Church Leadership - Part 1 May 20, 2018 1 Timothy 3:1-16 I. Introduction The church at Ephesus was troubled by men who taught false doctrines and, in at least some cases, lived immorally. Individual Christians and the Ephesian church as a whole were being harassed, misled, and in need of drastic help some were starting to drift from the faith. For this reason Paul left Timothy in Ephesus. As we just read, Paul wrote this letter to Timothy so that he would know how people ought to conduct themselves in God s household, which is the church of the living God. In chapter 1 Paul urged Timothy to both teach the truth and to fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:18-19). In chapter 2 Paul addressed the issue of the lack of order and effectiveness in the worship services because both the men and the women members of the church were disobeying God s instructions. In today s Scripture, Paul moved on from discussing the congregation in general to dealing with pastors and the leadership in the church. The ministry, the effectiveness, and the testimony of any church are all largely a reflection of its leaders. The principle of Hosea 4:9 which says, And it will be: Like people, like priests is still true. People do not normally rise above the level of their leaders. Jesus put it this way in Luke 6:40, A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. Whether it be a company, a government, a family or a local church, everything rises or falls with leadership, It is so important that those who lead the church be highly qualified that the detailed list of their specific qualification is given twice in Paul s letters, here in 1 Timothy 3 and in also in Titus 1. Church leadership is not for everyone. Because of time and their importance, this morning we are going to consider just the first 7 verses regarding overseers. All of the qualifying adjectives and pronouns in these verses are masculine. While there are many places in the church for women to be involved, according to God s Word, the office of overseer is not one of them. 1
As we read in today s Scripture, you may have also noticed that all the qualifications Paul listed are spiritual virtues and character traits that mark godly leaders. He wrote nothing about the duties of the leaders, but was concerned only with their spiritual and moral qualities. The duties were clear, the qualifications needed to be clarified. Now let s look at the verses regarding overseers. II. Overseers A. The Calling The Greek word ἐπισκοπῆς (episkopas) is translated by the KJV as bishop. Since the word means overseer, modern translations often use overseer instead of bishop. Actually, the terms bishop or overseer, pastor, and elder are synonymous in the New Testament for one example, turn to Acts 20:17, 28. From their context and definitions, elders and bishops were mature people with spiritual wisdom and experience. Pastor means shepherd. Since the elders/bishops/overseers lead and care for the flock of God just like shepherds, they are also pastors. Church organization was quite simple in apostolic days; there were pastors (elders, bishops) and deacons in Philippians 1:1 we read, Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons. It seems that there were several elders overseeing the work of each church some involved in organization and government, others in teaching 1 Timothy 5:17 says, The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. To become an elder/bishop was a serious decision, one not to be treated lightly by the man or the church. Today people enter the ministry for a variety of reasons, not all of them commendable. Some are in it for the money, others for job security or prestige and respect, others for the privilege of working with Christians, or for other unacceptable motivations. In the early church, however, conditions were very different. There was little money to be made, since the churches were poor and few Christians were rich. The ministry was not a position of prestige in society, since Christians, and especially preachers, were despised outcasts. And since the church was a frequent target of persecution, those in leadership roles 2
risked their lives. A true pastor then as well as today should pursue the ministry because of a strong internal desire brought by the Holy Spirit as well as satisfying the qualifications in today s Scripture. Paul gave 14 qualifications for a man to meet if he expected to serve as an elder/bishop/pastor. B. Qualifications of an Overseer or Pastor 1. Above reproach First, a pastor must be above reproach. The word literally means nothing to take hold upon, i.e., there must be nothing in a pastor s life that Satan or the unsaved can take hold of to criticize or attack him or the church. No man living is sinless, but the pastor must live such a life that he is a model for the congregation to follow turn to 1 Peter 5:1-3. 2. The husband of one wife One way for a pastor to be above reproach is in relation to women. Paul wrote that he must be the husband of but one wife. The Greek literally reads a one-womanman. A one-woman-man is obviously a man in particular, he not she is devoted in his heart and mind to the woman who is his wife. He loves, desires, and thinks only of her. He maintains sexual purity in both his thought life and his conduct. This qualification was especially important in Ephesus, where sexual evil was rampant it is equally important today in our culture with its fascination with sex. Look at the number of men that have fallen and are falling because of sexual misconduct sadly, some of them are Christians even Christian leaders.. 3. Temperate A leader in God s church must also be temperate KJV says vigilant. Literally, the word means wineless or sober but it also means alert, watchful, or clear-headed. A godly leader will refrain from any excess that would dull his alertness. Paul put it this way in 2 Timothy 4:5, Keep your head in all situations. A pastor needs to exercise sober, sensible judgment in all things at all times. 4. Self-controlled Fourth, the elders in the church must be self-controlled. Such a man is welldisciplined and knows how to correctly order his priorities. His mind is controlled by God s truth, not the whims of the flesh. He knows the value of things and doesn t cheapen the ministry of the Gospel message by foolish behavior. He is self-controlled. 3
