Qualifications for Elders, Part 1

Written by Ed Allen

1 Timothy 3:1-9, Titus 1:5-9
Part Two Of The Series

Based on Ed Allen's sermon given August 26, 2001

Instinct and experience compel us to agree with Fred Fiedler who said, “The quality of leadership, more than any other single factor, determines the success or failure of an organization.” This is not less true of the church than it is of any other organization. In fact, because the church is a volunteer organization Fiedler’s sentiment may be more true. Appropriate Biblical leadership is critical to the life and health of the church!

The church needs leadership because the church like every other organization has order. Religious order without community results in legalism and dead ritualism; community without structure results in chaos, heresy, lawlessness or all three. Leadership is what brings structure to community so that we can live within an ordered, and disciplined fellowship that is free of legalism.

So what kind of leaders are we looking for? In our first article, “Effective Leadership,” we discussed the general contours of who God is looking for to lead his church. In this article (part 1) and the next (part 2) we will discuss more specifically what God is looking for in the office of elder. Our search for effective leadership in the church should begin with a search for right eldership.

In his book, The Problem of Wineskins, Howard Snyder drew a picture of what many churches are looking for today.

“Meet Pastor Jones, Superstar.

He can preach, counsel, evangelize, administrate, conciliate, communicate, and sometimes even integrate. He can also raise the budget.

He handles Sunday morning better than any quizmaster on weekday TV. As a scholar he surpasses many seminary professors. No church social function would be complete without him. His church, of course, Counts Itself Fortunate. Alas, not many churches can boast such talent.”

This may be what churches are looking for, but this is not what God is looking for. We need leaders, not superstars. The Bible argues against the model of the church being led by such a super pastor in two ways.

Not Superstars

Plurality of Elders

First of all, whenever the Bible talks about elders, it speaks of a plurality of elders. This is clear from the general pattern of speech. James encourages the sick to call for the “elders” of the church to pray over them. Peter exhorts “the elders among you.” And Paul addresses his letter to Philippi to the “overseers and deacons.”

Titus 1 presents a special case for us. Here, Paul instructs Titus to “appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.” This passage will become important later in our discussion of the qualifications of elders, but for now it adds emphasis to our point that the Bible advocates a plurality in leadership. It’s also worth noting that in Titus 1, “elder” and “overseer” are used interchangeably. “Elder” probably refers to their station in life and in the church body. The word literally can mean older person and often does mean that. “Overseer” refers more to function.

This helps us understand why there should be a plurality of leaders. No one has all the gifts necessary to give real oversight. No one has the wisdom and discernment to do it alone. There are holes in everyone’s perspective. And no one’s integrity should be trusted to in isolation.

Division of Labor

Secondly, whenever the Bible talks about the work of ministry, it describes a division of labor. The same passages mentioned above apply equally well here. But we should also recognize the teaching of Ephesians 4:11-13.

¹¹It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Here is the leadership of a body fully functioning for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. It is not necessary to identify who in this is an elder and who is not. It is important simply to recognize the division of labor. There are many different functions and different giftednesses working in those functions. This also begs for plurality in leadership.

Just Godliness

What God is looking for is not superstars, but people of character. The primary qualification for eldership is not gifts but godliness. Both in 1 Timothy and in Titus, Paul begins his instruction concerning elders with the admonition that they should be “above reproach.” God seems to have an overarching concern that the church’s name and reputation, and by extension His name and reputation, not be sullied. It has been said that God would have a good reputation if it weren’t for us. God is obviously aware of this limitation. It is as if God is saying He will take care of the church and grow her if we can manage to keep our “issues” out of His way.

If we analyze the teaching of 1 Timothy 3:1-9 and Titus 1:5-9, we find that the qualifications for eldership break down nicely into three categories: family life, personal character, and doctrinal commitment. We will deal with the first of those qualifications here. The final two qualifications will be discussed in the next article entitled “Qualifications for Elder, Part 2.”

Qualification # 1: Family Life Above Reproach

Uncomplicated Sexual Situations

Paul instructs that elders should be the “husband of one wife.” This phrase is not a prohibition of women from eldership – that comes in 1 Timothy 2. “Husband of one wife” is a denunciation of polygamy, a practice fairly common in the First Century. Polygamy, obviously, complicates what should be a life habit of single minded devotion to one wife. As this teaching applies to our setting, it probably directs us to appoint people who have uncomplicated sexual situations either now or in their past. There should not be unhealthy or unnecessary or damages complications and connections in the life of an elder.

