Last Sunday, we began this new series of messages called Grow, Church, Grow! We’re spending the next several weeks studying Paul’s letter of instruction for his young protégé named Titus – the person for whom the writing is named.
Titus is ministering on an island named Crete. It’s located just slightly less than 200 miles south of Athens. From east to west, it is 150 miles long. At its widest part, it’s only 35 miles wide. At its narrowest, it’s only 7.5 miles wide. Not a very big island.
However, Christianity had spread and there were churches scattered across the island. They were growing but experiencing trouble. In Titus 1:5, Paul says to Titus: The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished.
Paul’s letter to Titus is instruction on how growing churches should be structured. Today, we look at a section at the beginning of this letter that deals with leadership within the church. Turn in your Bibles to Titus 1:5-9.
Paul wanted to remind Timothy concerning the importance of appointing the right leaders. These churches on Crete had great potential. One of the most important things needed for these growing churches was their need for godly leadership.
John Maxwell is one of the best-known and most widely respected authorities on the topic of leadership. Maxwell is both a preacher and a business leader. He famously says: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
Doug Smith used to tell about a pivotal elders and deacons meeting in a church where he once served. The building committee recommended that the church begin construction on a much-needed educational wing.
During the discussion that followed, two elders were very vocal about their opposition to the recommendation. They insisted that the project was too risky and could bankrupt the church. They gave illustrations of churches that had gone bankrupt and quoted economists who predicted an upcoming economic earthquake. They advised against borrowing any money. Those two leaders persuaded the rest of the church board to delay the project until more money was available.
Doug says that two years later, the need was the same. The proposal was resubmitted and approved. By then the cost of the new building had almost doubled. After the vote someone asked one of the two men former detractors, “Will you drop an extra million in the offering plate this Sunday to cover the difference?” To his credit the man admitted his past mistake but added, “Just remember, there were 18 of you who allowed 2 of us to talk you out of it.”
When leadership is poor, we lose our sense of vision, morale suffers, and enthusiasm fades. Whether it’s a team, a business, a school, or a church; the organization stagnates and becomes ineffective.
On the other hand, when leadership is strong, when the vision is cast and people embrace it, when morale is high and people are giving 110% to reach their goals, great things can be accomplished. So leadership is crucial. One of the most important things we can do as a church is choose leaders carefully.
Titus 1:5-9 – The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
The Definition of Church Leaders
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul tells Titus that these local congregations must be led by a group of people who are designated as elders. Now that term elder does not necessarily mean “older” chronologically, but it does imply that the elder is “older” in spiritual maturity.
We find in the New Testament that there are three words used interchangeably for the position of leadership in the church. The words were elder, overseer, and pastor. We follow that model here of being an elder lead church. We try as hard as we can to follow the model of the New Testament church when it comes to purpose and doctrine.
So, what about these elders? The first thing we see concerning elders in the local congregation is that the role is gender specific not gender neutral.
I know that statement offends a lot of people. Some would call me a misogynist. They would say that I’m sexist and that I’m a chauvinist. Some would even say that I am a part of the so-called “war on women.” Stay with me here for a few minutes.
Paul says here that an elder must be the husband of one wife. He could have chosen to say “faithfully married to one person” but instead he chose “husband of one wife.” He does the same thing when he instructs another protégé named Timothy in a different letter.
Some men wrongly assume that they’re to be in charge because they’re superior to women but scripture doesn’t teach that position. Gal. 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
There have been some great women leaders throughout history, even in the Bible. Scripture does not forbid women from holding leadership positions in government or business. Even in the church, there are lots of leadership roles that women can hold. The majority of our Sunday school teachers are women. Our Sunday school superintendent is a woman. Women serve as our treasurer and as our financial secretaries. However, the word of God directed by the Spirit of God designates that male elders are to lead the church.
Next we see that the church is a Christocracy not a democracy. This is something that is really hard for the North American church to grasp. Democracy makes a great form of government, it makes a fine structure to an organization, but it makes a for problematic situation for the church. The reason for that is because the form of oversight is biblically incorrect.
The church is Christ’s body, meaning it’s a living, breathing organism, not just another organization. But what leads the body? Well, that’s simple – the head leads the body. And Scripture says in Eph. 5:23 that Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
Paul’s instruction to Titus was not to call a congregational meeting and hold a vote on every decision that needed to be made. I’m not mocking those who do this, but I’m just teaching what the Bible teaches. Paul said, “Select as representatives of the people men who are Godly…to be entrusted with God’s work.”
