Deacon Manual

1. Deacon Qualifications

Biblical Qualifications

Acts 2:18 – “Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message.”

Acts 6:1-3 – “… pick out among you seven men of good repute, full of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty.”

1 Timothy 3:8-13 – “Deacons likewise must be serious not double-tongued … they must hold the mystery of faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons. … Let deacons be the husband to one wife, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standard for themselves and also great confidence in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 16:1 – “I commend to you … and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well.”

Church Qualifications

Witness – Spiritual influence, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom, and good report. Service – Loyalty through service. Stewardship – Responsible, pledges and contributes with tithing as a goal. Fellowship – Regular attendance at First Baptist Church. FBC Membership – Five consecutive years. .

Other considerations

Church members who are not subject to nomination as active deacons include: ordained ministers, full time church staff members and their spouses, part time church staff members, the spouse of a deacon currently serving on the deacon board whose term continues the next year, and a deacon whose rotation off the board has been for less than one year. When nominating persons for ordination, the members of the Deacon Nominating Team and their spouses are not eligible for nomination.

2. Categories of Deacons

Active – A deacon who has been elected to serve a term of three years, except those assigned to fill an unexpired term. Deacons are ineligible for re-election until the expiration of one calendar year, except as covered in Section 3 below.

Emeritus –The Emeritus Deacon category was adopted in 1987 to honor those deacons who have given outstanding, meritorious, and loyal service to the church and to the board of deacons, and who have attained the age of 75 years. The current deacon chairman, the pastor and three of the most recent deacon chairmen nominate Emeritus Deacons. If approved by the board, the nominees are presented to the church for approval. Emeritus Deacons do not have the right to vote, but Emeritus Deacons are eligible to serve as a Rotating Active Deacon through the established deacon nominating process and, as such, are entitled to vote.

Lifetime Emeritus Deacons – A deacon who was elected as a Life or Emeritus Deacon prior to September 13, 2005 and is given full privileges as an active deacon.

Life Deacons – A deacon who has been elected to serve on the board of deacons before the establishment of the rotating system.

Fellowship – The Deacon Fellowship includes all persons who have served on the board, are members of the church, live in the area, and regularly attend church activities.

3. Deacon Term of Service

A deacon should be elected to serve a rotating term not to exceed three years. An extension of one year to this term may be made for a deacon who is currently serving as chairman or secretary or has been elected to serve as chairman or secretary of the board of deacons. Such extension must be by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the board of deacons present and voting at a regular meeting.

4. Deacon Election

The Deacon Nominating Team is appointed by the deacon chairman in consultation with the vice-chairman and the Senior Pastor, at the September deacons’ meeting and announced to the church the following Sunday. The deacon vice-chairman serves as team leader. In addition to its leader, the team consists of one representative of the adult Sunday school, one representative of the missions organizations, two deacons, and two church members at large.

A four-week period for nomination follows the announcement of the team. All church members are invited to nominate those eligible for service as deacons. Deacon nominating forms will be available at all church kiosks and online. Paper forms must be placed in designated boxes at each kiosk.

Immediately after its appointment, the team begins to seek those from the Deacon Fellowship to return to the Active Board. The intention is to assure that all who have been ordained and satisfy the Deacon Qualifications have an opportunity to serve again. To achieve that, a list of all eligible deacons (see “Other Considerations”) is organized by their dates of last service, beginning with those who have been inactive the longest. This list is sent to the senior staff for input. Following this, a time of prayer and discernment for selection of those to serve begins.

After nominations for deacons are closed in mid-October, the team begins to meet, with meetings being in person whenever possible. The team proceeds by first verifying that those nominated as new deacons satisfy the Deacon Qualifications. Next the team sends the list to senior ministerial staff for input. Following this, a time of prayer and discernment for selection of those to serve as new deacons begins.

All members of the Deacon Nominating Team will share in the responsibility of contacting those invited to serve as new deacons and those asked to return to the Active Board. To maintain an Active Board of approximately 75, the Deacon Nominating Team makes a list of approximately 25, including new deacons and those from the Deacon Fellowship. The ideal balance is five new deacons and 20 from the deacon fellowship. Because the intent is to maintain a balance representative of FBC (with respect to age, gender, race, etc.), these numbers may vary. The process for selecting this list includes the prayerful discernment of the Deacon Nominating Team, of the senior ministerial staff, of those who make the nominations, and of those who are nominated – both new deacons and those returning to the Active Board.

The final list of all nominees includes a short biographical and photo, and is retained electronically by the Senior Pastor’s office. This list is made available on the first Sunday in December, at all church kiosks and online. The vote is held on the third Sunday in December at both services. A majority vote of the members present constitutes election of each deacon. The Ordaining Council occurs at the January Deacons’ meeting with the Ordination Service the following Sunday.

