December 2009 Archives

Nomination Guidelines

Nominations for next year's leaders are coming up. (1st 2 weeks of next Spring) Here are the "guidelines" for nominating Small Group and Core members for next year. Remember, these are only guidelines not requirements.

Here's the same information, just in word form: Nominating Small Group Leadership.doc Nominating CORE Leadership.doc Please pray for your nominees as well as for strong and faithful leaders for next year.

Nominating Small Group Leadership -

Description of Position: Small Group leaders and co-leaders are the primary way by which shepherding ministry is accomplished in ACF.  Shepherding ministry includes knowing, feeding, leading, and protecting those in ACF.  In short, small group leaders are the spiritual leaders of ACF as they provide personal care in an intimate way.  Small group ministry involves the actual small group meeting, individual preparation and prayer time, and a weekly meeting with ACF's pastor or small group coordinator to prepare uniform material.  Additionally, small group leaders will be expected to regularly meet with individual small group members throughout the year.

REQUIREMENTS:  Only true Christians can hold positions in ACF and at Acts.  Each leader will be expected to articulate a credible profession of the Christian faith, as determined by church leadership.  Membership will required for leaders at Acts going forward.  Candidates are not required to be members in order to be nominated and installed, but must become members during their term if they are not already.  Additionally, commitment to both Acts (as church of choice) and ACF (as college ministry of choice) is required. 

QUALIFICATIONS:  At the outset, it is important to understand that Small Group Leadership is not an official church office in the biblical sense.  Instead, it is regarded as a training office, and as such, candidates are not expected to demonstrate proficiency or excellence in every category of consideration.  The church has never been governed as a meritocracy, but instead by the sovereign grace of God, and as such, those considering candidates should view the following qualifications as a matrix, and not a checklist.  Candidates should definitely demonstrate some of the qualities here mentioned, but weakness in any area will not immediately eliminate a candidate from consideration.  Instead, the question will be whether the candidate shows the potential to develop and grow in these areas if given the opportunity.  Neither can priority be given to any one category, but the qualities of each candidate will be viewed as a whole and considered in light of areas of weakness.  Finally, this list is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather a guideline for the sorts of things expected of candidates.  If a candidate deserves consideration for abilities and character outside of this list, please nominate that individual and explain your rationale clearly.

-       DESIRED SKILLS, GIFTS, and ABILITIES -

o    Communication skills (able to articulate faith and communicate clearly about God; feels comfortable speaking about Christianity in public)

o    Relational initiative (not necessarily outgoing, but takes initiative in conversation and relationships; takes action with regard to building up relationships)

o    Relational acuity (perceptiveness regarding the state of members' lives and well-being)

o    "Word" gifts (includes ability to interpret and understand Scripture, ability to encourage others through Scripture, ability to explain how Scripture should be applied)

§  Able to teach (able to communicate complex concepts in relatable terms)

§  Counseling gifts (able to identify the needs of individuals and offer a biblical perspective to help)

o    Spiritual awareness (able to identify spiritual needs, trends, and gifts in members)

o    Administrative proficiency (able to coordinate and run meetings, keep track of personal schedule, etc.)

o   Gifts of encouragement

-       DESIRED PERSONALITY and CHARACTER - In addition to demonstrating solid faith and commendable conduct, we are looking for those who are:

o    Loving and caring (more precisely, the desire and ability to communicate love and care to others; desires others to come into a fuller relationship with God)

o    Spiritual maturity (someone who is stable and well-established in their faith and has demonstrated sincere and sustained growth)

o    Humility (puts others first, able to accept criticism and rejection, teachable, has a healthy awareness of own sin)

o    Faithful and consistent (someone whose service is stable and consistent)

o    Sacrificial and generous (someone who is willing to put others first)

o    A dynamic relationship with Christ (someone constantly aware of their life before God; demonstrates a personal thirst for more of Christ)

o    Respectable (must conduct self in light of influence on others)

o    Earnest and sincere (speaks honestly, lives openly)

Have healthy work ethic (responsible, diligent, punctual, consistent, committed, reliable)

Nominating CORE Leadership -

Description of Position: CORE functions as ACF's administrative team.  The primary responsibility of CORE is to plan, organize, and run ACF's major events and weekly meetings.  Additionally, each member of CORE serves as a college branch of one of four church-wide departments.  Either alone or in tandem, CORE members help coordinate and lead outreach/evangelism, activities, hospitality, and arts/technology parts of our ministry.  CORE holds a weekly planning meeting with ACF's pastor, both to plan for the long-term and the immediate week.  Other time considerations include personal planning time, emailing, delegation, and handling other preparations as needed.

REQUIREMENTS:  Only true Christians can hold positions in ACF and at Acts.  Each leader will be expected to articulate a credible profession of the Christian faith, as determined by church leadership.  Membership will required for leaders at Acts going forward.  Candidates are not required to be members in order to be nominated and installed, but must become members during their term if they are not already.  Additionally, commitment to both Acts (as church of choice) and ACF (as college ministry of choice) is required.  CORE members are required to belong to an ACF small group.

QUALIFICATIONS:  At the outset, it is important to understand that CORE is not an official church office.  Instead, it is regarded as a training office, and as such, candidates are not expected to demonstrate proficiency or excellence in every category of consideration.  The church has never been governed as a meritocracy, but instead by the sovereign grace of God, and as such, those considering candidates should view the following qualifications as a matrix, and not a checklist.  Candidates should definitely demonstrate some of the qualities here mentioned, but weakness in any area will not immediately eliminate a candidate from consideration.  Instead, the question will be whether the candidate shows the potential to develop and grow in these areas if given the opportunity.  Neither can priority be given to any one category, but the qualities of each candidate will be viewed as a whole and considered in light of areas of weakness.

-       DESIRED SKILLS, GIFTS, and ABILITIES -

o    Administrative gifts (organization, delegation, motivation, creativity, decision-making, etc.);

o    Problem-solving skills

o    Communication skills (ability to articulate thoughts clearly, give clear instruction to others, and actively listen; public speaking ability is a plus)

o    High-capacity and ability to multitask (the ability to handle a heavy work-load, manage time/expectations well, and avoid compounding activity with anxiety);

o    Attention to detail AND big-picture outlook (the ability to understand what is required for the execution of a plan coupled with the perspective to

o    Leadership skills are a plus.

 

-       DESIRED PERSONALITY and CHARACTER - In addition to demonstrating solid faith and commendable conduct, we are looking for:

o    Healthy work ethic (responsible, diligent, punctual, consistent, committed, reliable)

o    Helpful work dynamic (takes initiative, proactive contributor, flexible, gracious, eager to please, joyful)

o    Humility (puts others first, teachable, sacrificial)

o    Conscientiousness (thoughtfulness and intentionality in action, ethical)

  o    Wisdom (in particular, the ability to choose between right and wrong AND between good and better)