CHOOSING ELDERS AND LEADERS Matt Proctor
If it’s true the redemptive drama being
played out here hinges on the quality of the church’s leadership, then each
congregation must pay close attention to what makes for a good church leader. A
fresh look at 1 Timothy 3:1-7 is needed.
In that hope, I’ve tried to summarize
Paul’s description of the ideal spiritual leader in a list of 10 questions a
congregation could ask of potential elders. Keep your Bible open to the text as
you read through the following descriptions. As you seek those men who will
lead your church, perhaps these questions will serve as a helpful test:
1. Is this man respected in the community?
The first quality listed is above reproach, literally meaning “not able to be
held.” In other words, if charges were leveled against this man, he wouldn’t
even be held for questioning because his reputation is so solid. He’s Teflon,
not Velcro. His integrity is such that accusations just won’t stick.
By the way, in verse 7 Paul bookends this
list with another call for a good reputation with outsiders. Why this emphasis
on how well others think of a man? Simply this: the reputation of Christ is
tied to that of the church, and the reputation of the church is tied to that of
its leaders.
2. Is this man committed to his wife? A
husband of but one wife literally reads “a one-woman man.” It describes a man
completely devoted to his wife not only in body, but also in mind and heart.
Why is this important? A strong marriage helps protect an elder from moral failure,
provides needed support when he faces draining church challenges, and offers a
powerful example to younger believers (1 Peter 5:3).
3. Has this man shown wisdom in
decision-making? Temperate means “clear-headed,” and self-controlled could
actually be translated “prudent or thoughtful.” These words picture a man who
has his head on straight. Why? Because an elder must often think his way
through thorny relational, financial, and doctrinal questions—all of which can
have eternal consequences. (Perhaps this is why spiritual leaders are called
“elders,” suggesting a certain amount of life experience. Wisdom doesn’t always
come with age, but it rarely comes without it.) Look for evidence that a man is mature enough
to avoid shoot-from-hip, impulsive, or careless decisions.
Whether you call it common
sense, horse sense, or “coon dog sense,” you want your spiritual leaders to
demonstrate wise decision-making.
4. Has this man shown the ability to keep
his temper in check? Paul describes an elder as a man who is not violent, but
gentle and not quarrelsome. Church leaders will face volatile situations in
which a soft word will turn away anger, but a harsh word will stir up wrath
(Proverbs 15:1). If a man is known to have either an explosive anger (“losing it”)
or a slow, simmering anger (“carrying a grudge”), the church will suffer. When
conflict and criticism arise, the man who will make a good elder will have a
tough skin, a tender heart, a short memory, and a long fuse.
5. Is this man willing to be inconvenienced
for others? When we hear the word hospitable, we picture inviting someone over
for an evening of lasagna dinner and conversation. In the ancient world, where
inns were notoriously filthy and even dangerous, the word pictured someone
opening his home for guests to stay days or even weeks on end. Hospitality
involved sacrifice and cost a great deal in time, space, money and effort. In
other words, Paul’s question is: will this man think of others before himself? After all, an elder is to shepherd the flock
of God, and having raised sheep, I can tell you these frustrating animals need
constant care. Their problems always seem to come at inconvenient times—I’ve
spent a late night or two in the sheep barn. Plus, they smell baaaaad. (Sorry.)
In other words, sheep require unconditional love. A good elder recognizes, however, that these
frustrating folk are beloved of God and are “bought with his own blood” (Acts
20:28).
6. Is this man capable of teaching
Scripture to others? An elder must be able to teach. Why? Biblically, the
primary strategy for personal and corporate transformation is not excellent
programming or even quality relationships, but rather the patient teaching of
Scripture (2 Timothy 4:2). Is Paul telling Timothy to look for effective public
speakers? Not necessarily. While delivery matters, the first requirement of a
good teacher is not presentation skills, but mastery of content. Has this man
given himself to study of Scripture and to filling himself with the Word of
God? You’re not simply looking for a man
who knows how to say something, but rather a man who has something to
say—something from God
7. Has this man established wise personal
habits? The word respectable pictures a man who is self-disciplined and
orderly in his behavior. It describes the ancient church father who once
prayed, “Father, help me be master of my self that I may be servant of others.”
To serve the church, an elder certainly must not be given to drunkenness, but
he must also avoid other habits that can damage reputation and distract
focus—workaholism, gambling, smoking, overeating, or even watching too much
television. Ask of a potential leader:
Do his habits reveal a man who is able to supervise his own life well?
Self-control is not only the fruit of the Spirit, but also the mark of a good
elder.
8. Does this man have a strong sense of
stewardship? Phrased differently, he is not a lover of money. Phrased
positively, he is a lover of God with his money. Paul is describing a leader
whose life will be marked by generosity and simple contentment. (See 1 Timothy
6:6-10, 17-19.) Why? A man who lives
under the love of money might let in the door of his life such sins as
embezzling, extravagance, or even hoarding, and I’ve seen spiritual leaders who
then let these sins in the door of the church. On the other hand, a man who
lives under the love of God will steward his own money and the church’s
finances with God’s glory and the church’s mission always in mind.
9. Does this man have a track record of
discipling leadership? Has this man shown the ability to lead others to greater
maturity in Christ? To answer that question, look at his family first. When
Paul says an elder must manage his own family well, he means a man’s family is
his first little congregation, and “whoever can be trusted with very little can
also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10). But if three of his four children have
no use for the church, what does this say of his spiritual leadership?
10. Has this man been a Christian long
enough to maintain humility? Paul says he must not be a recent convert, or he
may become conceited. The chief occupational hazard of spiritual leadership is
pride, and too much visibility too soon in a man’s Christian pilgrimage can
inflate his ego. You’re looking for a
man who won’t believe his own church newsletter press clippings and instead has
the humility that comes when you’ve walked a ways with Jesus.
