Qualities For Leaders Of The Church
Part of 1 & 2 Timothy
August 25, 2021
QUALITIES FOR LEADERS OF THE CHURCH
1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7
1 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Intro:
- Paul left young Timothy in Ephesus to pastor the church and raise up leadership. When Paul wrote his first epistle to Timothy, he commended men for aspiring to the office of bishop (pastor), but he cautioned Timothy to make sure that each man who wanted to serve (and was selected to serve) was a certain kind of man.
- Paul laid out a list of characteristics that Timothy should look for in a man to make sure he was mature and qualified to serve as pastor.
1. “Terms” For The Office Of Pastor
- The bible uses different terms to reference the same person or office.
- Paul uses here the term “bishop.” Some versions translate this with the word “
- Other terms used are pastor (shepherd) and elder.
- All three of the terms speak to the same person, office, or work.
- Bishop/Overseer (Gr. episkopos ) speaks to the
- Pastor (Gr. poimen) speaks to the work of
- Elder (Gr. presbyteros) speaks to the man and his
2. Qualities For The Leaders Of The Church
- The word “desire” here speaks to aspiration not ambition. Ambition seeks to gain and wield power for the sake of self. Aspiration, on the other hand, cares less about the position than about become worthy of it.
Aspiring to the office should lead men to want to be qualified for office. And you can be qualified regardless if holding the office of not.
1) Blameless / Above reproach
- Paul does not here have in mind the idea of
- “Above” suggests a place that is higher or beyond the norm—it suggests a standard that exceeds what is typically expected. “Reproach,” though not too contemporary, speaks of blame, reprimand, rebuke or censure. Hence, to be above reproach (anepileptos) means that there is nothing in our lives which can be laid hold of, thus we are not open to
2) The husband of one wife
- In order to understand what Paul meant, it is vital that the Greek text be examined. The words with which we are interested in the Greek are, “Mias gunaikos andra” (“Husband of one wife” NASB).
- A literal translation of this passage would be “a man of
- Therefore the structure of this passage could easily be translated “a one-wife sort of husband
- In a culture where men were frequently tempted toward unfaithfulness, Paul made it clear that an elder in the church was to be a “one-woman man”—loyal to his wife and to her alone.
- Paul stressed the character and nature of a godly man in these verses rather than marking a single experience in his life for inspection. The issue on the floor is not divorce but fidelity, character, loyalty, purity, etc.
3) Vigilant
- Temperate - general meaning –
- A temperate man understands that
4) Sober/Prudent
- Prudent suggests being
5) Of good behavior / Respectable
- A man whose behavior is “
6) Hospitable/Generous
- The word “hospitable” means being generous and
- The church (SUBC) is to also be a hospital, not only an environment for spiritual healing and care, but also a place to meet one another’s felt needs (i.e. physical, financial, relational, etc.).
- The pastor is to be hospitable and welcoming to others.
7) Apt (Able) To Teach
- This phrase describes the skill of
8) Not given to wine
- Paul told Timothy that the bishop should not be given to wine, i.e. not sit
9) No striker, patient, not a brawler
- A pastor should be gentle and
10) Not greedy of filthy lucre
- The man who desires the office of pastor should not be overly motivated to pursue
- A mark of maturity is found in how we handle our money, stuff, and things. What is our spirit in regards to these things? If we are materialistic, then we lack maturity.
11) One that manages his home well (vv. 4-5)
- A spiritually mature man is a good husband and father. He is a godly leader in his home, and a role model to his children. He lives in a way that he would be proud for his children to emulate.
- He loves his wife. He loves his children. And they in return love him, and show that love by respecting and obeying him.
- Think about it; the church is a
12) Not a novice
- This doesn’t mean young, but rather spiritually
- It takes time to grow. So those who are newly saved, recently saved, should not be the ones tapped to lead the church.
- Being subject to pride can lead to a downfall somewhat like Lucifer’s fall due to his pride.
13) Good report with those outside the church
- Even people who are lost and unchurched appreciate honesty, integrity, kindness, hospitality, respect, etc.
- If we’re going to win the lost, we and our leaders should have a good
- The devil is always looking to ensnare us so as to nullify our witness. By nullifying our witness, he is able to continue to ensnare the lost.
- Paul does not here have in mind the idea of