Deacon Selection

I believe that a candidate should desire the office according to what scripture says before any consideration for examination.

The church should't choose. I don't know where in scripture that the church chooses. I feel that gets into "church politics" or as they call it here, a horse race.

 

We have 45 deacons, who each serve a 3-year term. The deacons serve in ministry under the leadership of the pastor--they are not a board of decision makers. When 15 roll off, then the each deacon nominates 5-10 men to be considered. A master list of names are compliled, then presented to the deacons. Each deacon votes for their top 15, as they sense the Lord's leadership. The top 15 vote getters then are interviewed by the pastor and chairman of deacons before being considered. When the pastor is satisfied that 15 qualified men have been nominated, the church body is asked only to affirm these men. If any one of the top 15 decline, then #16 is interviewed, etc. Hope this makes sense. We do not receive nominations from the floor of the church. And the pastor has the right to veto any nomination.

 

All initial nominations should be in private first and then made public after the person agrees to serve.

One pastor told me of a case where two men who were nominated were lovers. The wife of one of them came and told the pastor shortly before the congregation was ot vote on them. So the pastor ask for the vote to be delayed.

 

Several weeks before nominations, our church men are notified by an announcement that if they know they do not qualify for the position of deacon, have a job or health conditions that would keep them from performing the job of deacon or do not want to be considered, to please contact the church office. After that time has passed, a list of EVERY male church member who has been a member in good standing for 2 years and who is assumed to be eligible is passed out and every member present is asked to vote for up to 5 men. After the numbers are tallied, the men who got the most votes are contacted for interviews. They are again asked if they qualify according to scripture. It's quite a process.

Diane

 

In our church the office of a deacon is considered a honorable thing but yet a position not to take lightly. Our Pastor prays about it and then he approaches the men that he has on his heart and then after they agree then he tells the church. We then vote to accept these men or not.

 

Nominations for deacon are taken from the congregation during late October. There men are reviewed by the pastors and deacons for obvious disqualifing character.

These men then attend a seminar where the qualifications, the responsibilities and the duties of a deacon are discussed.

At the end of the seminar a self-evaluation quiz is given and the men are asked to respond within a week as to whether they are willing, willing but not ready (or available), or just plain un-qualified.

Of the 20 or so men usually nominated, ten usually show up for the class. Of those, only a shy handful ever volunteer to take up the position of deacon.

Those men who accept are again reviewed by the pastors and deacon body before being voted upon by the whole congregation during our late November yearly business meeting. The congregation simply approves the deacons already selected by the process so it is not a popularity contest.

We have never turned a man down that desired the position after the evaluation.

Rob