5. Assessment of Experiences by the Deacon Fellowship

For the Board to be effective and spiritually vital, a regular opportunity will be given to deacons to assess and express their experience in the fellowship. The deacon chair will appoint a team to develop a series of questions, to be answered anonymously, with specific attention directed to first-time deacons during their first year of service and to deacons who are concluding their third year of service. The information gained will be used by the deacon officers and the senior ministerial staff to adjust the duties and activities of the fellowship to better meet the church’s needs.

6. Deacon Officer Election

Each year, at the November meeting, the chairman shall name a committee of five deacons to nominate a chairman, a vice-chairman, and a secretary, to serve the board for the next ensuing year commencing January 1.

The committee shall, after giving the members of the board an opportunity for input, present the nominees for election at the December deacons meeting. At that meeting, other nominations may be made from the floor. The names of the proposed nominees for deacon officers shall be communicated to deacons prior to the December board meeting. The nominating committee and any member making nominations from the floor shall state that the nominees have agreed to serve, if elected.

The chairman or secretary, so long as he or she remains on the active deacon board as provided in Section 3 above, may be re-elected for two one-year additional terms and no longer. However, after a lapse of one year he or she may again be re- elected on the same basis as before.

The election of a vice-chairman shall be held each year and he or she may not be re-elected except after a one-year lapse.

7. Meetings

Deacon meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are not normally held in July and August. Called meetings are held as needed.

8. Collection

The Deacon Assignment Committee assigns deacons to receive the offering and to serve communion. Each deacon is assigned one month on and one month off February 1 to January 31. If unable to serve during assigned months, deacons should enlist their partner to fill the station. If a partner is unable to serve and a substitute cannot be found, the deacon should contact the Deacon Assignment Committee.

The deacon serving should check in with the Assignment Committee or check his or her name off as being present. The reporting location is outside the McDaniel Room. This should be done no later than five minutes before each Sunday morning. If the assigned deacon has not checked in and a substitute has been secured, the last minute assignment will stand.

All deacons are requested to acquaint themselves with all stations so that they may be able to substitute if necessary. Nineteen deacons are required for collecting the offering—twelve on the first floor and seven on the second floor.

9. Communion and Special Services

Deacons serve the communion elements to the congregation in the same manner as the offering. The choir is served communion by deacons in the choir. The minister of music makes these assignments. At the special services, such as Maundy Thursday, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve, and at other times when requested to do so, deacons are asked to volunteer to serve the offering plates and the communion elements.

Each Sunday, thirty-eight deacons are required to serve the congregation when receiving the offering and forty-two deacons are required to serve when communion is observed. Deacons should be observant so that if someone in the congregation is missed, appropriate action is taken.

The Assignment Committee asks those who are not serving on a given Sunday to check in to see if the committee is short and in need of help. Assistance will be appreciated.

10. Meeting before service

A meeting of serving deacons is held on Sunday mornings ten minutes before each worship service. The purpose of the meeting is to review changes in health status of the church family, recent deaths and bereavements related to the church family, important upcoming church events and last minute changes in the worship service. Deacons assigned for current month collection are expected to attend. Other deacons are encouraged to attend.

11. Minutes

The secretary will prepare minutes of each deacon meeting in a timely manner for distribution to the active and lifetime emeritus deacons. By the Sunday prior to the deacon meeting, the secretary will send out a reminder notice of the meeting by email along with a copy of the minutes of the previous meeting. For those deacons with no email, copies will be available at the deacon meeting.

12. Deacon Communication

The Secretary is responsible for maintaining up-to-date contact information to ensure that deacons receive necessary information/notices between Deacon meetings. The primary means of communication will be via email. Active deacons without email access will be notified by telephone. It is the responsibility of each individual deacon to update their information with the Secretary.

Upon receiving a request to notify the deacons or pass on other important information, the Secretary will notify the Chair and Vice-Chair and send it to all active deacons. Appropriate ministerial and other staff may also be notified. In addition, when requested, information may be sent to the entire Deacon Fellowship, including inactive deacons. The “bcc” function will be used with group emails to insure the confidentiality of individual email account information.

13. Funerals

When requested by the family of the deceased, the Deacon Fellowship traditionally serves as honorary pallbearers at funerals of Active, Emeritus and Life Deacons. When requested by the presiding minister and after consultation with the family, deacons will act as honorary pallbearers of other deacons. The Pastor’s Secretary will communicate the family’s wishes to the deacons via email. A section shall be reserved in front of the sanctuary or chapel for honorary pallbearers and spouses. After the service, the deacons will form two lines outside the sanctuary or chapel for the family to pass through as a tribute to the deceased deacon. Spouses who are not deacons are requested to step back from the line of deacons.

10/27/2016