As I discussed last time, the words pastor, overseer, and elder that we find in the New Testament all refer to the same leadership office within the church. Obviously, different elders may do different things based upon their ministry and the gifting of the Holy Spirit, but the qualifications are exactly the same and the words are used interchangeably in the New Testament.
The lists of qualifications for these pastor/overseer/elders are found in two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus who were following in Paul’s footsteps and planting churches and equipping the church. Paul wrote to them to encourage them, but in the context of his letters he spells out a high standard for those that should be considered for this leadership role in the church.
Biblical Understanding
Take just a minute to read Paul’s own words.
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
1 Timothy 3:1-7
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
Some people list the first item on both lists (“above reproach”) as a qualification. I would agree. In fact, I think it can stand alone as the only qualification. It’s so important, Paul even says it twice in Titus. But the question immediately follows, what does it mean to be “above reproach?” Paul recognizes that this qualification needs explanation and gives us his definition of what it means to be “above reproach.”
I think we can boil this definition down to 14 individual principles. I know 14 is a lot, but that should help to emphasize the importance of this position. It is not something to jump into lightly. And if you keep reading in Titus you see that in addition to these qualifications there are warnings against those false teachers that try to sneak in and harm the church with their selfish heretical teaching.
In addition to these lists of qualifications, we can never forget that a church does not make a pastor. The Holy Spirit makes pastors and the church is called to recognize them and submit to their authority (Acts 20:28). Also, the church cannot recognize someone who does not desire the role (1 Timothy 3:1). It is completely possible to check all of these boxes and not want to be an elder for whatever reason. That is okay. The goal is that multitudes of men within the church would meet these qualifications to the glory and honor of God, but only a select few would be called out and chosen to shepherd the flock.
1. Devoted to his wife
Husband of one wife is literally translated as a man of one woman, or a one-woman man (Titus 1:6; 1 Timothy 3:2). I think it would be incorrect to construe this to mean that all elders must be married. That would disqualify Paul himself, not to mention Jesus. Instead, this is saying that the pastor’s marriage (and all marriage) is meant to illustrate Christ’s love for His church—His bride (Ephesians 5:22).
So for those that are married, an elder will show himself to be a servant leader (Mark 10:42-45) first in his relationship with his wife. He gives his life for his bride as Christ does and he cares for her as Christ cares for his body. He knows about his wife’s progress in holiness and struggles with sins and is able to pastor her effectively towards joy in Christ. He is as faithful to the one he married as God is to his people. His love is as exclusive as God’s is for his people. He is as committed to her total well-being and flourishing as God is to his people.
2. Children are under control
Like the previous qualification, there is no requirement to be a father. However, if children are present they should be believers or at the very least submissive to their father’s leadership. This doesn’t mean that Pastor’s kids have to be perfect (Titus 1:6; 1 Timothy 3:4-5). But the reasoning is clearly spelled out. If a man does not know how to manage even his own family, then how will he be able to take care of God’s church. The first flock for a pastor is his own family where he is Pastor Dad. A Pastor’s qualification for the church starts in his home management as he leads them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
3. Gentle, not quick-tempered
This is shown in Titus 1:7 and 1 Timothy 3:3. This is a reflection of God’s own character. A quick-temper that flies off the handle and has no patience and gentleness with others is not reflecting the infinite patience and longsuffering of Jesus. There are some men that get angry at how things affect them, but the difference between that and Jesus’ anger is that He was angry at the abuse of others in the name of religion and the dishonoring of God.
4. Peaceful, not violent
Also seen in Titus 1:7 and 1 Timothy 3:3. A pastor’s job is largely one of words, and it is easy to inflict violence through words, but pastors especially should be quicker to listen than to speak (James 1:19). Pastors are to be peacemakers, their only fight should be the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). Jesus is our peace, he came to make peace, he came to preach peace, and his ministers fold their personal and public lives into the perfect example of the Prince of Peace.
5. Sober, not a drunkard
Another from Titus 1:7 and 1 Timothy 3:3. This soberness involves level-headed clear thinking. This is not just overindulgence in alcohol but is a way of calling out any behavior that shows an addictive nature. You can be a drunkard without ever allowing alcohol to touch your lips. A Christian’s joy and comfort come from the indwelling Holy Spirit. Pastors like all believers are free to say yes, in moderation, and free to say no. If we show a pattern of over-indulgence in anything, only ever saying yes, then we have fallen into the opposite sin of the ascetic who always says no out of his pride and legalism. Any and all addictive behaviors are acts of unbelief in the gospel as the source of abundant life.
