The Minimum Credentials to Becoming a Church Leader
“A good candidate for the office of elder is known by his behaviour (1 Tim 5:24-25), because his behaviour reveals his character, and character is largely what makes an elder.”[1]
Mark Dever & Paul Alexander
Before we learn about the various leadership positions in the church, I want to reflect with you, through this article, about the Christian as an elder (or a member of the board of director of the local church).
Although the same principle applies to all Christians, as well as other kinds of Christian leadership, eldership in the New Testament is one of the most important aspects of Christian leadership, because the elders are called ‘overseers’ or ‘supervisors’ of the ongoing work of the church and its leaders, and the Bible highlights the qualities/credentials a person must display in order to be considered eligible to become an elder.
In my opinion, this is where the problem starts in many local churches as far as eldership is concerned.
We saw in the previous two chapters that a Christian leader must not only have the desire to be a church leader, but must first of all be a true and committed Christian. Good leaders are needed in any sector of society, but it takes a true Christian, with the gift of leadership and a godly character, to become an elder in the Church of Jesus Christ. In fact, elders should only be elected/appointed as a result of their faith, behaviour and commitment, no matter who they are.
A senior Church of Scotland minister once told me that Church of Scotland ministers should consider themselves very lucky indeed if they have a team of elders of which at least 30% has a real faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, a consistent Christian behaviour and a strong commitment to the work of their church (Sunday services, Bible study, home groups, prayer life, etc). That was very sad to hear.
So I suppose this chapter has the potential both to comfort and encourage, and also to disturb, rebuke and challenge prospective and existing elders.
If you are not interested in being challenged about the substance of your Christian faith, the quality of your behaviour and commitment as a potential or existing elder, go no further. Feel free to stop here. No offence will be taken.
Otherwise, open your heart and mind and read on. God will speak to you.
Let us go back to the first question: What are the required credentials for anyone who is considering a position of eldership? It is certainly not my own personal opinions that I will be dealing with here, but what the Bible says about eldership. The model for elders and deacons in the New Testament Church is unequivocally set out by the Apostle Paul. Although not all church leaders will be ordained as elders, we should expect that all Christians follow the same principle of life, especially when it comes to appointing those who will be in a position of authority, along with the minister, over all the other church leaders in their local church.
Read the following text slowly and carefully, thinking about what it is actually saying. I am didactically displaying it differently from what you will find in your Bible. I am not altering anything in the passage, not even the order of the verses. The Bible passage is 1 Timothy 3:1-7. I am only making short comments in brackets.
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, (have an approved character as opposed to a disgraceful one)
• be the husband of but one wife,
• be temperate, (moderate or self-restrained; not extreme in opinion)
• be self-controlled, (able to control his feelings in all circumstances)
• be respectable, (worthy of respect or esteem due to good character)
• be hospitable, (receiving or treating guests or strangers warmly and generously)
• be able to teach, (able to help others to understand the basics of the Christian faith – not necessarily a public speaker)
• not be given to drunkenness,
• not be violent but gentle, (a Christ-like behaviour)
• not be quarrelsome, (not inclined to quarrel; to be argumentative or contentious)
• not be a lover of money. (a good master of money, generous)
• 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?) (not negligent in the task of training and disciplining their children in the Lord’s way)
• not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil, (must be experienced and mature in the Christian faith)
• also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. (It is easy to be a ‘good’ Christian on Sunday mornings; the real test is at home, at work and at school)
Is it not interesting that the “above reproach” requirement comes first on Paul’s list? Paul had a very organized and logic mind and it is only reasonable to think that the subsequent requirements are simply an expansion or explanation of what ‘being above reproach’ means.
In The Leadership Dynamic, Harry L. Reeder III highlights that those requirements are hard to miss.
"They are the foundation texts on formal leadership in the church, some of the most familiar passages in Scripture. They are easy to find. They are easy to understand. And, alas, they also too often ignored."[2]
You don’t wait until you become a church leader in order to start living like that. What the apostle Paul is saying here is that a person should be found displaying those Christian qualities before he or she is even considered for church leadership.
