First Timothy, part 4

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap." (1 Timothy 3:1-7)

One of the things the Apostle Paul wanted Timothy to know was how to choose church leaders. The entire third chapter of First Timothy is devoted to the guidelines of choosing church leadership. Timothy, like Paul, was an evangelist. In those days, an evangelist was one who planted churches in new areas where Christianity hasn't been introduced yet. Today we would call these people missionaries. The church at Ephesus was originally planted by Paul while returning from his second missionary trip and further built up on his third missionary trip. After being released from his first imprisonment in Rome, he paid a return visit to Ephesus where he found the church in relative disarray. He left Timothy behind to restore order while he traveled on to Macedonia. One of the most important tasks Timothy needed to accomplish in order to restore order in Ephesus was to appoint qualified leadership. This is what Paul addresses next in his letter.

Now, there's a lot of controversy surrounding this passage (and 1 Timothy 2:9-15) in regards to whether or not women are allowed to assume positions of church leadership. Much has been written by credible scholars on both sides of this issue (Gilbert Bilzekian believes women can serve in all aspects of church leadership and Wayne Grudem believes there are certain roles of church leadership that are reserved for men), and I would direct you their work if you want to find out more regarding this issue. It is not my intent to delve into this issue. What I want to focus on are the qualities of church leadership (regardless of gender).

So, what are the qualities that God desires in church leadership? Would it surprise anyone that God desires that leaders exhibit holy and righteous character? God isn't concerned about technical qualifications such as education level, religious knowledge, or social stature. God wants people with impeccable character. In today's world, this quality in leadership is sadly lacking. The emphasis is more on getting the job done. A person's private life is just that--private. As long as he gets the job done, who cares what he does in private? That may work to varying degrees inn the secular world, but God is very concerned with a person's character--as we shall see.

Paul enumerates the character traits that make up this holy and righteous character that God desires in His church leaders: Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. He must not be a recent convert. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders.

Again, notice the lack of any qualification regarding formal training, or previous job experience. Now, it's not as if those things aren't important. A pastor with formal Bible training from an accredited seminary is certainly more desirable than a pastor with no formal training. But all the formal training in the world cannot make up for deficient character. Secondly, formal training cannot compare to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Peter and the other Apostles were ignorant Galilean fisherman, but with the power of the Holy Spirit they became the foundational leaders of the early church and the writers of much of the New Testament. Anyone with a Bible and a teachable heart (i.e., a heart yielded to the Holy Spirit) can be an effective leader in the church.

There is one more important quality that is implied in this passage that I want to mention. A person who wants to be in church leadership must be a born-again believer. That is implied in the statement He must not be a recent convert (i.e., he must be a convert, just not a recent convert). This may seem like a no-brainer, but you may be surprised by the number of unbelievers in positions of church leadership throughout America. Many of the "mainline" Christian denominations are thoroughly infiltrated with unbelievers in leadership positions. This is evident by the official positions of these denominations on many trendy social issues such as abortion, homosexuality and divorce.

Church leadership is an important subject. The Bible spends quite a bit of space on the subject. God wants godly people who strive after holy and righteous lives to be in the position of leadership within His church. The reason being that impeccable character is essential for a person who desires to lead God's people.

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