INSIGHT SERVICE
“What would God say about... Church Leadership
1 TIMOTHY 3:1-8,TITUS 1:5-9
INTRODUCTION:
At first you see only a basketball bouncing, then the shoes of an anonymous player.. Then all of a sudden you recognize who the shoes belong to, it’s Charles Barkley, professional basketball player, “the round mound of rebound.” All of sudden Charles is looking right into the camera and he says, “Hey, don’t look at me, I’m no role model, I’m just a basketball player.” That’s how the controversial Nike commercial shown in 1998 started. It ended with a well known “Sir Charles” saying, “Just because I’m a basketball player doesn’t mean I can raise your kids.” And with his admitted sexual episodes and his often biting tongue he was right. But he was and is looked up to. Somehow he thought back then he could sidestep any responsibility of modeling proper behavior if he just told us not to watch him. Compare that Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts who said, “If you are a professional athlete you must accept that you are a role model. It’s up to you how you use that platform.” Peyton goes out of his way to talk to kids, to sign autographs and to as he says, “.. let people know that I’m more than just a football player, I want to be a good example to follow. Which of the two do you think is a leader? Which one would you want your children to take after?
Well, certainly the world needs exemplary role models and that certainly must apply to the church. In a day when many are put off by religious scandals and cults we must know how to gage those that are going to be leaders in the church. So, tonight this teaching has a both a specific and a general application. The specific application is to us as a Church: Choose your leaders carefully and then follow them consistently. The general application is to us as individuals: Be careful who you choose to follow as role models. Whoever influences you, an athlete, an entertainer, a successful business person, a school teacher, you be careful who you choose to follow. So tonight I hope you’ll make both the specific application to our church in terms of who God says should be our leaders and the general application to your personal life.
I. THE ROLE OF THE LEADER: Vs:5
First, let’s look at the role of formal leaders in the church of the New Testament. We here at Discovery want to use the Bible as our rule book and road map for life and that includes following the example and Biblical qualification for who we ask to be our church leaders. The main church leader in the N.T. filled the office of Elder. Now, that didn’t happen right away. In the NT, the Church was first guided by the 12 apostles, the close associates of Jesus. But as the church grew they began to appoint Elders. The first mention of NT Elders is in Acts 11:30 where Paul and Barnabas delivered an offering to the Church at Jerusalem and gave it to the Elders to minister they way they though best. When we think of the word “Elder” we often think of someone older than us. You know as in, “Respect your elders.” And although it is good for a spiritual leader to have life experience, when the N.T. talks about being an Elder it is not referring to chronological age as much as to their spiritual maturity. That’s why 1 Timothy 3:7 tells us they are not to be a “recent convert.” Referring to the fact that they should not be young in the faith, not saying they can’t be young. Now, as I said I think there are some real positives we should consider with life experience. It would be hard for a 20 year old to talk to a 34 year old father about how to raise his children. But just understand that “elder” here is referring to spiritual maturity rather than chronological age.
The primary metaphor most often used in the N.T. to describe an Elder’s primary role was shepherd. A shepherd is a person who takes care of the flock in many ways. Bob Jones of J.B.C. says that in the Bible the Elders had four primary tasks.
1. There were to be able to teach the flock-1 Tim.3:2 says that an elder is to be “able to teach.”
2. They were to be able to guard the flock. To oversee or be responsible for the spiritual management of the flock. In Acts 20:28 Paul tells the elders at the Christian church in Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” In vs:31 it says, “Be on your guard!” Talking about protecting the church against those who would distort the truth.
3. They were to be willing to care for the flock. Show compassion and help people where possible. 1 Peter 5:1 says, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder... Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers...”
4. They were to be a be a spiritual example to the flock-1 Ptr 5:3 tells the elders not to be “...lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”
5. They were determine & guard the doctrine - Acts15 & 20 give us examples in the early church where the elders set the doctrine and upheld it. (Repeat the 5 things.)
But in the modern Church we ask the Elders to do a different 5 things: 1- Go to Church Sunday A.M., 2- Be a “good guy”, 3- Teach a class, 4. Give money, 5- Go to the meetings and we’ll settle for 2 out of 5! But the function of an Elder is more important than that! Just because somebody comes to Church regularly, gives money and are “good people” doesn’t mean that they are qualified to be an Elder. The Church needs to appoint spiritually mature people who have demonstrated they have leadership gifts.
So, since they have such an important task it is important we know some of the basics in identify a person qualified to be an Elder, Scripture gives us these basics to look for. I want you to notice some things about these identity basics but I also want to warn you that although they are Biblical, some of them are contrary to popular thought.