As we seek to utilize such a teaching to help us make decisions, several particular situations come to mind. I will not seek to give complete answers in some of these cases. But I do want to honestly approach all of the questions that may present themselves to us.

1. Has the person had an affair? If so, was it before they became a Christian or after? The Bible teaches that having sex with someone unites us with that person. We must be careful about recognizing such a person as an elder. We want people with a proven history of decisions that lead to purity.
2. Has the person had a divorce? While there is such a thing as a Biblically-sanctioned divorce (see Matthew 10:1-12), we know that God hates divorce under any circumstances. So with divorce in mind, we balance two truths: God is gracious and forgiving, but we want to select people who have a history of perseverance and healthy attachments.
3. How about someone who is single? When Paul says “husband of one wife” he is certainly not saying that an elder must be married. In fact, he called chastity a gift in 1 Corinthians 7. Most scholars believe that Paul himself was single. Singleness is no prohibition; it may be a distinct positive. The warning here is simply that family life is a proving ground for leadership and for character and the single person must be evaluated apart from this proving ground.
4. So, are we looking for perfect men who have no issues? Unfortunately, such people do not exist. Whoever becomes an elder will be so because of God’s grace, and because God has forgiven past sin, perhaps including some we have just covered. The call on all of us is to be circumspect. We have to be very wise and very honest as we look into these issues.

Let’s also remember that we should not use these questions as a check list. It’s interesting that God does not give us such a check list. I created this list, not God. And I did so in an effort to help us be honest and practical. But if we take this too far or too literally, we are in danger of falling into legalism.

In short, we must be very wise in this selection and whether we like it or not a person’s sexual history undeniably helps us know something about that person. Does a complicated history eliminate someone from consideration? No. Of course God forgives our past. But our past does give a record of the kind of decisions we make and the kind of people we associate with. This passage tells us clearly that our past sexual history and our present entanglements cannot be ignored.

Effective Fathers

Secondly, as we consider eldership we are looking for men who have been effective fathers. According to what Paul told Timothy, their children must obey them with proper respect. To Titus, Paul says their children must not be wild and disobedient. In both cases, the reasoning that he attaches to this standard is respectability. And in his comments to Timothy, Paul adds that this is another way to measure his competence as a godly leader.

It is clear in both contexts that more is in view than just the behavior of his children. Being an effective father has to do with overall family management. Things like debt management are also in view. As we said concerning singleness above, Paul is not trying to suggest that the person must have children in order to be considered. But if they do have children, this gives us rich territory concerning which to look at their character and history. Overall, we are looking for a family atmosphere where God is honored.

One final comment: in Titus’ instructions, Paul adds that the children of an elder must believe. As we consider this aspect, let’s keep two things in mind. First of all, we must have grace on this account because it is hard to judge whether or not someone else “believes.” Secondly, some scholars have suggested that this says more about how we think about children than it does about the children of prospective elders. The implication may be that we should treat children of believing parents as believers. In support of this, it has been noted that Paul says to Timothy that his faith was “inherited.” In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul says the children of a believing parent are holy to the Lord. At a bare minimum, this suggests that I should not treat them or train them like I would an unbeliever.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let me give very brief answers to a few possible objections. These objections will extend over the top of everything we will say in the second part of this teaching as well. I will cover them here for space reasons.

1. If “eldering” is about humble service (see the first article), then why can’t we all just take turns? Eldering is about humble service and that won’t happen unless we have people of the highest character occupying the office. It is not about equal opportunity – this is an American idea, but not necessarily a Biblical one.
2. Are we trying to create a little holy club? It feels like an attempt at a perfect environment which is not possible! Is by “holy club” you mean “judgmental prudes” then absolutely this is not what we’re trying to create. Jesus reserved his harshest criticisms for the “holy club” members of his day. But if you mean “Godly men who create a vision for Christlikeness for us all, then yes this is what we are trying to create.
3. Won’t this standard discourage needy people from being part of us? It is interesting that Jesus had exactly this kind of character and self-described “sinners” loved hanging out with him. No, I don’t think aspiring to a high standard in the men we elect as our elders will discourage messy, issue-laden people from coming to Gateway.