Consistory Nominations
It is time for us to pray and think about whom God might be calling to serve as an Elder or Deacon at Westwood for 2023. The process for nominations is as follows:
- The congregation nominates those members who they feel have the gifts to serve as either an elder or a deacon.
- A Nominating Team uses the congregation’s nominations and those from the Consistory to select a potential slate of candidates for approval by the Consistory.
- The candidates are given the opportunity to pray about their potential role on the Consistory and then either choose to leave their name in nomination or remove their names from nomination.
- At the annual Congregational Meeting (this year on Sunday, December 4th at 6:30 p.m.) the congregation will elect our new elders and deacons; to begin their terms on January 1, 2023. You are electing Elders and Deacons for a 1 year term, which may be renewable for up to 5 years. Note: This is an In Person meeting – no livestream.
Open positions for 2023:
Executive Elder
Teaching Elder – Adult Discipleship & Outreach
Shepherding Elders
Deacon of Missions
The Office of Elder
Description: Acts 20:28 has a great one sentence description for the Office of Elder:
“28Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.”
An elder is responsible for the spiritual oversight and ministry of the church. They are accountable for all spiritual matters and needs within our congregation. They must be committee believers in Jesus Christ who have stable personalities that are not full of addictions. They must be kind, love what is right and be self-controlled. They need to also understand the Scripture, have strong spiritual lives and be men and women of prayer. The office of Elder is divided into 2 separate areas:
The office of Shepherding Elder at Westwood Church:
The Shepherding Elder is responsible for the spiritual needs of the Westwood Church community, during their normal life, during their special needs and/or crisis situation, through spiritual support, counsel, prayer, and caring. They will have the care and responsibility for 10 individual families within the Westwood community.
The office of Teaching Elder at Westwood Church:
The Teaching Elder is responsible for the planning and carrying out of worship, teaching, and/or outreach as it applies to the whole church and support of staff members responsible for each area of ministry through care-giving, prayer, and partnering. They will have the care and responsibility for these 6 particular areas: Music and Worship, Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Outreach, Adult Discipleship, and the Office of Executive Elder.
For 2023 we are electing Executive Elder, Teaching Elder – Adult Discipleship & Outreach, and multiple new Shepherding Elders.
The Office of Deacon
Description: This was established in Acts 6. In that chapter the early church was struggling with the workload of running a growing church. It became clear that they needed men and women who would be committed to the administration of funds and property in order to serve the needy and the needs of the church. At Westwood, deacons are responsible for the physical needs of the church and those in need outside of our church. Acts 6: “ People of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task”. They are to be men and women of a good reputation for solid spiritual and personal lives, full of integrity and beyond reproach, and full of the wisdom it takes to carry out their task.
The office of Deacon at Westwood Church:
The office consists of 6 separate ministries each requiring specific gifts and leadership qualities. These areas are: Finance, Missions, Community Care, Buildings & Grounds, Hospitality and Office of Executive Deacon.
For 2023 we are electing for the position of Deacon of Missions.
Some Questions to Ask:
Does this person display gifts of leadership in the specific ministry area for which you are nominating them?
Does this person demonstrate through the way they live and speak that they know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and that they are committed to the witness and authority of the Scriptures?
As a reminder:
Nominees must be members of Westwood Church to be eligible. Also, once a person leaves our Consistory we ask that they take a year off before filling the same or another position.
Here is a list of Current Consistory Members. These folks are NOT eligible to be nominated.
All nominations need to be submitted by October 15th. As you can see your nominations are vital! This is an important and exciting time for Westwood.
Click the link below to submit your nominations.