(1) The role of Elder is a male role. Paul, in 1 Tim. 3:2 and in Titus 1:6, says that the Elder is to be “the husband of but one wife.”Now, we’ll talk about what that means in a moment but it certainly means male. You have to be a "he" to marry a "she,” at least that’s the way God designed it. To fulfill this position you need to be, as it says in 1 Tim. 3:4, to be able to manage “his” household well and see that “his” children obey “him.” In fact, throughout this entire passage and the verses in Titus 1 the pronoun is only masculine. Interestingly in 1 Tim. 3, after giving the qualifications of the Elders, Paul writes in 1 Tim. 3:8, “In the same way,” and gives the qualifications of Deacons. He’s saying, like Elders, Deacons (servants) have qualifications too. Then he says in vs:11, “In the same way,” and talks about the qualifications of Deacon’s wives. My question has always been: “Why would he list the wives separately if either of the offices could be filled by either?” Now, as I said, I know this is controversial. Many denominations have female elders. There are many women who lead in the secular world and are insulted when they hear there is a leadership role that the Bible doesn’t allow them to lead in. Some want to suggest that Paul was simply trying to accommodate the culture of his day and this is not to apply to the church now. Some also say Paul hated women.
But I disagree. Women in the N.T. were leaders in the church and in fact were leaders for Paul. In Romans 16 he asks the church to welcome Pheobe, a woman who managed some of his affairs. It’s not that women can’t lead. But Scripture does designate the office of Elder as being a male role, so for Discovery we will only have men serve as Elders. Please understand. This is not a matter of superiority, it is simply a matter of trying to comply as closely as possible to God’s Word. I’ve got to tell you. I’m not certain why God did it this way, I know some women who have all the characteristics of an elder, some who I would of liked to be elders, except they are not the husband of one wife. So, I’m not sure why God did it this way. All I know is that God says in Isa. 55:6- “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." So, the Lord must have His reasons and that will have to be good enough.
(2) The second basic I want you to see is how Elders are chosen. They are to be appointed by other spiritually mature leaders. The leadership of the Church is a Christocracy, with Christ as our benevolent dictator, not a democracy where Elders are selected by popular vote. Growing up in America we think everything ought to determined by the majority. But notice that Paul didn’t tell Titus to hold a congregational meeting. He said in Titus 1:5, "Titus, I want you to appoint Elders in every town." And this isn’t the only time we see that happening. In Acts 14:23 the only other direct time we see Elders selected we read that Paul & Barnabas appointed Elders in the churches they started. The Message says it this way:“Paul and Barnabas handpicked leaders in each church. After praying - their prayers intensified by fasting - they presented these new leaders to the Master to whom they had entrusted their lives.” Spiritually, that makes sense. A congregation can be hurt if the new Christians, the young Christians and the mature Christians all have the same authority in establishing the spiritual leaders of the church. How much does a new or fairly young Christian understand about the qualifications? Why should a person who has been going to church for 20 years but is not spiritually mature determine who is mature? And how do we determine who is mature and who is not? It is more Biblical and makes more spiritual sense to have those we know are spiritually mature, like Titus, make that distinction. Now, that does not mean that the members of the church should have no input, they should, but it shouldn’t be a popular vote. That’s why here at Discovery, the staff has selected these three men that you see on your insert, because of their past experience and their over 2 years of example, to be our first candidates for elder. In the future, those presently serving on the Leadership Team, after hearing suggestions from the congregation, will be the “clearing house” to determine an approved list. Before they will be approved they must go through a selection process of interviews, training and the like. Folks, the Church has never been a democracy. And I think it’s important for all of us to understand that spiritual matters in the Church are not decided by majority opinion. A particular ministry team may vote on how much money to spend on certain things or who or what date a particular function might occur, the congregation will have input on many issues, but when it comes to the handling of spiritual matters, like problems of faith, doctrine or leadership issues - that is taken care of by the leaders. The Church is a Christocracy, with Jesus as the Head, not a democracy.