Now, certainly there are logistical and organizational aspects to the church. But the church is to be led first by Christ and His Word, and His Word instructs us to appoint spiritual men to lead.
There are many reasons for this. The main one, and really it’s a “no-brainer” is that it’s the biblical way to function. A secondary reason is one that is very reasonable. It makes a lot of sense. Churches that do everything by a popular vote rarely get anything accomplished. There is greater potential for division over petty issues.
My friend Darrel Land says, “I’m sorry, but Mr. Pew-sitter who has not picked up his Bible in years should not be deciding the spiritual direction for the church.” Believe it or not, that happens a lot.
Good leaders are first of all close to the Lord, and therefore sensitive to the Body, so as not to offend those with a weak conscience. But also, they aren’t intimidated by a few vocal critics.
The role of elder is gender-specific not gender neutral. The church is a Christocracy not a democracy. And third, we see that there are multiple leaders not a single pastor.
God in His wisdom knew that spiritual leadership was not meant to be a solo act. He said in verse 5 to “appoint elders in every town.” Notice the plurality. He didn’t say “appoint one elder for each church.”
The New Testament pattern was to have a plurality of elders. Acts 14:23 – Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
I believe there are practical reasons for having more than one elder. Not every congregation today has multiple overseers though. Many churches view the senior pastor as THE overseer...and they typically have deacons who fulfill the role of both elders and deacons.
Our desire is to follow the model described here of being a multiple elder-led church. We try as hard as we can to follow the example of the New Testament church when it comes to practice and doctrine. I’m not saying that we do everything right and that everyone else is wrong. But I have seen many churches consider the pastor as the only pastor or shepherd in the congregation, and from what we see here, that is not the Biblical model. It wasn’t a one-man show; there was always a team.
Qualifications of Church Leaders
Paul, in Titus 1:6, says that an elder, a leader in the church is to be blameless. Wow, as I read that, it makes me feel a little unworthy. If you knew everything God knew about me, you probably wouldn’t come to church here. On the other hand, if I knew everything God knows about you, I wouldn’t want you to come.
I’m sure every elder candidate that reads the word “blameless” thinks they shouldn’t be an elder. But we really have to take a deeper look at the meaning of the word. It does not mean “perfect.” The only perfect person to walk this earth was Jesus Christ, and that’s how it’ll be till He returns. No one else is completely blameless.
In my study of this subject, I have found it to mean that Paul is saying that this person should not be subject to damaging accusations that would embarrass the church or cause people in the church to not want to follow that person. God doesn’t require perfection, but He does require sincerity and effort toward perfection.
First, there is his family life. Paul mentions two marks that show his family life is in order. The first mark is that he is a godly husband. Paul says that an elder must be the husband of one wife.
Some have taken that statement to mean that an elder must never have been divorced and remarried. It seems kind of harsh to disqualify someone because of a situation over which they had no control or for something that happened many years ago. Fundamentally, the main questions are does this man avoid even the appearance of promiscuity and does his life demonstrate faithfulness to his marriage?
The second mark that his family life is in order is that he is a godly father. His “children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.” You can tell a lot about a man by observing his children.
However, we need to be realistic. First, everybody’s children disobey on occasion. Billy Graham’s son Franklin went through a period of rebellion where he turned his back on Christianity. But Franklin turned back to Christ and has developed a tremendous ministry of his own. Second, when a child grows up and leaves home, his parents no longer have control over them and should not be held accountable for the child’s choices.
Paul’s point here is that we’re to examine a person’s spiritual maturity and leadership ability by studying his leadership in the home. Do his children respect him and desire to follow his faith while they’re under his roof?
Next comes his social life. Paul gives us six marks to watch for in someone’s life to demonstrate that they should be an elder. I left out the sixth one on the outline. Before I forget, would you add a letter “f” somewhere after letter “e”?
The first mark is that he is not overbearing. An elder is to be a humble servant like Jesus his Lord. He’s not to be domineering and intimidating like leaders of the world.
The second mark is that he is slow to anger. He is not quick-tempered. If a man has a volatile temper, not only will he behave rashly in public and thus distract from the mission of Christ’s church, he will also make impulsive, angry decisions and be divisive in meetings.
The third mark is that he should be sober. He’s not to be given to drunkenness. Drunkenness has caused great destruction in our society. Speak to some police officers. They’ll confirm that a great amount of arrests fatal accidents, violent crime, and domestic disputes involve some intoxicating substance.
