With our Annual Meeting scheduled for July 1-2, there are a lot of preparations in motion. Churches should be determining who their delegates are going to be. Our by-laws state that all churches may send two delegates, and churches which have more than 100 members may send one additional delegate. Registration for delegates and non-delegates will be open soon. Non-delegates are always welcome. Churches are encouraged to send as many people as possible so they might share in the worship, fellowship, encouragement, and training which Annual Meeting provides. It will be a time for coming together as a denomination and working to address questions concerning how churches can be most effective in ministry, while continuing to deal with the changes brought on by the pandemic.
We will be electing three members to the Executive Board during the meeting. Two of the current board members, George Bowers and Jim Myer, are eligible to be elected for a second term. The individual receiving the third highest number of votes will fill Eric Brubaker’s remaining two year unexpired term. Those who are elected will join the board which is responsible for leading our young denomination in this unprecedented age. So many issues face us as a denomination including, the development of our foreign missions program and the development of a ministerial training program. With these and so many other issues facing the board, godly leaders are a must.
With that said, it is wise for the membership of Covenant Brethren Church to prayerfully consider who the best people are to nominate, along with the two incumbents, for the three Executive Board positions. They need to be people who meet the qualifications laid out in the by-laws which state: “All members of the Board shall be members in good standing of the Church for at least 5 years. Board members shall be members who serve or have served as pastors, deacons, elders, or a qualified lay person from a local Church congregation. Board members shall personally affirm the Statement of Faith of the Church.” They also need to be individuals with good people skills who can work well with other members of the board. They must be individuals who will commit to attending a significant number of meetings annually and possibly traveling to help meet the needs of churches and regions.
These expectations are not being said to discourage anyone from making nominations. Rather, we want to help everyone understand the gravity of their nomination. Sometimes people get the idea that they just need to nominate someone, without considering how qualified that person is for the task. Sometimes individuals have been nominated who didn’t really want the job, but agreed to take it out of a sense of guilt rather than feeling called. Sometimes people are nominated because of friendship but without considering whether that person is a good fit for the job. Sometimes people desire a nomination because they desire a position but are unable to fulfill the demands of the position.
With all that said, it is our sincere hope that all nominations will be made by people who have given real, prayerful consideration to each individual being nominated and the responsibilities of each position. God will raise up the leaders needed to move CBC forward into an exciting and God-blessed future.
If you desire to make a nomination to the Executive Board, send it to our national office by March 15th providing name and contact information of your nominee. Please mail your nominations to Covenant Brethren Church, 503 Morgantown Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554 or send it via email to contactcbc@covenantbrethren.org. Each nominee will be required to complete a two page nomination form and return it to the office by April 15th. Every nominee will be contacted and considered for the ballot. Your involvement in this process is needed and appreciated.
Submitted by the CBC Publications Committee – Craig Howard, Chair