It is also worth highlighting the fact that the new leader must not be a new convert. New converts are spiritually immature and therefore not in a position to nurture others into spiritual maturity yet. Dever and Alexander draw our attention to the fact that “churches rarely grow past the maturity of their leader”.[3] They rightly suggest that,
"The implication is that choosing elders can be either a significant help or a significant hindrance to the maturity and growth of the congregation. Mature, able leaders will model godly behaviour and teach sound doctrine, which will promote congregational health and growth."[4]
They also speak about the results of getting it wrong by choosing ducks to do the work of eagles.
"Conversely, immature leaders who are less than able to teach will model behavior that may not be above reproach and will and will teach doctrine that may not conform to godliness, both of which will likely put a low cap on the maturity level of the members, because they’re not hearing sound doctrine or seeing it lived out by their leaders."[5]
Commenting on the danger of neglecting the biblical criteria in choosing new church leaders, Reeder III acknowledges that it is,
"With saddening frequency, Christian congregations and church authorities repeatedly choose leaders based on their occupations, personalities, or professional achievements, rather than the biblical qualifications for leadership."[6]
In the same letter to Timothy Paul charges his disciple to be extremely careful not to ordain the wrong type of person to the eldership.
“I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favouritism. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.” 1 Tim. 5:21-22
Commenting on these verses Calvin says,
"The 'laying on of hands' means Ordination: that is, the sign is put for the thing signified; for he forbids him to receive too easily any one that has not been fully tried.”[7]
The result of neglecting to take the above biblical instructions seriously can be summarized as the following:
"Congregations remain spiritually immature. False doctrine is taught. Biblical truth is neglected. Pastors are dismissed. Churches split apart. Members are distracted, disgruntled, or disheartened. The work of the church grows cold and the opportunity to model and mentor leaders in the church for deployment into the world is squandered."[8]
Does the above sound familiar?
I like asking questions because questions make us stop and think for a moment, and they also help us to examine our own hearts and take some action. So let me ask you some questions.
About Your Church
• Does your church offer regular training sessions for prospective/existing elders?
• Does your church use the above Bible teaching (and others) as a consistent criteria to choose/appoint/develop potential, and also existing leaders?
• How often do the elders and other leaders of your church come together to review their own lives, work and commitment and to see where can they improve and grow?
About The Existing Leaders in Your Church
• Do you clearly see the above credentials in the life of the elders in your church? Read the Bible verses above again, go over the names of each elder (which may include yourself) and try to answer the above question. After you have done that, answer the following four questions: Are you surprised? Are you shocked? Are you unsure? Or are you reassured?
About Your Own Life as a Christian Elder
• Have you ever read the above passage (1 Timothy 3:1 - 7), either before or after you have been appointed as a church leader?
• If you have, how often do you stop to reflect on it?
• Have you ever been trained on the subject of eldership?
• How often do you read books on Christian leadership to help you develop in your office?
• Do you feel you have the above credentials to be an elder?
• Do you have the desire to develop those credentials?
The above questions should be answered with all honesty. Maybe you have already been working on it, which is highly commendable. Or maybe you are feeling very uncomfortable right now. Read on!
Your Response
As one reads the above Bible passage, I would suggest that there are only three responses to it:
• The First is one of humbling yourself before God and asking him to help you improve your Christian life, no matter what;
• The Second is one of agreeing with it, but doing very little to improve your Christian life; and
• The Third will be one of complete disregard for what the Bible says about the credentials for becoming an elder in the Church of God.
I would strongly suggest that you can only be considered as a candidate for church eldership by having the first response.
There is a fundamental difference between a person who is cornered by their friends (other elders or the minister) and made an elder by his church and a person who becomes what God has called them to be as a Christian and to do as an elder. You do not develop the credentials to become an elder overnight, over an invitation or through the ordination vows. That is for sure!
Is There More to It?
