University Baptist Church

University Baptist Church Policies, Procedures and Guidelines Manual

No. 8 GUIDELINES FOR ACTIVE DEACONS

I. Composition of Active Deacons

The Deacons are elected and ordained to be the lay ministerial leaders of the congregation. The Active Deacons will consist of twenty-one church members currently elected to serve for a three-year term. Annually one third of the Deacons will rotate off and be replaced by others elected by the congregation. The election of Deacons will take place in sufficient time for all new Deacons to be ordained and installed by the beginning of the organizational church year. A Deacon who rotates off the board is not eligible to serve as Deacon again for at least one year.

II. Nominations

All church members except those who have served as Deacon within the current organizational year and those who have been designated Deacon Emeritus are eligible for nomination. The nomination period will be open for two weeks. Members of the congregation may submit a written list of up to seven names to the church office. At the end of the nomination period, the nominations are to be counted by the church secretary. The Chair of Deacons, the Vice-Chair of Deacons, the Senior Minister, or others as needed will contact those receiving the most nominations to verify their availability to serve. The number of nominees on the final ballot will be at least twice the number of vacancies. Once the final slate of nominees is determined, the election may proceed.

III. Elections

The election of Deacons will be conducted by secret ballot of the church membership (one ballot per church member) collected during regular worship services. In addition, ballots mailed, dropped off by the church office, by phone, and by e-mail to the church office will be accepted. The length of time allowed for casting ballots will be at least two Sundays. The ballots are to be counted by the church secretary and verified by the Chair of Deacons. In the event of ties a runoff election of the nominees who are tied will be held.

IV. Filling Un-expired Terms

In the event a Deacon is unable to fulfill his/her term of office, the following procedures for filling the vacancy shall apply:

A. If the vacancy occurs less than 90 days prior to the first date of the next regularly scheduled nomination process, then the term will not be filled, but an additional Deacon will be elected at the next regularly scheduled election to fulfill the un-expired one or two year term. In the event the vacancy occurs for a Deacon in the final year of his/her term, no further action is required.

May 2007 B. If the vacancy occurs 90 days or more prior to the first date of the next regularly scheduled nomination process, then the un-expired term shall be filled. To fill the un-expired term(s):

1. The Nominating Committee shall recruit, nominate and recommend at least twice the number of nominees as the vacancies to be filled, but in no event shall there be less than three (3) nominees;

2. The nominees shall be from current church members who are ordained and who are neither active Deacons, Deacons Emeriti, nor Deacons who are within their one year of ineligibility;

3. An election to fill the un-expired term(s) shall follow the methods prescribed for regular deacon elections.

C. In the event of multiple vacancies, the nominee receiving the highest number of votes shall serve the longest un-expired term being filled.

D. Deacons elected to fill un-expired terms shall begin serving immediately upon election and need not be formally installed by the church.

V. Ordination and Installation

All newly elected Deacons who have never been ordained, either as a minister or deacon, by laying on of hands will be so ordained in a service of ordination. The laying on of hands may be by all ordained ministers and Deacons. After ordination all newly elected Deacons will be installed into the office. A church member elected to be a Deacon, who has been ordained by a church of like polity, may be installed without ordination.

May 2007 May 2007