Who Does God Want to be Elders?

"This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you--if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it" (Titus 1:5-9).

God is looking for men who are above reproach to serve as overseers and pastors in his church. In other words, God insists that a leader in his churches be...

*the husband of one wife. He must be a man who is faithful to his wife. His relationship with his wife will be a model of how Christ loves his church.

*a father whose children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. He must be one who can lead his children in the right way. (I have read commentaries that downplay this quality in a pastor; but as a father, I have some understanding of why God requires this now. Children do not grow up naturally to be faithful and decent human beings. Fathers need to work to ensure that this happens. Such experience is absolutely required for the work of an overseer.)

*a man who is not arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain. He cannot be one who thinks he knows everything. He cannot walk around with a chip on his shoulder, looking for an argument or a fight. He cannot allow drugs or alcohol to gain control over him. He cannot beat up his wife, his children, or others under his care. He cannot be a man who would cheat or steal or lie in order to get what he wants from another. Such characteristics will destroy a man and the church he is called to care for.

*a man who is hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He needs to be a friendly and generous man, a man who will share his time and his resources to benefit another. He must love the good things in life...things like honor, kindness, justice, and purity. He needs to be in control of his actions and reactions. He needs to be stable and reliable. He must be ethical...to the point that others would say that there is something different about him. His honesty should never be questioned by any rational person.

*a man who holds firm to the trustworthy word as taught by the apostles and prophets. He needs to be able to teach healthy doctrine that conforms with the will of God, doctrine that accurately conveys God's message for people within the church and beyond. He will need to be able to handle the word of God with enough expertise to defend it against those who would deny it or try to change it. (An elder may need to challenge a preacher with a doctorate in theology if that preacher is denying such fundamental teachings as the inerrancy of Scripture, the need for faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved, or the omniscience of God. He needs to be prepared to recognize sound doctrine from unhealthy faith-destroying doctrine; and he needs to have the courage to defend the good and to challenge the bad...even when he must take on a popular false teacher within his congregation.)

Such elders will serve churches well.

Men of God

"An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it" (Titus 1:6-9).

For some time, I have recognized that Paul's description of elders should be characteristic of Christian men in general. When I find well-written articles and books about the qualities of an elder, I can't wait to read them for whatever insight I can find in them.

For the last two weeks, the Christian Standard has published articles which are worth reading on this subject. The two-part series is one of the best I have read on the qualities of elders. The articles may be read at:

www.christianstandard.com/articledisplay.asp?id=1098
and
www.christianstandard.com/articledisplay.asp?id=1103.

A True Pastor

"To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away" (1 Peter 5:1-4).

A few years ago, an elder of the Jenks Church led a unique Wednesday evening Bible class. Rather than meeting in a classroom as usual, he invited everyone interested to join him in the lobby. From there, we traveled around the area visiting our elderly and disabled members who had difficulty making it to our Wednesday evening classes. We visited some in their homes and others in a nursing home. I knew some of our members, but due to their long-term health problems, I had never met others. We were able to sit and visit, read a few verses from the Bible, and pray with some of our great saints.

I will never forget those summer classes. A great elder showed me what a true pastor looks like: a man who takes care of his flock, especially the members who would be easy to overlook.

Raising an Elder for the Church

Although our son, Christopher, is 3 years old, Janet and I have talked about our goals for him. We do not know how his interests will change over the years. Will he grow up to be a firefighter? A police officer? A mail carrier? A missionary? A politician? An athelete? Who knows?

We do not know what his career may be, but we know what kind of man we would like to see him become. We want him to internalize the qualities of an elder described in the New Testament. We want him to be a genuine follower of Jesus Christ who is "above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination," not " arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined." We want Christopher to "hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound (healthy) doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it" (Titus 1:6-9, ESV).

We will pray and teach and model our lives in such a way that those characteristics will be nurtured in Christopher. No matter what career he may choose, where he may live, or how much money he may earn, we look forward to seeing our son become a godly man.