The role of the Nominating Committee is to nominate people to the congregation for affirmation who will serve as Nominating Committee Member, Board Member, or Board Member/Elder. (When there is need to search for a new Senior Pastor, the Nominating Committee is also responsible for nominating a Search Committee.)
We will next be considering recommendations to the Nominating Committee in the fall of 2023.
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Here is information from 2022 to let you know the current process (there may be changes in the upcoming year).
We are accepting recommendations from the congregation from now until October 16, 2022.
We invite you to be in touch with us through our contact person: Jean Eddy jeddy57@gmail.com.
Here are some important resources:
● Recommendation form to be filled out by the recommended and the recommender together, and turned in by October 23
● Detailed list of roles and qualifications
● Detailed description of the process
● Crossway Constitution and By-Laws
● Crossway Core Values
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (last updated September 28, 2022). If you have other questions, please be in touch with us.
●Who has access to the forms that are submitted? The Nominating Committee members will have access to the forms that are submitted, and they will keep all of this information confidential. At the end of this round of nominations, we anticipate that the information provided by people who are affirmed by the congregation will then be available to the Board, and they will keep this information confidential. Other information will be destroyed.
● Can I recommend more than one person? Certainly, although the same person can only be recommended once for a role. Having multiple “recommenders” does not have an influence on the process.
● Do I have to be a “member” of the Crossway family to be recommended or to recommend someone? Both the recommended person and the recommender must be a member already, or become a member by the January church meeting. To learn more about membership, go to https://crosswaymchurch.org/membership/
● How long will these people serve? The terms are two years for Nominating Committee Member, and three years for Board Member and Board Member/Elder.
● Can people serve more than one term? Yes, Nominating Committee Members, Board Members, and Board Member/Elders can serve 2 terms at a time, after which they have to step down. They are eligible to be considered again in the future.
● Why is the Board Member role open to women and men, while the Board Member/Elder role is open to men only? The Bible clearly teaches that the primary leadership roles in the early church were men only (although some see a few exceptions). Since that time, Christians have taken one of two views: that the early church is a model for what should happen today as well (the “complementarian” view), and that the early church’s model does not necessarily apply in other cultures (the “egalitarian” view). Crossway is structured to blend these two views: we believe that the Bible teaches that there are some oversight responsibilities that are for men only (which are put in the “Board Member/Elder” responsibilities) and that there are other oversight responsibilities that can also be carried by women (which are put in the “Board Member” responsibilities). This is yet another situation where we are seeking to live together in harmony as a church even when we may view important issues differently, while eagerly joining together in the most critical questions of seeking God’s Kingdom through the Gospel.
● What is the congregation’s role in this process? The Crossway congregation is being asked to join us in prayer and also to recommend to us people for consideration. After the Nominating Committee’s discernment process, the congregation will be asked to vote in affirmation of the people that the Committee recommends to the congregation.
● Why is the congregation asked to affirm people rather than to select among a set of people? Through the discernment process of the Nominating Committee, we are asking the Nominating Committee to present to the congregation the people that they believe are qualified and whom God is calling to serve in these roles. The congregation is then being asked to affirm this discernment by their vote, rather than select among the people that the Nominating Committee have identified.
● What if the same person is recommended for more than one role? The person who is recommended is the one who must decide which role (or roles) he or she will be considered for. To help in making this decision, we encourage conversations by this person with members of the Nominating Committee to learn more about the different roles, qualifications, and expectations, and the potential match for this person. If the person decides to be considered for multiple roles, the Nominating Committee will decide which role (if any) to recommend for this person.
● How do renewals work? When someone reaches the end of their term, there is the potential to serve a second term. After two terms, people must step away from the role. Then they are eligible to be considered again in the future for the possibility of serving again. In order to serve a second term, people will go through much the same process as for their first term, beginning with submitting a “Recommendation for Consideration” form that is also signed by someone else in the congregation, followed by the normal process implemented by the Nominating Committee.