6. Not greedy for gain
A pastor must have financial integrity (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3; 1 Peter 5:3). A pastor is to be upright in his financial dealings and not accused of pursuing money over the kingdom of God. When Christians understand that Jesus, though infinitely rich, became poor for us, then financial gain cannot be our motivation in ministry. Integrity is a minimum, but generous investment in the kingdom of God is much more in the spirit of the gospel. It is also the only sure demonstration that we are not pursuing financial gain.
7. Hospitable
A pastor must be hospitable (Titus 1:8; 1 Timothy 3:2). Generosity and freedom with money follow through to an open home, hospitable, and welcoming. Not only for those who are like us, but for those who are strangers in every way, and especially strangers to the gospel and the household of God. God has welcomed us into his home when we were enemies and given us a place at his table through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. How then can a pastor do the opposite as they preach that gospel? The Christian’s home (led by the pastor) is not a castle but an extension of the church and a place for flourishing ministry.
8. Humble, not arrogant
We see this in Titus 1:7 as well as throughout the New Testament. The Gospel itself is an affront to pride. As Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” We preach a gospel that opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. A pastor must constantly demonstrate the gospel by admitting when he is wrong and assuming responsibility and restoring relationships. As Richard Baxter says, “A proud preacher of humility is at least a self-condemning man.”
9. Lover of good
Pastors should genuinely love (and lead their people to love) the good, true, and beautiful (Titus 1:8). This love is active, it is not just a verbal or mental assent that he should love it. It is a pursuit. Jesus came and died to crush the evil one. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness and rose again to restore all things to their original created goodness and beauty, now he has gone to prepare a place for us that will far outshine the beauty and goodness of the Garden. Pastors should love what is good because that is what the gospel is all about, not just in eternity, but here and now.
10. Self-Controlled
Self-control is a fruit of the spirit and should be a characterization of every area of a pastor’s life: diet, time, mouth, exercise, relationships, sex, and money (Titus 1:8; 1 Timothy 3:2). When Christians believe the gospel, we are dying to self and as we move forward in sanctification we put to death the deeds of the flesh through the Holy Spirit. Whereas others may be tossed about by every passion, godly leaders are expected to be self-controlled through the gospel.
11. Respected inside and outside the church
A pastor must be upright and respectable (Titus 1:8; 1 Timothy 3:7). Inside the church, this means that he has integrity in his relationships and in how he treats others. There is no hint of favoritism or prejudice. In the community, not everyone is going to like him or even appreciate him. In fact, if he is preaching the gospel faithfully, many will hate him because of that message, but though they drag him before the courts, there will be no credible witnesses to ongoing sinful behavior. Rather, they will see his good deeds and glorify God (Matthew 5:16).
12. Holy
Holiness seems like a high bar to set (Titus 1:8), but Jesus set it for all his followers in Matthew 5:20 saying, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Without holiness, we will not see God. But, it’s a good thing that we don’t have to achieve this qualification on our own merit. In Jesus, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Jesus came because we were not holy. He was holy and he came to make us holy. He came to set us apart for God. Pastors should lead their people as they grow in grace towards holiness and justice for the glory of God.
13. Able to teach
A pastor must be able to teach (Titus 1:9; 1 Timothy 3:2). This is the only ability-based requirement. He is to be able to teach sound doctrine, not just be able to communicate in an excellent manner. His teaching can be to one or two, to twenty, to a hundred or to a thousand. Most of the churches in the early church were house churches. The elders were to defend the faith once delivered to the saints against the numerous false teachers that arose.
14. Spiritually mature
It literally says that he should not be a recent convert (1 Timothy 3:6). This is trying to communicate the idea that positions of authority without proper spiritual maturity lead to the sin of pride. Maturity is seen in increasing humility. The more the gospel of God’s grace and undeserved mercy penetrates a believer’s heart, the more they will grow into maturity and humility. In general, this will mean the younger the convert, the less qualified he is (I mean one of the titles is “elder”). Young pastors have a tendency to see the pastorate as a badge of honor (or worse pride) not as a noble and humbling task. But age is not always the best measure of maturity. Older converts can be immature and conceited and younger converts can be mature and humble beyond their years.
Follow Their Example and Hold Them Accountable
You may notice that most of these are all about character. That is because a pastor is to set an example for the flock (1 Peter 5:3) and the flock is expected to imitate them as they imitate Christ. A church will never rise above its leadership.
However, to think that pastors are somehow perfectly untouched by sin is to place them on a pedestal from which they will inevitably fall. So, what happens when one of these imperfect shepherds fails and shows that they no longer meet these qualifications? The pastor should not just be calling people to repent, but should be the chief-repenter. As Martin Luther said in his 95 Theses, The whole of the Christian life is repentance from beginning to end.
In the case of sin, the goal in church discipline should be repentance and restoration if at all possible. But if the pastor can no longer meet the main qualification of being “above reproach” then it is probably best for them to step out of leadership and submit to the teaching and leadership of another as they pursue God’s restoration.