Section 5.2 Qualifications:

Candidates for the Board of Elders shall be mature Christians who are above reproach, worthy of respect, and exhibit qualities of spiritual leadership as defined in Scripture.

Section 5.3 Responsibilities:

1. The Board of Elders shall provide spiritual leadership for the church, and shall guard the doctrinal, ethical and moral integrity of the church. They shall approve and promote the vision, mission, and goals of the church.
2. The Board shall have the duties, legal powers and responsibilities of Trustees as defined by the laws of the State of New York, and in particular as Articles 2 and 8 of the religious corporations law vest in such office.
3. The Board shall have control of all the properties, goods, and revenues belonging to the Church, and shall be assisted in these matters by the Finance and Facilities Team, the Operations Treasurer and the Missions Treasurer.
4. The Board shall have the responsibility for raising all money for Church expenses.
5. The Board shall have responsibility for presenting a report, including the results of the annual audit, as prepared by the Finance and Facilities Team and verified by the Board, to the membership at the annual meeting. It shall show in appropriate detail the following:
   
   
   1. the assets and liabilities, including the trust funds, of the corporation as of the end of a twelve-month period terminating not more than six months prior to said meeting;
   2. the principal changes in assets and liabilities, including trust funds, during said fiscal period;
   3. the revenue or receipts of the corporation, both unrestricted and restricted to particular purposes, during said fiscal period;
   4. the expenses or disbursements of the corporation, for both general and restricted purposes, during said fiscal period; and
   5. the number of members of the corporation as of the date of the report, together with a statement of increase or decrease in such number during said fiscal period, and a statement of the place where the names and places of residence of the current members may be found.
6. The Church Clerk shall file the annual report of the Board of Elders with the records of the corporation, and either a copy or an abstract thereof shall be entered in the minutes of the proceedings of the annual meeting of members.
7. The Board shall annually nominate a minimum of three church members who are not Elders for the Personnel Team. These nominations shall be submitted to the membership for election at the annual meeting.
8. Together with the Service Team, the Board shall annually approve all ministry leadership teams, as defined in the by-laws, except the three non-Elder Personnel Team members. The Board shall oversee all ministry leadership teams. The Board shall have the responsibility to review reports, create additional teams or task forces, refer matters to teams or task forces, and arbitrate matters in question. The Board of Elders shall have authority to approve operating policy, whether generated within the Board, or recommended by ministry teams or task forces, and shall ensure that such policy adheres to the church bylaws.
9. The Board shall receive regular reports from the ministry leadership teams and any other such groups as it deems appropriate.
10. The Board shall annually evaluate the performance of the Senior Pastor and the Executive Pastor.
11. The Board shall recommend the hiring of Pastoral Staff to the membership at a proper meeting of that body. The membership shall approve by vote both the position and the candidate before any Pastoral Staff shall be added. The Board shall have authority to approve both the positions and candidates for Ministry Assistants.
12. The Board shall recommend salaries and benefits for all Pastoral Staff, which shall be approved by a majority vote of the church members present and voting at the annual meeting.
13. The Board shall set salaries and benefits for all other church staff, both full and part time.
14. The Board shall have responsibility for approving the staffing plan for administrative and other support staff positions, as submitted by the Pastoral Staff Leadership Team.
15. The Board shall be authorized to enter into any single capital expenditure for the Church to the limit of $25,000, provided that it is necessary for the administration of the temporal affairs of the church. Contracts in excess of $25,000 shall be approved by a vote of the membership. In the event of projects estimated to cost more than $25,000, such as new construction, major renovation or repairs, the membership shall authorize the expenditure in advance.