God Has Set the Standard
Churches often look for a gifted speaker, a strong leader, or a man with the right degree. God looks first for something else. When Paul told Timothy and Titus what kind of man could lead a church, he wrote a list, and about ninety percent of it deals with a man's character.
“This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
Only one item on the list is a skill: apt to teach. The rest describes the kind of man he is at home, at work, under pressure, and with his money. The qualifications are the man, and his work flows from them. A church that chooses a pastor by his platform and hopes his character will catch up has read the list backwards.
Most of these lines describe what every mature Christian should be. Anyone who wants to be used of God can read them as a goal. What makes them different for a pastor is that they are a requirement. A man who does not meet them is not qualified for the office, however gifted he may be.
If your church had to choose between a brilliant man with a doubtful life and a plain man with a proven life, which would Scripture tell it to choose?
Loading the rest of this article
For Deeper Study
- Biblical EldershipAmazon Alexander StrauchA careful case that elder, overseer, and pastor are one office. Strauch argues every church should be led by a plurality of elders; we hold that a church may have one pastor or several.
- The Pastoral EpistlesAmazon Homer A. Kent Jr.A dispensational commentary on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus by a Grace Brethren scholar.
- Divorce and Remarriage: Four Christian ViewsAmazon H. Wayne House, editorFour evangelical writers make their cases and answer one another. A fair place to weigh the arguments behind the readings in this study.
- Recovering Biblical Manhood and WomanhoodAmazon John Piper and Wayne Grudem, editorsThe standard scholarly defense of the complementarian view. The editors are Reformed, and we differ on election.
- Discovering Biblical EqualityAmazon Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, editorsThe leading egalitarian volume, for readers who want that case in its own words. We differ with its conclusions.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
As an Amazon Associate, Theologica earns from qualifying purchases.
The Call to Ministry
God calls a man to pastor through a settled desire for the work, the character and gifts His Word requires, and the confirmation of a local church that examines him and sets him apart.
Open Doctrine