All nominees for the office of elder shall be examined by the elders according to the qualifications for elders found in 1Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 as listed in this Constitution and By-Laws.
If the elders know of a reason why a nominee is not qualified they shall meet privately with him, explain their position regarding his lack of qualification(s) and remove him from the list of nominees.
The elders shall then inquire whether the remaining nominees desire to serve the Church as an elder. A list of those that desire the office shall then be posted in alphabetical order for four (4) consecutive weeks.
Anyone knowing a reason why a nominee may not be qualified for the eldership shall privately and in person inform the elders of their concern(s) regarding a nominee's lack of qualification(s). The elders will then carefully examine the person bringing the concern, the concern itself and the nominee. If the concern is found to be accurate the nominee will be removed from the list of nominees.
The remaining nominees are elder candidates and shall be given oversight in areas corresponding to their giftedness and desires and be carefully observed by the elders. If, during this examination, a candidate is found to not be qualified the elders shall explain their position regarding his lack of qualification(s) and remove him from the list of candidates.
If, after this period of examination, the elders are convinced of the individual’s calling to the office he will be considered approved for the eldership. The final list of candidates approved by the elders shall be posted at least two weeks prior to a congregational meeting of the church members. At this meeting the church members will have the opportunity to express whether they believe the elder candidate(s) is/are call to elder ministry.