Criteria for being a church board member

Church Board Member Criteria

The issue of who should participate in church leadership at Westside is of great importance. The reputation of the gospel and the health of our church are dependent on having qualified leaders who are in step with Jesus. Not everyone can be a church board member. We must take our time in discerning this call on someone’s life. The following should guide us in this process.

General Biblical Guidelines

1 Timothy 3

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. 8 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Titus 1

6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Guidelines Specific to Westside

1.   They should be active examples of the Christian lifestyle (Hebrews 13:7). We call this “the Path.”

• Worship

• Learn

• Serve

• Give

• Invite

• Group

2.   They should aspire to leadership (1 Timothy 3:1).

3.   They have been under authority and are now ready to be in authority.

4.   They should have leadership gifts.

5.   They must be a member in good standing for at least one year.

6.   Their marriage should be free from serious conflict.

7.   Their personal finances should be in order.

8.   They must be tithing to the church. Leaders that don’t tithe should not be making financial decisions for those that do.

9.   They should have a good reputation (Acts 6:3).

10.                They cannot be a relative of a staff member or in the same household as another board member.

11.                They must know the bible and have sound doctrine.

12.                They must agree to attend the majority of the monthly meetings.

13.                Current board members whose terms are expiring may be nominated again but it will not be automatic.

14.                Manual Paragraph 127 applies: “Ordained and district licensed ministers unassigned by the district and paid employees are not eligible to serve on the local church board.”

15.                Paragraph 39 in the Manual also applies: “We direct our local churches to elect as church officers active members of the local church who profess the experience of entire sanctification and whose lives bear public witness to the grace of God that calls us to a holy life; who are in harmony with the doctrines, polity, and practices of the Church of the Nazarene; and who support the local church faithfully in attendance and with tithes and offerings.”