Mark number four: He is not violent. The KJV translates it that he is not to be a “striker.” He is not quick to resort to physical violence to deal with difficult situations. I don’t think it’s just coincidence that Paul mentions slow to anger, should be sober, and not violent together. A person who is slow to anger and stays away from intoxicating substances is much less likely to lash out at someone, curse someone, or hit someone when situations are stressful.
Mark number five: he does not pursue dishonest gain. If a man cheats other people in the business world or earns his money in an immoral occupation, he should not be leading in the Lord’s church.
A friend of mine served a congregation some years ago where a man and his family started coming to church. They came infrequently at first but eventually became fairly regular in attendance. After several years, this man thought he should be an elder in this congregation. The problem was that this man had never turned away from what might be called immoral business interests. He got very upset because he was unqualified. He and his family found another church in town where within a few years he moved into a leadership position but never giving up the money that came from immorality.
The sixth mark is that he must be hospitable. The term here in the original literally means “a lover of guests.” An elders home should be a receptive place where fellowship and deeper relationships occur naturally.
Finally, under this section anyway, is his personal life. Again, I missed one here on the printed bulletin. Would you put the letter “e” somewhere after “d”? That would make five blanks instead of four.
First, he should love what is good. The term here in the original language refers to something that is good in both character and constitution. An elder shouldn’t just look like he’s good. He should be in close relationships with people and things that are good.
Phil. 4:8-9 – Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Second, he should be self-controlled. An elder should be a man who can sensibly and with right thinking curb his desires and impulses. He demonstrates God’s work of grace in his life through self-control.
Titus 2:11-12 – For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodlinesss and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.
Third, he should be upright. Sometimes this word is translated as “righteous.” He doesn’t have to hang his head because of his behavior. He is strictly honorable and honest.
Fourth, he should be holy. An elder should equally balance grace and truth. He embraces the new life given to him through Christ.
Eph. 4:22-24 – You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Last but not least, he should be disciplined. He is strong and self-controlled because he disciplines himself in study, prayer, and service. He practices these things on a regular basis.
All of that summed up means that an elder needs to be a person of deep personal integrity. People don’t expect their leaders to be perfect, but they do expect them to be authentic. An elder doesn’t have to be the model of perfection but he should be a model of spiritual growth and maturity.
Convictions of Church Leaders
First, he must hold firmly to the true gospel. A church will remain doctrinally sound when her leaders remain doctrinally sound. The church should monitor the beliefs and lifestyles of each elder, teacher, and staff member. We should be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
Second, he must be able to encourage others. Paul says that he does so through sound doctrine. We often think of doctrine as being boring and discouraging, but in a world where the foundations are crumbling, people are encouraged when a leader says, “this is exactly where we stand. This is what the Bible says. So we’ll stand on that.” People respect that type of leader and their faith is refreshed.
In a Peanuts comic strip, Lucy and Linus are looking out a window at heavy rain. Lucy says, “Boy, look at it rain … It might flood the whole world.” Linus says, “It will never do that … In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow.” Lucy says, “You’ve taken a great load off my mind.” Linus responds, “Sound theology has a way of doing that.”
Finally (yes, FINALLY!), he must be able to refute false doctrine. Not only must an elder have a strong understanding of sound doctrine and be able to encourage others in their faith by teaching them sound doctrine, he must be able to stand up against false doctrine. A shepherd doesn’t just feed and love the sheep. He must protect them from the wolves.
Most of us find confrontation to be distasteful. If you don’t find confrontation distasteful then there’s probably something wrong with your character. However, false doctrine destroys the church and dilutes the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s essential that our elders stand up against false doctrine with the support of those they serve.
Heb. 13:17 – Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
Close
Christ is our Chief Shepherd…the CEO…the head of this body. And any leadership authority that any of us might have in the church comes under the leadership of Christ, and we must submit to Him.
1 Pet. 5:1-4 – To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
As leaders of this congregation we have a boss – a superior; a supervisor. As leaders, we answer for everything we do to Jesus Christ. We should seek to do his will and not the will of the people.
I know the message today has leaned toward being more academic than inspiring, but that does not make it any less important. I think it’s vital that we stay informed about what God’s Word has to say about selecting qualified leaders. So, this message was not just aimed at those currently in leadership. You need to know how to select future leaders.
But you also need to know that, if you are a Christian, we consider you a leader in a sense, and we all need to strive in our personal lives to live and lead to the best of our ability. None of us will be perfect, but with God’s help, may we lead others into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s pray.
