At Journey Church International, the Elder Board forms the governing body of the church. Each Elder serves for a minimum of three years. New Elders will be nominated in January of 2021 and may be nominated every two years after that until the Elder Board reaches 10 men and thereafter to replace Elders who may rotate off of the team. The Elder Board forms the Elder selection team. This selection team accepts nominations, interviews candidates, and votes to elect the new Elders each cycle. An Elder must be selected by unanimous vote.
The selection process begins with announcements made to the church that the selection team is accepting nominations. Nomination forms are completed and submitted to the selection team. The selection team reviews these nomination forms and determines if each person nominated meets the criteria to become an elder. If the person meets the criteria, the selection team notifies the nominees and asks if they would like to participate in the selection process. If the nominees are interested in participating, they complete an elder application and submit it to the selection team. The selection team again makes sure the candidates meet all the criteria by screening these elder applications. Next, the team interviews all eligible candidates. Once they complete the interviews, the voting begins. The Elders will usually be chosen to begin their Elder Term by the end of the Spring.
The Elder Team will
Meet monthly for times of discipleship, training, prayer, and organizational oversight, including; to review key church data, approve budgets and projects, evaluate and lead staff, tend to the health of the church and the pastoral team, and provide future direction of organization.
Consult with ministry partners, coaches, and consultants in all areas of ministry that can add value to our organizational structure, processes, and decision-making.
Consult with members of the Finance/Stewardship Team, Missions and Outreach Teams, and Church-Planting teams in making decisions in these areas of ministry.
Consist of men who have actively been engaged in consistently serving and consistently tithing at Journey for a period of at least two years.
Journey will be “Elder Led” and “Staff Run” with the belief that certain men and women are called into full-time vocational ministry and should be educated, trained, and responsible for the ongoing day-to-day ministry of the church as approved and directed by the Elder Board.
Elder Selection Process
Overview
Office of Elder for Journey Church International, Inc. (JCI)
The Board of Elders is comprised of up to 10 men who serve on the JCI Elder Team, and includes the Lead Pastor. Elders function primarily as discerners and shepherds, and as such, serve as the conscience and guardians of the church. Acts 20:28 states, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood.”
The Elders evaluate everything that takes place according to three criteria:
- The mission of the organization.
- The resources of the organization.
- The organization’s doctrinal statement.
In most matters, the JCI Board of Elders have final say concerning the overall direction of the church.
Application Process
There are two parts to the application process
Step 1: Elder Nomination
This nomination is to be completed by a church volunteer or leader nominating another church leader from JCI whose spiritual leadership they have served under for the position of Elder. The nomination is to be completed without consultation of the man being nominated. The recommendation is to be submitted by email to [email protected] by February 7, 2021.
Step 2: Elder Application
After the Elder nomination has been submitted, the Board of Elders will review the nominations within the first quarter of the calendar year and will notify the Elder candidate and the volunteer or leader who nominated the Elder of moving into the Elder Application Process or of the next steps of the nominee based on current ministry leadership and development at JCI. The Elder candidate will then receive and complete the Elder application which will be submitted to the Board of Elders upon completion no later than March 31st, 2021. If the Elder candidate is invited onto the Elder Ministry Team they will begin their term on the Elder Board by the end of the Spring of 2021.
SCRIPTURAL BASIS of ELDER QUALIFICATIONS
The passages in 1 Timothy 3:1-11, Titus 1:5-9, and I Peter 5:1-7 form the basis for elder qualifications.
I Timothy 3:1-11
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgement as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not induldging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives are to be women of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
Titus 1:5-9
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless-not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can enocourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
I Peter 5:1-7
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; no lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.