I have met and worked with many elders over the past 28 years and I can tell you with joy that most of them were, and have been, a pleasure and a blessing to work with. Unfortunately, this would only be half the truth. I have also worked with very difficult elders who, although claiming to be Christians, did not have the Christian manners to deal with any viewpoints differing from their own, apart from being uncommitted, having virtually no knowledge of the Bible and showing no interest in living a Christ-like lifestyle.
My prayer has always been that God will help them to want to learn about Jesus and to grow in their faith by committing to a systematic reading of their Bibles and nourishing a life of prayer for themselves and for others. Also, I have always prayed that the unkind and disrespectful elders will have the desire to learn from Jesus’ meekness, and, as a result, learn how to put their own point of view across in a respectful manner, always backing it up with Scripture. No-one likes to be shouted at during a meeting; no-one appreciates being ill-treated for having a different opinion on a certain matter, and no-one would be happy facing ongoing opposition from an elder who is supposed to be a source of support and collaboration. So an elder is expected to be extra careful on those points when working with their fellow leaders.
There must be no excuse or justification for bad manners or lack of commitment. We will say more about that in a very open and honest way in a later article.
These chapters were deliberately written in a certain sequence for a very good reason. This will become apparent as you read on without skipping any point, page or chapter. It is like sitting down to have a meal. You eat things in a certain sequence until you finish it. It is also like going to your doctor: you sit down, tell the doctor what you are feeling, then give time for your doctor to examine you, give the diagnosis of your condition and write the relevant prescription for the improvement of your health.
You must be patient and go through the necessary sequence of things so you can benefit from it.
It is Not to be Taken Lightly
I want to offer you another Bible passage about the qualifications/ credentials required for a person to become an elder (as opposed to being made an elder by their friends). It is by the Apostle Paul; this time he is writing to another person, Titus (Titus 1:5-7). This is what he says (read it slowly and pause for reflection please):
"The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 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, (domineering; dictatorial; haughtily or rudely arrogant)
• not quick-tempered, (short-fused; someone who lacks self-control)
• not given to drunkenness,
• not violent, (either physically, or in words)
• not pursuing dishonest gain. (not seeking deceitful ways of making [more] money)
Look up the dictionary for the full meaning of the following important words: reproachable, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able, teach, drunkenness, violent, gentle, quarrelsome, reputation, disgrace, trap, blameless, overbearing, quick-tempered and dishonest. Take your time.
Author Orlando Saer, commenting on the above Bible passage, draws our attention to the two New Testament priorities, when it comes to choosing somebody to a position of Christian leadership: Practical godliness an doctrinal orthodoxy (or character and conviction).[9]
Practical Godliness
. Integrity, especially in matters of sex & marriage.
. No shirking of responsibilities in the family arena.
. No high-handedness in approach to others around.
. Calmness and restraint from displays of temper.
. Consistent avoidance of excessive alcohol.
. Gentleness towards others even when provoked.
. A record of scrupulous honesty in all areas of life.
. Using of own material blessings to help others.
. Dedication to those things which please God.
. Proven Capacity for self-control and morality.
Doctrinal Orthodoxy
. Personal and unerring allegiance to the Bible.
. Commitment to instruct others from the Bible.
. Readiness to rebut any distortion of the Bible.[10]
Do both the community in which you live and your church see these qualities in your life?
These qualities are the definitive credentials for eldership and any other leadership position in Christ’s church and are neither optional nor negotiable. One must possess them before being considered for eldership.
I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be
proud of him. Abraham Lincoln
Is your church proud of you, both as a church member and leader?
[1] Mark Dever and Paul Alexander, The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel - Crossway Books – (Illinois, 2005) p. 143.
[2] Harry L. Reeder III, with Rod Gragg, The Leadership Dynamic – A Biblical Model for Raising Effective Leaders, Crossway Books (Illinois, 2008) p. 53.
[4] Idem
[5] Idem
[6] Harry L. Reeder III. Op cit.
[7] Calvin’s online commentary on 1 Timothy 5:21, 22,
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom43.iii.vii.vi.html
[8] Harry L. Reeder III. Op cit.
[9] Orlando Saer, Iron Sharpens Iron, Christian Focus Publications (Scotland, 2010) p. 24.
[10] Idem