(3) Their number is to be plural. The word “Pastor” and “Elder” are often used to describe the same office. Calling elders Pastors is biblically okay. But the church is not run by one single pastor. Paul did not say, "Titus, I want you to appoint one man to be The Elder or The Master Pastor of the Church." No, he said, "Titus appoint several men in every church." Now, I understand that in every movement of God, He has used “key” leaders.. Abraham, Moses, Paul, to lead and I believe that he called me to be the lead and preaching minister here. Furthermore, I believe our pastoral staff should function as Elders. In fact, we will hire no “Pastor” unless they meet the qualifications found in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1. We may hire “directors,” support staff and the like but they won’t be a part of the “Pastoral staff” which should function as elders. Now, when we grow to such a number that this becomes unwieldy we may have to revisit it but for now, every Pastor we hire must meet the qualifications of an elder. But, with that said, that does not mean we are to have a singular “Pastor rule.” The hired Pastoral staff will serve serve side by side and in conjunction with the selected Elders of the church. The scripture we just saw in Acts 14:23 tells us that Paul and Baranbas appointed Elders.. Plural. So, I do not run this Church. That has been hard in a new church plant because to be honest when this church started and I was the only “Pastor” I did. I didn’t like it! It is so much better, let alone Biblical to serve within a plurality of spiritually mature leaders.
II. THE RECOGNITION OF THE LEADER: VSS:6-8
Now, beginning with vs:6 Paul underscores the qualifications that we need to recognize in the person of an Elder. The first thing you may notice is that in the both vss 6 &7, Paul says that an Elder is to be blameless. Now, if that means "sinless" than we don’t have anyone that qualifies to be an Elder. But that word in the Greek is a word meaning "without accusation", or "above reproach." In others words an Elder cannot be subject to damaging incrimination, that would embarrass the Church. J.B. Phillips translates it, "they are to be men of unquestioned integrity."
And I see groupings of characteristics here that are to be in any man who is or is to become an Elder. First is he reflects spiritual maturity with his family. Now, I believe that means IF he has a family this is how he should treat them. I don’t think Paul ever meant that marriage or fatherhood was a prerequisite to being considered an Elder. If that was so then he himself and even Jesus Christ would not be qualified. Not to mention the fact that Peter, who specifically calls himself an Elder in1 Ptr. 5, is said to be married in Matt. 8:14 but never said to have children. Now, there are certain things a married man and a father can handle in shepherding better than an unmarried or childless men can. But the other way around is true to. It’s very difficult for a family man to identify with a single or single again person. So, if he is married, Paul says he must be "The husband of but one wife." Now, some take that to mean he’s never to have been divorced and remarried. But I agree with most scholars that take that to mean he is to be a “one woman man”. He is to have a solid commitment to his wife, he is not to be a womanizer, he is to be sexually pure. Divorce never has or will it ever be the unpardonable sin. Remember David, the adulterer, he was allowed to be King. Remember, Peter, the denier, he was allowed to preach the first gospel sermon, Paul, the murderer, was allowed to be the greatest missionary. And I think it is wrong of us to hold certain sins against people that God has forgiven. An Elder needs to be a devoted husband and his wife needs to be Godly too. In 1 Tim. 3:11 the wives of deacons are given some expectations. Now, I can’t hardly believe that wives of Elders, since they have more responsibility then Deacons, wouldn’t at least carry the same expectations. It says: “Their wives must also be of good character. They must not be gossips, but they must control their tempers and be trustworthy in every way.”(GW)
Also Paul says an Elder is to be someone who’s Christianity works at home. He is to be “a man whose 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 family. If his children are always out of control, if they are rebellious, if they never come to church, if he has to go to the PTA meetings under an assumed name- then it’s probably best not to follow him as a leader. If his Christianity doesn’t work at home he’s not ready to lead the family of God. At the same time, be realistic. Everybody’s child has the potential to rebel on occasion. There must be an evaluation of a person’s effectiveness over a period of time. But the overall family life of the Elder should reflect God’s will for the home.
The second category that should be above reproach is the Elder is to reflect spiritual maturity with others. Let me just touch on a few of these. Vs:7 says that an Elder is a manager, of the most precious commodity ever to entrusted to man - God’s work. And so he must have a good reputation with outsiders - a man of integrity and compassion. He is not to be quick tempered or overbearing. Back in the days when I was a police officer I was an elder at our church. One Sunday I was asked if I would bring an offering meditation. At the last minute I discovered I would be working that day so our Pastor asked if I could get a 10 minute break and give my stewardship meditation while on duty. So I did. I went into the pulpit in full uniform, wearing a .357 magnum and my offering thought was 3 words: "Give, or else!" Now, that’s overbearing. I actually didn’t do that that but come to think of it we had a really good offering that day, so maybe I should ask one or our officers.. Naa. An Elder is not to lead by intimidation, a volatile tempered or by being overbearing.
