5915–5925

C. Installation of Local Church Officers

5915. Order of Installation of Local Church Officers.

(This installation may be held during a Sunday morning service or other appropriate service just prior to the time when the newly elected officers shall assume their duties. The congregation may join in singing a hymn, such as: “A Charge to Keep I Have,” or “I’ll Live for Him Who Died for Me.” The pastor may read a Scripture lesson such as Acts 2:41–44 and 6:1–8. Depending upon the number of officers involved, the pastor may wish to read something concerning their duties from The Discipline. At the proper time, the pastor shall call the newly elected officers before the congregation, and shall address them, saying:)

Dear friends, it is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles that when the early church was growing and the number of disciples was multiplying, and the duties of the church so increased, and so became diversified, that the church called its members together and chose those of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, to assist in administering the affairs of the church; and that the officers thus chosen by the church were set before the apostles, who laid hands on them and prayed, thus setting them apart in the presence of the church to the duties of their honorable office.

In like manner this church, having first sought the guidance of the divine Spirit, has chosen you to similar offices to be associated with those already in office and with the pastor before whom you have now come for public consecration.

Therefore, we, the pastor and the people of this church, call upon you to hear and join in this pledge of trust to Christ and His church.

The Officers’ Pledge

5920. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the great head of the church, I humbly promise Him and His church that I will be faithful to the extent of my ability to all known duties and responsibilities assigned to me as an officer of this church. I will endeavor to be regular in my attendance, cheerful in my service, wholehearted in my giving, open-minded in my planning, patient in the face of trials, persistent in the face of difficulty, and Christlike in my faithfulness to His service. I will seek by example and precept the promotion of Christian fellowship among all our members and the spreading of the message of full salvation at home and abroad. Do you cheerfully and yet solemnly accept the obligations of this pledge?

Answer: I do. (Then the pastor shall address the congregation, asking them to stand, and saying:)

We, the pastor and officers of this church, call upon the members and friends of this church to hear and join in this pledge of loyalty to those called of God and elected by the church as its leaders.

The Church’s Pledge

5925. Having chosen these officers to guide us in the administration of the church, we, its members and friends, do now pledge our loyalty to its work and promise our consideration of the plans and our friendly cooperation in the service suggested to us. We acknowledge our duty and declare our determination to pray for all our leaders and to share with them in the glorious responsibility of spreading the good news, thus hastening the coming of Christ. Do you cheerfully and yet solemnly accept the obligations of this pledge?

Answer: We do.

(The officers shall then kneel at the altar while the pastor and people offer prayer in their behalf.)