Deacon Toolbox

• Lock/Unlock
• Membership
• Minutes
• Links
• Responsibilities

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Building Lock/Unlock Routines
(by Zone)

This template is designed to help facilitate the complete building preparation needs on Sunday mornings to assist members with access and comfort. You should note that ALL exterior doors should be unlocked with the following exceptions: East and West doors in the North Sanctuary Hallway, any door in the Breezeway, and any North facing door including the kitchen and gym doors. These instructions exclude areas of the building that are unused or are managed through automatic systems.

Thermostat Settings:
ON = 72° air or 68° heat
OFF = 80° air and 60° heat (Do not turn the thermostat completely off)

Many hex keys are located in the top ledge of a door or on a window sill. There are two sizes throughout the building.

Welcome Center and East Building Downstairs

Doors:

• One set of Welcome Center doors. The others are automatic

Thermostats (1 Automatic):

• All are automatic (no need to adjust)
  

Lights:

• All Hallways
• E101
• E102
• The children’s stairwell
• Bathrooms (2)

East Building Youth Room

Doors:

• Prop open entry doors.
  

Thermostats (2 Manual):

• Large Meeting Room
• Classroom Hallway

Lights:

• Large Meeting Room
• Classrooms
  
• Hallway

East Building 2nd Floor (KidzZone)

Doors:

• None (Keep secure door locked)

Thermostats (4 Manual):

• All are automatic (no need to adjust)
  

Lights:

• All Classrooms, hallway, and welcome area
• Light switches located by upstairs Breezeway
• Bathrooms (2)

Breezeway Downstairs

The doors separating the East and West buildings requires the West building key to unlock. Open the single door and then the folding two-panel door using the toggle bolts at the top (2).

Sanctuary

Doors:

• Foyer

Thermostats (6 Automatic):

• All are automatic (no need to adjust)
  

Lights:

• Wall plate by entry door
• Foyer
• Overflow hallways (switches (2) are in foyer)
• South hallway
• Restrooms in Foyer (2)

Nursery & Library

Doors:

• Exterior (Sanctuary South hallway - West side). We call this our church sign door because just outside this door is our church sign.
• Interior double doors separating the office hallway from the chapel kitchen should be propped open using door stops.
• Keep nursery door locked

Thermostats (2 Automatic):

• All are automatic (no need to adjust)
  

Lights:

• Hallway
• All of Nursery

South Sunday School (West Building 1st Floor)

Doors:

• South exterior hallways (2)
• Exterior Chapel entrance
• Prop open interior glass doors by Chapel Kitchen leading into the office hallway

Thermostats (7 Automatic):

• All are automatic (no need to adjust)
  

Lights:

• Office Entrance Hallway
• All hallways
• Chapel (some switches in sound booth)
• All classrooms
• Chapel Restrooms (2)

West Building 2nd Floor

Please close the doors (2) to the stairwells in the West building. One is in the Office hallway by the Office door and the other is in the East Hallway by W102. Building use upstairs in the West building is reserved for St. Paul's Community School.

Automatic Doors and Thermostats

There are areas of the church managed by automatic systems and do not require your control.
Automatic Exterior Doors (3):

• One set of welcome doors, the office entrance doors, and the single door between W102 and the office are automatically unlocked at 8:30 a.m. and locked at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays. Do not manage those doors manually.

Automatic Thermostats:

• All of the Emerson Sensi Touch Thermostats are managed automatically and do not require manual management. Most are locked, restricting changes at the thermostat. Others remaining unlocked, like in the fellowship hall, are programmed as well but can be manually managed during events. You only need to touch the arrows on the home screen. Please do not adjust thermostat programming.
  

Building Maps

Assisting Prospective Members Joining the Church

This is a tutorial for Church Leaders, not to be read to prospective members.

