Commitment of Desire to Serve on the

Church Ministry Leadership Team

read Luke 9:57-10:3; I Tim 3:8-13; and Eph 4:16

I. The Lord Calls I Sam 3:1-10 & 18-19 (NASB)

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord ... the Lord called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am." Then he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call, lie down again." So Samuel went and lay down.

The Lord called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But Eli answered, "I did not call, my son, lie down again."

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. [Even though "Samuel was ministering to the Lord", as we read in v. 1]

So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli ... [who] discerned that the Lord was calling the boy.

Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Then the Lord came & stood & called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Thy servant is listening."…

Samuel told Eli everything [that the Lord said], and Eli said, "It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him." Thus Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.

II. God Appoints and the Church Commissions Leaders Num 27:15-23 (NASB)

Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, "May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.

So the Lord said to Moses, "Take ... a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; and have him stand before the priest and before all the congregation; and commission him in their sight."

"And you shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation ... may obey him. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and ... all the congregation."

Before the entire congregation ... he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the Lord had spoken.

III. Charge to New Officers Rom 12:1-6, 9-18, & 21 (RSV)

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God – which is your spiritual worship.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind – that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me, I bid every one among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think – but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith which God has allotted you.

For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function ... so we, though many, are one body in Christ – and individually members one of another.

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly.

· Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.

· Love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honour.

· Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord.

· Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be devoted to prayer.

· Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.

· Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

· Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

· Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly ... never be conceited.

· Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble and right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.

· Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I believe that God has called each of us to be:

· People of PURITY

· People of VISION

· People of SERVICE

Eph 4:1-3 tells us that "As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentile; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Recognizing that disunity is a mark of Satan's influence, but that unity is a witness to the world that the Father has sent His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is the Saviour of the world – and by maintaining unity, you are pleasing Christ ...

Will you pray and work for unity, harmony, and peace in our Church?

Realizing the sacred privilege and responsibility of serving Christ in our local Church ...

Do you, without reservation, affirm your:

· adherence to the Biblical doctrines contained in our Statement of Faith ... and

· agreement to our governing policies that are found in our Constitution and By-Laws??

Understanding that leadership in the church is characterized by service and displaying the attitude of a servant, – remember the "up-side down pyramid" portrayal of the Church ...

Will you dedicate yourself to seeking God's help to faithfully perform your duties?

As a member of the Council of Service, I will also commit to:

1. attending regular (~ monthly at this time) meetings of our leadership community

2. attending an annual leadership retreat in the Fall [refer to numerous examples in the Gospels where Christ withdrew and met only with the twelve disciples]

3. ongoing, regular personal spiritual development [Josh 1:6-8/ I Tim 6:11-14/ Col 2:7+16]

4. servanthood-based leadership [Mark 9:35/ John 13:1-17]

5. planning, goal-setting, and review [Pr 16:3/ Luke 14:31-32/ Phil 2:19 + 3:12-16]

6. establishing and leading a committee [Pr 15:22/ Col 4:11/ II Thess 1:1a/ Phile :24]

7. developing a 2nd in command [Luke 6:40/ Dt 34:9/ Neh 7:2-3]

• preparing the next generation of leaders [II Tim 2:2]

• to represent you/ your Committee when it is impossible for you to attend

[Eph 6:20-22/ I Thess 2:17-18 + 3:1-2]

I do hereby commit to helping provide the specific ministry within our Church over the next year, for which I am standing for election/ confirmation by the congregation.

I will make every effort to attend each leadership community meeting … recognizing that illness, family emergency, and unavoidable work schedule conflicts may prevent me from faithfully following through – but I will attempt to re-schedule my work whenever possible – and in any event, my Committee will be represented in my absence, and I will contact the Chairman of the Council beforehand to advise him if any such situation arises.

I make this vow before God and man, recognizing and accepting the seriousness of it.

[Neh 13:29-30/ Josh 24:19-22+25]

________________________________________ _____________________

(signature) (date)

Warren D. Carter

C of Svc Commitmt

18.Jan.2k