Elder Board s Mission Statement The Elder Board of Taft Avenue Community Church, to fulfill its role of ministry to the Church, believes it has a mission to: Lead and nurture TACC and create a gospel-filled environment in which the church grows as a gospel, joy-filled community of faith which by its very existence inspires people to follow Christ. We want to always remember that we are here for the advancement of God s Kingdom. We are not here to advance our own agendas or concepts of what this church should be. We are here because of the treasure, the good news of salvation that comes by faith in Jesus. The traditions, structures and programs can change and will change over time. But all of that is just the vessel that holds the treasure. The treasure will never change. We desire to clearly articulate to current and future Elder Board members the mission and ministry of the Board to the church. We have attempted to express the overall Elder Board roles and responsibilities that we want to maintain even as God brings new members and new opportunities for ministry in an ever-changing world. While the roles and responsibilities are enduring, we acknowledge that methods of leading TACC should change or be adapted to serve the then current ministry needs of the body. Roles and Responsibilities of Elders In general, we, the Elders, are committed to operate in a manner that enables the Senior Pastor, and through him all the staff and heads of the ministries of TACC, to carry out the ministries assigned to them to lead as God calls them to do. We further seek to empower the ministries of the church, challenging the entire congregation to find their area of ministry to exercise the gifts that God has given them. The Elders have decided that we will focus on the following prioritized list: 1. Guard the Vision of TACC As the leadership of the church, we will intentionally allow time to consider where we are going and where we should be going. We will routinely ask ourselves if TACC is moving in the direction that is pleasing to God by seeking to understand where He is blessing in our ministries. We will do this in conjunction with the Senior Pastor as he works with the staff and ministry heads. We will always endeavor to empower the Senior Pastor but will at the same time challenge, through the Senior Pastor, all ministries to work together to integrate the mission, values, and vision of TACC. We will endeavor to: Define the desired end results of the ministries of TACC; Delegate to and empower the staff and ministry leaders the freedom to decide on how to achieve the results; and
Hold the Senior Pastor and ministry leaders responsible for the results. 2. Guard the Spiritual Health of the Elder Board We wish to live, model and be the leaders God would have us be. We will, therefore, work together through accountability, counsel, encouragement and protection, and be committed to learning and growing together though intentional group study, so that we will always be moving more towards becoming the elders God wants us to be. We cannot expect the members of the congregation to grow spiritually if we are not; we cannot expect them to live in harmony if we do not. We recognize that our spiritual life affects the whole congregation and we cannot lead others where we have not gone. 3. Foster the Spiritual Transformation and Professional Health of the Senior Pastor As Elders, we share in the work God has called the Senior Pastor to do; not by doing it, but by helping him to be the pastor to our congregation that God has called him to be. While we hold him accountable, we in turn will provide counsel, encouragement and protection as he leads all of the ministries of TACC. Senior Pastor s role: We desire our Pastor to prompt the elders, as they also encourage him and each other, to hear God s voice in the Word (especially as it applies to our particular location and local church body), as it pertains to reaching the lost, and building up the ministry of the gospel in the believers He has called us to shepherd. 4. Maintain Doctrinal Purity and Guard Against Divisions in the Church (Acts 20:28-31 31) We will protect a Biblical view of the nature and character of God and of His Church. We recognize the danger of mixing the treasure and the vessel and will allow the vessel to change, as situations require; we will die for the treasure. We accept the responsibility to care for the church community and to lovingly, yet firmly, address any divisive spirit in the church. 5. Identify and Develop Future Leaders and Elders The Elders recognize that the long-term health of the church rests in always having the right people on the Elder Board. We therefore are committed to carefully and intentionally seek to identify those in the church who have the spiritual maturity and leadership ability needed to be an effective member of the Elder Board. We will also seek to provide them opportunities for ministry and training so that they will mature in their relationship with Christ, and grow in their ability to exercise effective leadership within the community of TACC. We are also committed to having our staff and ministry leaders train leaders who will serve and lead in ministries. This includes identifying, training, and appointing approved leaders. 6. Fulfill the requirements of the By-laws As the governing board of the church, both legally and spiritually, we will fulfill the responsibilities placed on us by the congregation. We are committed to perform the responsibilities as defined in the by-laws and constitution. We are committed to do only the things reserved to us, and to stay out of those things reserved to others.