Purpose:
Non-members show interest in joining Wilmont in several ways including, 1) Attending a new member class or membership lunch, 2) Presenting themselves for membership during an invitation at Wilmont, or 3) Sharing their desire informally with a teacher or staff member. Because Wilmont is congregational, prospective members must be presented and voted on during a regular worship service. In addition, Wilmont is intentional in starting the prospective member’s discipleship journey during the membership process. This membership process is not only designed to instruct deacons how to guide prospective members through the process, but this process will ensure that the member starts an individual journey of personal growth through effectively communicated and biblical membership expectations.

The membership process below involves two visits, the first to solicit covenant agreement from prospects and the second to introduce them to membership resources. The first visit has resource information in a red folder you can obtain from the office. The second visit has resource information in a yellow folder you can obtain from the office. You will need to take these folders with you to each respective visit.

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Visit 1 - Doctrine and Covenant
(Red Folder)
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Prospective members are invited to a Connect Lunch in which red folders will be made available. Church leaders should be prepared to walk prospective members through this membership covenant at the Connect Lunch. Alternatively, some prospects, because of time constraints or other reasons, might require a home visit to complete the covenant agreements. Either way, a membership application card will be supplied to the church leader. This membership application card is important and church leaders should use this card throughout the membership application process and provide it back to the church after the completion of the process. DO NOT MISPLACE THIS MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION CARD.

What You Need for the "Red Folder" Visit:

1. Your Bible.
2. An internet connected device to play the videos. Videos are approx. 20 min in cumulative length.
3. One Visit 1 Folder (red) per person joining, including:

• New Member class material (Week 1 & 2 including Faith in Practices).
• A copy of the church constitution.
• A Meet Southern Baptists brochure.

All 5 videos below are important to complete to fulfill Visit 1.

1. Salvation (5:14)
Consider sharing your testimony. Feel free to ask about theirs. Be prepared to share the gospel!

2. Assurance (2:08)
Stop here if not sure of salvation. Refer for minister follow-up.

3. Baptism (3:03)
Affirm baptism (1) after salvation, (2) by immersion, (3) in a church of like faith.

STOP! Help them fill out Faith & Practice 1 (front and back). Be sure to indicate how they are joining (see below if unsure). Mark their membership card to correspond to their method of joining. You will take Faith & Practice 1 from them and leave the remainder of the material there for their reference. They are not required to complete the entire lesson exercise or turn it in. A completed Faith & Practice 1 should be turned in to Sandy's office by you.

Curious About Ways to Join?*

• By Letter: Someone was saved, scripturally baptized, and a member of another church of like faith. They just want to move their membership from that church to Wilmont. The letter process is handled from us. All they need to do is provide us the church name and city/state.
• By Statement (or Profession): Someone was saved and scripturally baptized but does not have a previous church of record.
• By Baptism: Regardless of previous church affiliation, the person was saved but never scripturally baptized.
• By Restoration: Somone left Wilmont under church discipline and is now returning through repentance. A minister should be involved in this circumstance.

*Couples or families do not have to join the same way.

4. Covenant (6:49)
Share how God's relationship of covenant with His people is reflected in the membership process.

STOP! Help them fill out Faith & Practice 2 (front and back). They should initial each covenant agreement. You will take Faith & Practice 2 from them and leave the remainder of the material there for their reference. They are not required to complete the entire lesson exercise or turn it in. A completed Faith & Practice 2 should be turned in to Sandy's office by you.

5. Welcome to Membership (1:23)

ARE YOU FINISHED WITH THIS VISIT?
It depends. If the prospective member has not presented themselves for membership in front of the congregation during a worship service, stop here and help them take this next step before continuing. You should always complete Visit 2 AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO THE CONGREGATION and AFTER  BAPTISM (if applicable).

How You Help Present Them To The Church

• Arrange a Sunday when they are ready to come forward during an invitation.
• With their membership application card in hand, walk them to the front during an invitation and present their desire to a minister or prayer team member who will receive them. (Please respond quickly when the invitation is given. Do not wait for the invitation to slow or come to a close.)
• A minister or prayer team member will greet them, pray with them, and receive the membership application card from you.
• A minister will present them to the church.
• You (or someone the minister designates) will stand with them at the front while legacy members welcome them into our membership. Please don't just stand beside them, but introduce them to people as they pass and encourage legacy members to greet each person in the family by introducing them by name. You should facilitate introductions and encourage legacy members standing around in the fray to come greet our new members.
• After everyone has passed through the line, pray with them, thanking God for bringing them to our church and asking for His help as they continue their journey with us.
  
