Annual Meeting Guidebook

Why the whole church decides

"I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."Matthew 16:18

The church belongs to Jesus. He bought it with his own blood, and he's the one who builds it. But he builds it through his people, and the whole congregation takes part. When the apostles needed men to care for the church's widows, they turned to the congregation and said, "pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (Acts 6:3). The church chose, and the apostles appointed. Our constitution follows that same pattern: shepherds lead, deacons facilitate, and the congregation does the ministry.

So your vote is a real act of ministry. When you confirm a shepherd and vote for nominees, you're recognizing the people God has gifted to serve this body. When you adopt a budget, you're deciding together how to steward what he has entrusted to us. David said it well as Israel gave toward the temple: "all things come from you, and of your own have we given you" (1 Chronicles 29:14). Every nominee and every dollar in the budget belonged to the Lord first.

What these decisions are for

All three of these decisions serve the mission we've been talking about this fall in The Church He Builds: to worship, to make disciples, and to send them out.

People come first. Christ gave shepherds and teachers "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). A growing church needs enough shepherds to know and care for its people, and enough willing servants to carry the work. Adding Zach to the Council of Shepherds, and filling more than a hundred places of service through our 2027 nominees, is how we keep pace with the congregation God is growing.

The budget follows the same priority. For several years we've asked a small staff to carry the load of a much bigger church, so nearly half of the 2027 budget (49.5%) goes to the people who serve it, including a new full-time Director of Facilities to care for what we've been given. Our outward work grows too, with $185,200 for missions and outreach. Two pastoral assistants are proposed to move to full-time in 2027, and each of those hires will come before the church in its own vote. And we can take these steps on solid ground, because the Lord has blessed us with healthy reserves.

Before November 15

• Pray for Zach and his family, for our nominees, and for wisdom as we plan the year ahead.
• Meet Zach at a Q&A on Sunday, November 8, at 5:30 pm in the Old Fellowship Hall.
• Ask questions. Bring any question or concern to a member of the Council of Shepherds.
• Vote. Members vote on all three at the annual meeting on Sunday, November 15.

Thank you for loving this church enough to take this work seriously.Chris BakerLead Pastor, for the Council of Shepherds

Introducing Zach Botkins, our candidate for Shepherd

Zach Botkins is our candidate to serve as a Shepherd of First Baptist Church of Kenova. He's been a member here since June 2019, and in those seven years he's served the church as a deacon and on the worship team. Before the congregation confirms any man to the Council of Shepherds, we want you to know him, pray for him, and hold his life up against what Scripture asks of a shepherd.

Meet the Botkins family

Zach and his wife, Laura Lea, live in Louisa, Kentucky, where they're raising four children: Titus (12), Landry (10), Olivia (5), and Uriah (2). Zach works at Lawrence County High School.

After graduating from Wayne High School, Zach played football for four years at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Ministry background

Zach has served in local church ministry for twenty years.

Education: Zach graduated from Marshall University in 2006 and from Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College in May 2013 with a degree in religious studies, finishing one semester of Greek short of a second degree in pastoral theology. In 2017 he earned a master's degree from Liberty University.

Zach at FBCK

Zach has been a member of First Baptist Church of Kenova since June 2019. In that time he's served as a deacon and on the worship team, and many of you already know him from both.

What a shepherd is

FBCK's Shepherds are the elders who lead, teach, and care for this church together, and they do that work under Jesus, the chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). Paul's charge to the elders at Ephesus gives the job in one sentence:

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood."Acts 20:28

Scripture gives the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, and nearly all of them are about character. A shepherd must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, hospitable, gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He has to manage his own household well and be well thought of by people outside the church. Only one qualification is a skill: he must be able to teach sound doctrine and correct those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).

Read those two passages this week with Zach in mind. Does the man you've watched serve for seven years look like the man Paul describes?

How you can take part

Church, confirming a shepherd is work we all share, and Scripture tells us not to rush it: "Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands" (1 Timothy 5:22).

• Pray for Zach, Laura Lea, Titus, Landry, Olivia, and Uriah as the church considers this call.
• Get to know Zach. We'll be hosting a Q&A on November 8 at 5:30 pm in the Old Fellowship Hall.
• Ask questions. Bring any question or concern to a member of the Council of Shepherds before the vote.
• Vote. Members will vote to confirm Zach at the annual meeting on November 15.

2027 nominees

Officers, boards, and committees for the 2027 church year.

New to this role in 2027

Boards

General officers

• Juston MooreModerator
• Kenneth HicksAssistant Moderator
• Phillip SelbyFunctional Director of Distribution

Standing committees

2027 budget proposal

Budget at a glance

Rationale

For several years now, we've asked a small staff to carry the load of a much bigger church. This budget gives our ministries the people they need to care well for the congregation God is growing. It also takes care of what we've been given. The buildings we maintain today won't become the emergencies we pay for tomorrow. And we can take this step on solid ground, because the Lord has blessed us with very healthy reserves.

Largest changes from 2026

• New full-time Director of Facilities: Contract work for most building and grounds upkeep moves into this role.
• Pastoral assistants moving to full-time: Alec Lockhart (technical ministry and middle school) on 1/1/27 and Benton Rucker (worship) is proposed full-time on 6/1/27.
• Director of Children's Ministries: Becomes Director of Children's and Senior Adult Ministries. Will begin building a ministry framework to care for our senior saints in 2027.

Line-item detail

Tap any category to see every line, with the 2026 final budget compared to the 2027 proposal.

Gospel Outreach & Missions

Discipleship Pathway & Congregational Life

Staffing & Personnel

Facilities, Administration & Transportation