Attachment A Qualifications and Definition of Elders Qualifications of Elders The Biblical qualifications for Elders and leaders in the New Testament Church are found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. It is also critical, however, that the members of the Elder Board be good at working at a strategic level, above the details of the church ministries activities. We believe an effective member of the Elder Board is one who: Is growing in godly character and lifestyle and strives to exhibit these qualities as found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1; Has a deep passion for Jesus; Exhibits personal humility; Loves people; Is forward-looking with an open, creative spirit; Willingly agrees with God s leadership assignment for him to serve as an Elder; Is team-focused, understands good boardmanship; Has positive influence with others; Is a purveyor of hope; Has an action bias, is not complacent with the present, but is always seeking to move more towards what God wants for TACC; Is committed to TACC mission, values, vision and the small group ministry; Supports the TACC ministries by the giving of his financial means; Understands and supports the governance structure of the church and Elder Board; Is an active member: Sunday worship, small groups, special events; Is practicing the spiritual disciplines: Bible reading, study, meditation, memorization; prayer; worship; evangelism, etc.; and Exemplifies a growing disciple relationship with Christ and the church. Elders and Pastoral Staff
We have also concluded that the professional pastoral staff members are Elders in the sense the term is used in the New Testament. This raises some obvious questions in a church whose governance includes an Elder Board but which has only one of the staff the Senior Pastor on that board. We have resolved this by first noting that scripture did not dictate this governance structure. Just as our concept of congregational governance is not commanded by Scripture but is consistent with Biblical principles, we conclude that we are free to use lay Elders for various part-time ministry and governance roles and Clergy Elders for full time ministry within that structure. So, we include the Senior Pastor on our Elder Board while recognizing that the rest of the pastoral staff are also Elders, but with different roles. The Distinction Between Elders and the Elder Board In the past our church has confirmed that the gifting and character that make an individual suitable to be an Elder are from God. And, these gifts do not come and go with whatever time limits we may impose on board membership. Therefore, once a person has been recognized to be qualified and is placed on the Elder Board, he is in a limited way a leader even when he is no longer serving on the board officially. On the other hand, the Elder Board has in addition to a spiritual leadership role a legal role. Because of the legal system in the United States, our church is required to have certain corporate officers as a part of our existence as a tax-exempt organization. The officers are three members of the Elder Board: the chairman, the treasurer and the secretary. So, rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar s and unto God the things that are God s, we agree that the Elder Board has a dual character: it is the governing board of the church legally, and it is the group of spiritual leaders called by the congregation to lead the church. Given all this, we agree that there is a distinction between the Board and its functioning and the individual Elders that serve on the Board. When the Elders meet together as the Elder Board, they comprise the leadership of the church and they exercise the authority granted to them by the congregation. They are to prayerfully consider the issues before them. Individual Elders, however, do not themselves possess that authority. Rather, they are members of the congregation who may have any of a variety of ministries within the church according to their gifts. This is true whether or not they are serving currently on the Board.
Attachment B Operating Principles of the Elder Board We are focused on the overall direction for the church, not how individual constituencies might accept or respond to something. We do not represent any one person or ministry, but rather the entire church. We have accepted the philosophy that our authority is collective, not individual, whether one is talking about the congregation or the Elder Board. The Elder Board, as a group, is accountable to the congregation, not to an individual congregant. The Senior Pastor is accountable to the Elder Board, not to an individual Elder. We are committed to not let the pressures of the immediate obscure our looking at the big picture and asking God what He would have us do. We are committed to exhibiting elder role spiritual maturity and will be active in encouraging the congregation to honor the elder board and staff. The Elders will always endeavor to empower the Senior Pastor and all of the ministry leaders, holding them responsible for what ministry needs to be accomplished, yet giving them a freedom on how to do it. We will strive to consistently empower those who are serving in ministry roles to make decisions about ministry times, places, and methods as long as they are consistent with our Mission, Vision, Values what we call pushing ministry down. We share openly and honestly, trusting all are committed to the mission of TACC. Consensus means that we all support a decision once the weight of opinion becomes obvious. This means that some times one or a few of us may not agree with the overall sense of direction everyone else indicates is necessary. At the point the decision is made, all, including any antagonistic to it, turn and support the decision without reservation lest we compromise our higher calling to lead as a cohesive group. In some instances where the issues are serious enough, those who cannot support the direction will be encouraged to consider whether or not they should remain a member of the Elder Board. Once again, we believe the goal is not to win but to lead under Christ, all as a cohesive group in spite of our flaws, even if we cannot continue to participate in that group. We purposefully do not to get bogged down in excessive discussion, nor spend time trying to convince anyone to get on board. Likewise, decisions, once made, are not re-hashed unless new information overwhelmingly indicates it is necessary to do so. Decisions are truly supported by everyone. We trust each other to support things we may not have chosen ourselves believing the decision is our best understanding of God s direction. This extends to situations where an Elder, who was not be to be at a meeting and thus did not participate in the discussion, will trust the rest of the board and fully support the decision made in his absence.
When we assign tasks to a task force, we empower those groups to do their work. We do not seek to retrace their work when they present it to us. We listen to their rationale, reflect upon it and state our observations. The decision to act follows. The events of the past are revisited only for lessons to learn. We have left offenses behind. We agree that when the congregation decides an issue by vote, we will take it as our best understanding of God s direction for our body. We will require that the whole body support such decisions, without murmuring.