Finding the Right Men

Text—These are the very words of God

Introduction

Tonight we are talking about the Scriptural qualifications for a pastor.

When Paul lists qualifications for elders/pastors, he does not begin with skill, strategy, or platform.

He begins and ends with character.

You can see the list:

Above reproach

Husband of one wife

Sober-minded

Self-controlled

Respectable

Hospitable

Able to teach

Not a drunkard

Not violent but gentle

Not quarrelsome

Not a lover of money

Managing his household well

Not a recent convert

Well thought of by outsiders.

Of everything on that list, only one item is a gifting—able to teach.

Every other item is a mark of personal holiness, relational maturity and visible integrity.

This is important: in God's economy, leadership is not built on natural talent.

It is built on Christlike character.

Which raises a question we have to wrestle with tonight: why does the list care so much about a man's character?

Why isn’t it more focused on skill? Talent? Abilities?

The answer is that a congregation does not simply listen to a pastor preach and teach.

They watch him.

They learn from his life—from his character.

This is why character is what is looked for the most.

The church must be able to follow men of true Christian character, not just listen to talented orators.

And this was not just the case in Ephesus.

Paul gives almost an identical list to Titus, who is pastoring in Crete.

In Titus 1:5-9, Paul tells him to appoint elders or pastors in every town.

This was not a local custom for one congregation. It is the standard for the office wherever it exists.

Including here at Seaford.

Big Idea

The qualifications for pastors describe a Spirit-led life of godliness, not a resume of abilities an accomplishments.

Outline

1. The Pastor’s Example

2. The Pastor’s Gifting

3. The Pastor’s Accessibility

4. The Pastor’s Life

5. The Pastor’s Shortcomings

1. The Pastor’s Example (v. 1)

Pastoral ministry is called a “noble task.”

That is something that must be understood by the man who aspires to it.

It is an honorable thing.

But like with all positions of honor—it must be handled carefully.

People are watching.

First of all, every pastor is setting an example.

Paul knows this well, which is why he doesn’t just Timothy a list of qualifications for other pastors. He calls Timothy to remember his own responsibility to set the pace in the church.

1 Timothy 4:12 ESV

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Paul later tells Titus to "show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity and dignity" (Titus 2:7).

The life of a pastor is always teaching.

In fact, he may say far more with his life than with his mouth.

After all, he spends far more time with the church OUT of the pulpit than IN the pulpit.

If the pastor is always setting example, we can understand why the Scriptures are so concerned with a pastor’s character.

Secondly, character flows from the inside out.

Jesus warned the Pharisees about appearing clean on the outside while remaining full of decay within.

Matthew 23:27 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

Paul makes the same point to Timothy in the form of encouragement, as opposed to warning.

1 Timothy 1:5 ESV

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

A pastor does not manufacture righteousness for an audience. He doesn’t just act righteous in certain situations.

Instead, he walks in righteousness.

And his life becomes a sermon the church can hear by watching.

And it is a life they can learn from.

If a pastor will have this sort of exemplary life, it isn’t manufactured by their own efforts.

It will come about because they are submitting themselves to God’s Word and God’s will and as a result God’s Spirit is changing them from the inside out.

Which brings us to the third thing we have to know about a Pastor’s Example...

Thirdly, what is cultivated in private will eventually be seen.

1 Timothy 5:24-25 (NLT)

New Living Translation Chapter 5

24 Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. 25 In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.

If a pastor is cultivating a true relationship with God through the Word and through prayer, it will impact him.

He will be putting sin to death. He will be growing in wisdom and godliness.

People in the church will see it and be touched by it.

But if the pastor is not cultivating a relationship with God in private and their lives are becoming worldly, that will be seen as well.

If the pastor’s character is going to be an example to the church, he will have to pursue the Lord in his personal life, when no one is watching and the only reward is God Himself.

It is crucial that the pastor IS growing in this way because...

(Fourthly) A pastor’s disposition tends to become the congregation's disposition.

If a pastor grows in patience, he can lead the church to be patient.

When a pastor is prayerful, the church will follow suit.

This is because a church learns far more from their pastors than just doctrine.

They learn a way of life.

Application

Paul calls eldership a noble task in 1 Timothy 3:1.

It is one that men should be encouraged to aspire to.

But we should also pray for any man that God would call to the responsibility.

