BaptistWay: Qualities of worthy church leaders

• The BaptistWay lesson for Nov. 2 focuses on 1 Timothy 3:1-13.

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• The BaptistWay lesson for Nov. 2 focuses on 1 Timothy 3:1-13.

As the great-granddaughter, granddaughter and daughter of ministers, as a former church staff member myself, and now the wife of a pastor, ministry families are close to my heart. Regardless of the size of the church, the title of the ministry position, the amount of the salaries—or lack thereof—ministers are people who see the best and worst of humanity.Sometimes in the same day—from the same individuals.

Ministers sometimes know more than they wish they did about some people’s life choices and desperately want to free others from the bondage in which they are so deeply entangled. They’ve stayed up all night preparing sermons or lessons only to have them interrupted by disruptive children. They’ve been the first one in the building and the last one there at night. Meanwhile, they might have a family who needs their attention, too.

The leftovers

Sometimes—maybe even often—their families get what’s left over at the end of the day. Family members’ needs may not seem as overwhelming or pressing, so they get pushed to the back burner to be dealt with “tomorrow.” Sometimes “tomorrow” comes, but sometimes it doesn’t. Then they try to make up for it, or try harder, but someone else’s urgent need sends them back to the church, the hospital, the police station or a church member’s home.

Serving Jesus’ church is a high calling and high privilege. It’s not to be approached haphazardly or by those of poor character. Thus, when the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about the requirements of the overseers and deacons, he didn’t list the things they ought to do. He described the kind of people they should be, particularly in regard to their own families. There’s a word of wisdom—and warning—there for 21st century church leaders. Who we are and how we relate to our families is important to God, as well as an example to our churches.

According to Paul, serving the church as an “overseer” is an admirable desire. It’s a calling worthy of pursuit. Paul’s passion, however is to ensure the future viability of the church. Therefore, character is of utmost importance, since these leaders represent Jesus to the world. An overseer must possess exceptional character as demonstrated by outward characteristics. These characteristics aren’t what led to his/her calling. Rather, the outward characteristics are reflective of an inward calling and a transformation of the heart. These qualifications are neither easily attained nor easily kept, but they are essential to living a life worthy of leading the church Jesus gave his life for.

There are numerous characteristics listed in verses 2-7. Paul seems to suggest that to lack in any one of these areas is sufficient for disqualification to serve as an overseer (this same title in Greek is used in Acts 20:28 and Titus 1:7). These characteristics aren’t entirely public, but all are clearly observed or discovered. A deficiency in one of these areas will show itself soon enough. 

Character over performance


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Church history is littered with examples of such. Far less notorious are the examples of church leaders who did fulfill the character qualifications. The impetus behind each of these seems to be a preference for character over performance or substance over style. While the list clearly never was intended to be exhaustive, fulfilling these will take a lifetime of committed Christ-following and devotion. It will be clear to observers—both believers and unbelievers—when character is lacking.

Included in the character qualities are a trio of warnings serving as guardrails for church leadership:

(1) Manage your home well—failure to do so disqualifies you (3:2, 4-5). The Greek word here, proistemi, can also be translated to “stand before” or “lead.” Ministers serve a significant role in their churches, but they serve a vital and irreplaceable role in their homes. Their families need them to fulfill this calling first. Doing so also is good for the church. Ministers who serve from a place of family health can guide their churches more easily toward health.

(2) Don’t put a new convert in such a pressure-packed role (3:6). The overseer needs time to mature and season. Pride may drive this leader to make grave mistakes with eternal consequences. 

(3) Ensure the overseer hasn’t already shipwrecked his/her reputation with outsiders (3:7). Paul doesn’t define or qualify how this is accomplished—some might have looked at Paul and claimed he was already out. Nor does Paul define what trap Satan is setting. Clearly, leaders should be on the alert.

Deacon qualifications are detailed as well. Their role, established in Acts 6, is a co-laboring role with the overseer. Thus, their qualifications are almost identical. Distinctively, a “test” is commanded for them. In Baptist life, such a test is reflected in the ordination process. Paul wants to make it clear—such a role is not to be treated lightly. Like the role of overseer, the role of deacon calls for the utmost character and integrity. A high calling such as this certainly demands no less. Integrity means something. That something isn’t from the outside in, but the inside out, motivated by something deeper than surface-level morality. 

The ‘pay-off’

What’s the reward for all the hard work of serving well in these leadership roles? While not explicit, it is clear—(they) “gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus” (3:15).

Pierce Harris, in a recent Leadership magazine article, offers a tongue-in-cheek list of requirements for church leaders: “The modern preacher has to make as many visits as a country doctor, shake as many hands as a politician, prepare as many briefs as a lawyer, and see as many people as a specialist. He (She) has to be as good an executive as the president of a university, as good a financier as a bank president; and in the midst of it all, has to be so good a diplomat that he (she) could umpire a baseball game between the Knights of Columbus and the Ku Klux Klan.” 

Though we might laugh at this list, the pressures of ministry leadership often reflect such unrealistic expectations. Are you praying for those who serve in your church’s leadership roles? Satan would love nothing more than to destroy their character, destroy their families and bring injury to the Bride of Christ they serve and lead.

If you serve in leadership (regardless of title), do you need to make changes in your character to be sure you are qualifying according to Scripture? Laypeople can be challenged to demonstrate these character traits in their homes and to those around them.

Has the Lord been prompting you prayerfully to consider a ministry leadership role? What’s holding you back?


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