Women’s Advisory Council

The purpose of the Women’s Advisory Council (WAC) is to support the Governing Board of Elders in regular prayer and be a resource for church ministry advice and assistance.

Distinctive Role of Women in the Church: We believe that women may be given the same spiritual gifts as men; the gifts of pastoring, teaching, and evangelism as well as the other gifts present in the church today. However, we recognize that the New Testament makes a distinction between spiritual gifts and offices in the church. It is PBC’s desire to honor God’s directive regarding the offices of the church while giving women every opportunity to exercise their spiritual gifts. The Women’s Advisory Council is intended to strengthen the body of Christ at PBC by creating a channel of communication to the Governing Board of Elders that leverages the unique wisdom and experience of godly women in our church.

Qualifications:

• Members of the Women’s Advisory Council shall share the character and behavioral qualifications as those found for women in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 (see especially vs. 11).
• Members of the Women’s Advisory Council are to be examples to their fellow-believers in spiritual growth and in service to the local body of Plano Bible Chapel.

Advisory Council Makeup:

• The Women’s Advisory Council will consist of godly women chosen by the Governing Board of Elders, who are current members, and involved in the ministries of the church. These women may serve as long as they are willing and continue to meet the qualifications as stated above.
• The current Governing Board Vice Chairman will serve as liaison between Governing Board of Elders and the Women’s Advisory Council.
• The Women’s Advisory Council shall select a chairman to serve on an annual basis to facilitate the execution of the council’s responsibilities.

Responsibilities: The Governing Board of Elders will call upon the Women’s Advisory Council, as needed, for

• The communication of requests for regular prayer for the governing board and the church;
• Ministry advice, wisdom, and guidance in major ministry decisions (Examples: church discipline, building plans, leadership selection, etc..);
• Ministry assistance in under shepherding (Examples: Hospital visitation, visitor follow-up, etc…) as needed.

The Women’s Advisory Council will meet at least once a year to evaluate the health of the church and communicate findings and recommendations to the Governing Board of Elders:

• Any and all aspects of church health may be evaluated, including the actions of the Governing Board of Elders.
• Findings and recommendations are to be summarized in a document to be retained as part of church records.
• The Women’s Advisory Council is to present the findings and recommendations in this document to the Governing Board of Elders in a joint meeting.
• The Governing Board of Elders will craft a document in response to issues raised by the Women’s Advisory Council and include any corrective actions deemed necessary to remediate these concerns.This response document will be retained as part of church records.