5. Respectable A pastor must be respectable the Greek word actually means orderly. The pastor should be organized in his thinking and his living, as well as in his teaching and preaching. If he cannot order his own life, how can he bring order to the church? The ministry is no place for the man whose life is a continual confusion of unaccomplished plans and unorganized activities. 6. Hospitable Church leaders must be hospitable. This means to literally love strangers. Hospitality is commanded of all Christians. The door of the Christian home, as well as the heart of the Christian family, should be open to all who come in need. Hebrews 13:2 says, Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. This is especially true for the overseer. 7. Able to teach The overseer in the church must be able to teach. This is the only qualification related to his giftedness. An elder must be a skilled teacher, who works hard in his studies and teachings. This is the one qualification that sets him apart from the deacons. To preach and teach God s Word is the primary task of elders/pastors it was for that purpose that they were given to the church turn to Ephesians 4:11-14. 8. Not given to drunkenness Another requirement for one who desires to be an elder or pastor is that he not be given to drunkenness. The fact that Paul advised Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23 to use wine for medicinal purposes indicates that total abstinence was not demanded of believers. But a man who drinks to excess has no place in the ministry. He is a poor example, and could be the cause of serious sin and disaster in the lives of others who follow his example as drinkers, justifying their drinking because of their leader. 9. Not violent but gentle The god-called pastor doesn t react to difficulty with physical violence. He must not settle disputes with blows. He must react to situations calmly, coolly, and gently turn to 2 Timothy 2:24-25. Such a person remembers good, not evil. He doesn t keep a list of all the wrongs done to him, or hold a grudge. A leader, when wronged, must have no thought of retaliation. 4
10. Not quarrelsome Not quarrelsome means peaceful or reluctant to fight verbally as well as physically. Pastors must be peacemakers not troublemakers they are patient. This doesn t mean they must compromise their convictions, but they must disagree without being disagreeable. To have a quarrelsome person in leadership will result in disunity and disharmony, seriously hindering the effectiveness of the church. 11. Not a lover of money An elder must not be a lover of money. As we read earlier from 1 Peter 5:2, 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. The motivation to serve must be the love of God not the love of money. As one commentator put it, A leader must not be greedy, stingy, or financially ambitious. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:10, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 12. A godly family It s not enough for the overseer to have a commendable personal life, he must also have an exemplary home life. He must have a godly family. This doesn t mean that a pastor must be married, or, if married, must have children. However, marriage and a family are probably in the will of God for most pastors. If a man s own children cannot obey and respect him, then his church is not likely to respect and obey his leadership either. For Christians, the church and the home are one. A pastor should oversee both his home and his church with love, truth, and discipline. The pastor cannot be one thing at home and something else in church. He must manage or lead in the home as well as in the church. 13. Not a recent convert The pastor in the church must not be a recent convert. Age is not a guarantee of maturity, but it is good for a man to give himself time for study and growth before he accepts spiritual leadership in the church. Putting a new convert into a position of spiritual leadership is apt to puff him up, to put his head in the clouds. It was pride that brought Satan down and what happened to 5
Satan could easily happen to an immature Christian elevated to eldership. Satan enjoys seeing a youthful pastor succeed and get proud, because then Satan can tear down all that has been built up. 14. A good testimony outside the church Finally, the godly character of a pastor/elder/overseer must not be seen only in his personal life, the church and the home, he must also have a good testimony outside the church. A man chosen to lead the church must maintain a reputation in the community for righteousness, moral character, love, kindness, generosity, and goodness. All will certainly not agree with his theology, but those outside the church must recognize him as a man of impeccable reputation. How can a man have a spiritual impact on his community if that community does not respect him? III. Conclusion I suspect that by now some of you are thinking, So Pastor Steve the shoe is on the other foot this morning. How does it feel to have God pointing His finger at you like He usually does at us? Having oversight of the church is no small task, but rather a sobering responsibility. In addition to these qualifications Hebrews 13:17 warns that leaders must give an account to God for how faithfully they have led. James adds that because they teach, they face stricter judgment James 3:1 says, Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. For all these reasons, the man truly called to the ministry must be identified by both an inward consuming passion and a disciplined outward life. For him the ministry is not the best option, it is the only option. There is nothing else he could do with his life that would fulfill him. I suspect that others are thinking, Well, that was a useless sermon. It was all about being a pastor and that s not me. That s true, as we read in Ephesians 4, only some are called. But this does apply to everyone here. First, some of you, in the future you may move and will need to find a new church. This is a hard and difficult thing to do. As you search, you need to look at the church and the doctrines that it teaches. You need to know how it handles God s Word. You also need to look at the pastor or pastors, do they satisfy God s qualifications. If not, in spite of the people, the doctrines, the 6
stand on the Bible, this is not a church for you. Second, you may be involved in a church that has to replace its pastor on average pastors move every 5-7 years. (Boy, I m overdue!) Whether you are on the search committee or are part of the congregation and will vote on acceptance or not, these qualifications-god s qualifications are what you need to look for. Finally, turn to Hebrews 13:17 we have considered qualifications of church leadership; here are some of your responsibilities in return. 7