• If Visit 2 should follow, plan another time to meet.

What If Baptism is Needed?
Should the candidate(s) require baptism, you are responsible for working with the ministerial staff and candidate(s) to schedule a date on the calendar. Contact a minister to work out the details. After the date has been confirmed, communicate the following to the candidate(s).

1. The date of baptism and placement within the order of worship.
2. Clothing: They should be prepared to bring a change of clothes. Guard against wearing see-through T-Shirts, short shorts, or shirts without sleeves. Baptismal T-Shirts are provided but are not required to be worn.
3. Give them a tour of the changing areas and the restrooms behind the sanctuary on the first floor. We have videos we can send to help introduce them to this stage of their Journey.

At a minimum, you should accompany the candidate(s) to the baptistry area at the appropriate time in the order of worship. You (or a person who led the candidate to Christ) is welcome to enter the water and help the minister baptize.

SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE: The pastor will not baptize those living in open habitual sin such as adultery or fornication. You should be prepared to inquire and mentor through needed lifestyle issues.

Visit 1 (Red Folder) is complete.

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Visit 2 - Begin the Journey
(Yellow Folder)
--------------------

You should always complete Visit 2 AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO THE CONGREGATION and AFTER  BAPTISM (if applicable). After a congregational membership vote (and baptism if required), the assigned church leader should plan a follow up visit to the new member’s home. If the prospective member has been presented to the church and has been scripturally baptized, Visit 2 can be completed during Visit 1.

What You Need for the "Yellow Folder" Visit:

1. Your Bible
2. An internet connected device to play the videos. Videos are approx. 7 min in cumulative length.
3. One Visit 2 Folder per household, including:

• A Get Connected at Wilmont information sheet.
• A New Member Survey.
• A Member Information Sheet.
• A How Can We Help? survey.

1. Welcome! Get Connected (1:47)
Walk them through ways to connect. Help them load Church Center and/or text messaging on their phone, talk about giving, etc.

2. Survey, Info, & How Can We Help (4:58)

STOP! Help them complete the New Member Survey and the New Member Information Sheet. Provide the How Can We Help Care For You form and leave that for their use if applicable. These forms should be turned in to Sandy's office by you.

ARE YOU FINISHED WITH THIS VISIT?
YES! But don't stop! Help them build relationships. Are they part of a Sunday School Bible study? Have they read through The Journey? Do they have questions about D-Groups or evangelism training? Are there events that require registration that they should consider? Consider getting them involved with other members in their demographic or be a friend to them over the next several weeks. YOU have become the face of Wilmont to them when they step on campus. Don't consider your job finished, but on pause until you see them again and can renew your ministry commitment to them.

Visit 2 (Yellow Folder) is complete.

Notes and Action Items

Deacons can find decisions and action item notes below for the last 5 meetings. Greater detail and complete meeting minutes are archived in the Google Drive.

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Discussed:

• Need for better accountability with homebound visits
• Proposed Church Bylaw changes. Deacons discussed some modifications and resolved some areas of debate. Deacons are endorsing the changes to the church. The next step will be to share the proposal with ministerial staff and then the congregation.

Action Items:
Pastor - Review the proposed Bylaws with legal.

Sunday, Sept 26, 2021
Present:  8 Deacons 1 Pastor

Discussed:

• July - August Business Meeting Handouts
• Homebound visits are continuing to be made
• Afghan Refugees (1000) are coming to Oklahoma. “Catholic Charities” is the only receiving agency allowed to disseminate the families in Oklahoma to other ministering agencies. The BGCO is asking Churches to adopt a few families through the CC and they would be assigned to us. We would then be able to start directly engaging (ministering) with the family. More info at www.Oklahomabaptists.org/refugee

 
Action Items:
(1) Deacons will continue to read scripture and pray during services indefinitely.

