Introduction: God has blessed us with good Christian men at Wayside, and today we have the joy of ordaining and installing some new officers. The Bible says nothing about Trustees, as that is a modern invention to assist us legally in signing documents and transfering titles. But the Bible does say a lot about elders and deacons, and these words must also apply to trustees. There are three special qualities of a good church officer:

I. He must be a man who loves God and God's Word.
You can't have one without the other. If you love God, you will love the Bible. If you love the Bible, you will naturally love God. And if you love the written Word, you must love the living Word.
Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12; Jude 21 and Psalm 42:1-5 speak of loving God.
Psalm 119:47, 72, 97, 140 and Jeremiah 15:16 and Revelation 10:10 speak of loving God's Word.
We live in an age of ignorance of the Word, and lack of discernment about the evil of non-Christian faiths. We need men who love the Bible and Jesus because they know that God's Truth is eternal.
Psalm 119:89 and Matthew 5:17-19

II. He must be a man who loves people.
We need people who have more than a head full of knowledge. We need men with common sense, and hearts of compassion. God is compassionate: Exodus 3:7; Psalm 78:37-39; Psalm 86:15
Jesus was compassionate: Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:40-42; Luke 7:12-15; Hebrews 4:15
Much of the work of the elder or deacon requires a heart of love and compassion, and a willingness to help needy people (Acts 6:1-3 and Hebrews 13:1-3).

III. He must be a man of Faithfulness.
We need men who practice faithfulness and loyalty to God, to their wife and family, and to the Church of Jesus Christ. God is characterized by faithfulness: Deuteronomy 7:9 and Hebrews 10:23. So must we by faithful also: Psalm 103:17-18; Isaiah 24:5; I Corinthians 4:1-2 and many other verses.
Consider the damage done by men like Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich and Jesse Jackson: damage to the cause of Christ, damage to their wivesd and families, and damage to the moral fiber of the nation as a whole. We need faithful men to be deacons, and elders and trustees.

Conclusion: It is a great honor to be an officer in the Church of Jesus Christ. And so I charge you men this morning: Love God. Love His Word. Love people. Have hearts of compassion. Be faithful to your families, to your church, and to the Lord who has called you to service. Likewise I charge this congregation to pray for and support these men with all your hearts. Amen.