-male session), or helping guide leadership through global church issues, the women’s shepherds are among the most trusted and mature people in our midst. 

Basis for Offices 
We don’t have these officers because of tradition or because we thought it would be a good idea, but because the offices of elder and deacon are found in Scripture. Philippians 1:1 shows Paul writing to the “overseers and deacons” in Philippi, and 1 Timothy 3 gives a list of qualifications for the offices of overseer and deacon. Titus 1 indicates elders and overseers to be the same, as what Paul calls an elder in verse 5 is called an overseer in verse 7. In Acts 20:28, Paul spoke to the elders in Ephesus and told them that they are to be overseers of the church (thus telling elders to be overseers). 1 Peter 5 uses language of elders both shepherding and also overseeing, showing the interchangeability of the title elder and overseer. In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul distinguishes the difference between elders who rule, elders who teach, and elders who preach and provides the rationale for a separate class of pastors who teach, along with elders who rule or oversee the church. Thus, we have Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders (BCO 24).

Qualifications for the Offices
The qualifications for these offices also come from Scripture in 1 Timothy 3 (and again for elders in Titus 1:3-7). They are further outlined in BCO 24.

What are we asking you to do today: 
All communicant members in good and regular standing (regardless of age) are eligible to vote.  A quorum s necessary to conduct business. A simple majority of those present and voting is required for officer election.

CLICK HERE to submit any questions for the meeting.

Please attend the Congregational Meeting on March 30, 2025 after the Worship Service and stay for the 5th Sunday Potluck!