Please join us for our next congregational meeting on Sunday, November 15 at 12:15 p.m. During this important meeting we will vote on bylaw changes, as well as vote on our new slate of incoming officers.
We will be hosting the meeting both online and in-person. You can attend by one of two ways:
Join in person by attending the 11:00 a.m. service in the Fellowship Hall and staying for the meeting. RSVP for the 11:00 a.m. service.
Join online directly through our streaming platform (no Zoom link required).
In preparation of the meeting, we ask that you do the following:
Review the proposed changes to our Bylaws. (See below)
Review the incoming officers up for election.
Be prepared to vote. Each Covenant Partner that wants to vote will need their own device in order to vote. We will send out a link and QR Code during the meeting for you to open to access the voting portal.
Meet our Incoming Officers for 2021!
If you need to vote remotely and do not have a device to use, please get in touch with us as soon as possible: eds@thirdrva.org.
Proposed Bylaw Changes
Each year, Third’s Nominating Committee is charged with accepting nominations from the congregation and preparing the slate of officers to present to the congregation for election.
In recent years, the Nominating Committee has encountered some challenges related to the wording of Third’s Bylaws with respect to candidates for the office of Shepherding Elder and Governing Elder. These challenges included: not having a set term of office for Shepherding Elders; not having clarity about the role and focus of Shepherding Elders in the context of Third’s flourishing Parish ministry; and the requirement that all candidates for Governing Elder have served previously as a Shepherding Elder.
The Session discussed these challenges with members of the Nominating Committee and prayerfully sought direction from the Lord. As a result, the Session recommends that the congregation approve three changes to Third’s Bylaws.
In brief, the changes that we will be voting on during the November 15 meeting are summarized as:
Changing the name of Shepherding Elder to Parish Elder to reflect their focus in leading Third’s Parish-based ministry.
Defining that Shepherding Elders will now serve a three year term, with no more than 6 years of consecutive service.
Allowing any member of Third who is qualified to serve (and who has been examined and approved) to be elected directly as a Governing Elder, without having first to be elected as a Shepherding (Parish) Elder.