• The same deacon for each task for a full month.
• Read slower than you think you should
• Pause whenever you can
• Pre-read your text several times
• Be on platform at 10:35
• October Bible = David M
• October Prayer = Bob M
• Homebound Lists to be made available with an emphasis to make contact and keep in touch.

 
(2) Deacons should check out a secular podcast by Bari Weiss that aired 9/17/2021 to help understand the plight of the afghan refugee situation.
 
(3) Shawn will make a video to be shared immediately and announce a Special Called Business Meeting Oct 6. To vote about the refugee opportunity.
 
(4) Oct 24th will be the next Deacon’s meeting
 
 
Information to be placed on the next Business Meeting:
    The Deacon’s have met, discussed and fully support adopting Afghan Refugees, as this ministry opportunity does come around often. The Deacons continue to make New Member, Hospital, and Homebound visits. 

Motions for Next Business Meeting:
None.


Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Due to health and safety quarantine protocols due to Covid, we are postponing the August 29 deacon qualification discussion and deacon toolbox training meeting. We will work to find a time to reschedule this as soon as possible. Until
a date has been chosen our next regularly scheduled business meeting is September 26.


Sunday, August 22, 2021
Discussed:

• After speaking with David, there is nothing new on the agenda for the Business Meeting so there is no reason to meet this Sunday.
• We will meet next Sunday 8/29 to discuss the Deacon Toolbox and future Deacon Qualifications.
• Our next regular Deacon's Meeting is 9/26.

Sunday, July 11, 2021
Discussed:

• The Deacon I Want To Be chapters 3-6
• Hospitality needs to be #1 focus (help people sign up for Connect Lunch)
• Website has been updated - Planning Center app to be explained
• How can Wilmont be more focused on evangelism as a church
• Prayer for Bob
  ​

Action Items:

1. Weekly Pastor Prayer Meetings to begin 7/18 @10/20 am
2. Help people sign up for Connect Lunch 7/25
3. Deacon Meeting 7/25 has been cancelled
4. Deacon Qualification/Deacon Toolbox discussion 8/8 @ 12:30 pm: Qualifications, Term Limits, Deacon Wife Role/Representation
5. Next regularly scheduled Deacon's Meeting
6. Shawn to change the Connect Lunches to 3rd Sunday of the corresponding month

Information to be placed on next Business Meeting: 
The Deacon's have met to receive training on "New Member Visits" as well as completed an in depth 6 part training/study on "The Deacon I want to Be" by Johnny Hunt. The Deacons continue to make New Member, Hospital, and Homebound visits.

Motions for Next Business Meeting:
None

Planning Center
Log in to find member and guest info as well as deacon reports.

Baptism Intro
These videos will introduce baptism candidates to this church ordinance.

Deacon Responsibilities

As a deacon, I endeavor to discharge the duties of my appointment through:

1. Faithfully attending my church activities including Sunday School, worship, and mid-week events.
   
2. Attending the Sunday School class or department assigned to me at least once every quarter to remind them of my service to them and to build relationships.
3. Serving members and guests.
   I endeavor to help members progress in their journey of spiritual growth by modeling my own participation and growth and inviting them along in my personal journey.
   I endeavor to help guests begin their spiritual journey as I share the gospel with them and to continue in growth through patient encouragement to follow the Lord in baptism and meaningful church membership.
4. Visiting members who are homebound or sick attempting to offer them continued connection with their church through encouragement and prayer.
5. Assisting members with physical and tangible needs, sometimes offering assistance myself, but more often teaching my church how to come alongside the hurt and vulnerable to minister one to another.
6. Ministry to and Prayer for our church staff.
7. Reporting my deacon activities monthly, not in pride of accomplishment, but so our deacon body can share our work with the congregation for the purpose of celebration and accountability.