He is not to pursue dishonest gain. If a man cheats other people in business he is not to lead in the Church, he’s lost his reputation. Vs:8 says, he must be hospitable. TLB paraphrases that, "He must enjoy having guests in his home." He thinks of his home as a “tool” for getting to know others better and uses it as such.
One more area. They should demonstrate spiritual maturity in their personal life. They are to be a person of strong character. To be self-controlled which is word that not only carries with it the meaning of resisting temptation but one who is in control of his demeanor.. they are a positive, they control their emotions for the good of the Church. They are to be upright and holy. I don’t think you are to expect your leaders to be perfect as much as you expect them to be authentic. Plus he must be strong spiritually himself. When a man is interviewed to be in Elder in this church one of the first questions he’s asked is about his devotional life, what kind of quiet time does he have? What books is he reading in order to grow personally, and so forth. Notice here Paul says he is to love what is good. He doesn’t just love people, he loves the truth and wants to grow in it.
Now, lest you read these qualities and have the temptation to look at our Elders and say, "Boy, you’ve got a lot to live up to up too - better stay on your toes!" I need to tell you that Paul in the book of Titus moves to the 2nd chapter and repeats most of these characteristics for every group within the Church. You see, these are qualities we should all be aspiring toward as we grow in Christ-like-ness.
III. RESPONSIBILITY TO LEADERS: VS:9
Now, vs:9 I think gives us a hint as to how we, as a congregation, should respond to our Elders. The first thing we should do is listen to them because they work hard at making sure we have the truth. 1 Thess. 5:12-12 - “We ask you to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.” One of the blessings and refreshing things about this church is that we have people coming from every spiritual background imaginable. And that’s good because it causes us to "dig in" and see what the Bible has to say. But it is essential that the leaders of the Church maintain a unified doctrinal stance, that is, that we all hold to our vision, and core values consistently. If we listen to them, we can spare ourselves the grief of being sucked into false teaching. The very last phrase in Titus 1:9 says our leaders must not only know the truth and teach it, they “refute those who oppose it. Please listen to me very carefully. Right now, everything is going smoothly, we are growing both numerically and spiritually, God is blessing us, so the temptation might be to just gloss over this. But every once in a while, it is necessary for Elders to take a stand against eroding truth. A shepherd doesn’t just feed and love, he must also protect the flock against wolves. We all dislike confrontation but there are times when it is essential for a leader to confront error. It needs to be done as lovingly as possible but the Scripture repeatedly tells the Elders to rebuke and refute if necessary.
Now, once the Elders make a decision, and as long as the recommendation does not contradict Scripture, then our second response is that we are to accept or submit to their authority. Listen to two very important scriptures. Heb. 13:7 - “Remember your leaders who taught God’s message to you. Remember how they lived.. and copy their faith.” Heb.13:17- "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." It is so important we take this Biblical admonition to heart. Because we need to understand a basic principle - Satan does not want this Church to grow- either numerically or spiritually. The last thing he wants is for us to be is an influence in this community. And when Satan mounts his frontal attack, when difficulty comes, it is essential that our leaders understand their role, that they be men of shining example, men of character, men who stand for the Truth and are supported by the members.
And that is true for each individual life too. Satan will do whatever he can, he will use whoever he can to destroy our relationship with God. So it is vital we look to the right kind of role models for our lives. Let’s close by using what we’ve learned about leaders in the church to assist us in looking for good leadership in our own life.
(1) Make sure the person you look up to had a strong relationship with Christ. That goes for those you look for as close friends, for those you would date, for those you would go to for advice. If they know Christ in a real way then they themselves will be trying to imitate Him. (2) Look for one with a strong relationship with others. One who is good in the home and when working with others. One who is unselfish, looking to put others before self, doesn’t throw a tantrum when things don’t go their way and respects themself and you enough not to allow chemicals of any kind to become an escape, because after all a real role model is high on life. (3) Look for strong character. What Paul says here is so essential. Is your role model known for their honesty and integrity? Look beyond any worldly success they may have and see if they are upright.
Bruce Larson, in his book, Wind and Fire, points out some interesting facts about sandhill cranes. "These large birds, who fly great distances across continents, have remarkable qualities. They choose leaders who best handle turbulence. And then, all during the time one bird is leading, the rest are honking their affirmation." That’s what the Church should do. Following leaders who are qualified by God’s Word, who are men of strong character, who have leadership qualities and will lead us safely through Satan’s turbulence and then all of us together honking our encouragement. If we’ll do that I’m sure that our guys or any great role model will appreciate it. But they’ll also be the first ones to point you to the only one worthy of your ultimate worship: and that is Jesus Christ. As Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:1- “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
