Officer Nomination 2024

Where we are today:
We are excited that Reverend Tony Myles has started as our Senior Pastor on July 1, 2024. We are thankful to God for His faithfulness to His bride, the church of Christ!

What’s next:
The leadership body of Christ Central Church is issuing a call for the next class of officers who will serve alongside Pastor Tony and the existing leadership. The process for selecting officers is determined solely by each local church in accordance with the frequency and customs outlined in the Book of Church Order (BCO), our governing document, of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), our denomination. Historically, we have called for new officers every 2-3 years.

Why now:
We believe the time has come for the next set of leaders to join the existing leadership and Pastor Tony in serving. With recent transitions in leadership, we've recognized the need for more individuals to lead the church collectively.

Which offices are open: 
All the offices are open. We will take nominations for the ordained role of Ruling Elders and Deacons along with the commissioned roles of Women Shepherds and Deaconesses. 

What are the roles of these offices (from the membership cohort):

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. 

Women 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: 
Please prayerfully consider who you believe in the church is qualified to serve in various offices. You are free to nominate as many people as you wish, however, please do talk to those you are nominating to make sure they know they are being nominated. You do not need to determine which offices your nominee should serve (although you can indicate it as such), quite often through training, we have had officers find their roles that God calls them to. 

CLICK HERE to fill out the nomination form.

The nomination will close on Sunday, September 8th Sunday at midnight.