Their are going to be men who must be vigilant about watching over their lives in private and in public.

They will have to guard their example if they will have an effective ministry.

But ultimately, this same principle applies to every believer.

Your character is teaching someone, whether you intend it to or not.

Ask the Lord to show you what example your own life is displaying:

At home

At work

At church

2. The Pastor’s Gifting (v. 2)

Now—before we get into the character that a pastor must have if they are to be an example, we start with the gifting they must have.

After all, nothing will mark their ministry more than whether or now they could faithfully handle God’s Word.

Then we will look closer at the character qualifications that undergird the pastor’s teaching ministry.

Nearly everything else on the list is asked of every Christian.

Almost every quality required of an elder is required of all believers elsewhere in the New Testament.

Apart from not being a recent convert, there is just one item in the list that is not asked of every Christian...

A Pastor who shepherds God’s flock must be able to teach (1 Tim. 3:2).

They must be able to read God’s Word, explain it to others and help them see how it applies to their lives.

This doesn’t mean they have to be great preachers of sermons.

Some pastors primarily teach one-on-one in the counseling room

Some teach in small group settings

Some teach in classrooms

But they must be able to do the work of teaching with faithfulness and fidelity to the truth

In so many ways, teaching defines the office.

An pastor is not primarily an administrator or a visionary.

He is not a business man. He is not a professional holy man providing religious goods and performances.

He is a man who can open God's Word, explain it accurately, and apply it to real lives.

Titus 1:9 says it this way:

Titus 1:9 ESV

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

If a man cannot teach, that doesn’t mean he is less than.

It is just not a gift that God has given them.

God blesses men and women to serve with all sorts of spiritual gifts in His church.

And they are all crucial for the church’s mission.

But there are some men he uniquely gifts for the office of Pastor/Elder/Overseer.

In fact, this is why elder, overseer, and pastor are one office, described three ways.

"Elder" (presbyteros) highlights maturity

Almost the way you would describe a dignified older man.

The Elder has dignified maturity in his heart and life.

"Overseer" (episkopos) highlights leading and guarding. Watching over.

Pastor comes from the Greek word poimēn

It points to feeding and protecting

Paul applied all of these terms to the same men in the same breath in Acts 20.

When our own bylaws use the word "Pastor," this single, unified office is what is in view.

The “Pastor” does all of these things when he teaches.

He teaches from a place of godly maturity.

He watches over his own life so that he can honor God and remain this sort of teacher for the church

He teaches in order to lead the sheep and guard them from falsehood.

Paul tells the Ephesian elders that fierce wolves will come in and they won’t spare the flock.

The pastor’s teaching must guard the church from drifting into the traps set by wolves and worldly teaching

He teaches the Word so that the sheep would be fed and protected by the truth.

This is something that the pastor does at all times:

2 Timothy 4:2–3 ESV

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

Application

All of this means that when we are considering men for the office of pastor, the question is not:

Is he likable?

Is he super-active in the church?

Is he a great deacon?

Instead, the question is:

Can he teach the Word of God to the Church of God?

But that certainly is not all.

If the pastor is not only a Teacher, but a Teacher whose life is an example, then he must meet the character qualifications that we see in 1 Timothy 3.

3. The Pastor’s Accessibility (v. 2)

It might seem odd to focus in on hospitality from the start, but here is why:

If the pastor’s life is not accessible to church and the men he pastors with, no one will really know him.

And he will never really know the sheep he claims to lead.

The church must have access to their pastors.

Hospitality is a qualification, not an optional skill.

Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus both include this qualification

An overseer "must be... hospitable" (1 Tim. 3:2),

Titus says he must be "hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined" (Titus 1:7–8).

But what does this mean?

Does it mean the pastor must host an event at his house every week?

Does it mean that the pastor has to come hang out with you at your house once a week?

What is the standard that Paul is laying down here?

The answer: Hospitality is spiritual accessibility.

The Greek word for hospitality means lover of guests.

The pastor should host guests in his life.

Yes—his home should be open to the church.

But the open home is more than just making plans.

It represents the willingness of the overseer to open up his life to the lives of others.

The pastor must let people into his life so that they can see him LIVE what he PREACHES.

He should be spiritually accessible to the flock.

He is not someone who is only seen and heard from when the church doors are unlocked.

He is someone who leaves the door of his house and his life ajar for the sheep.

An open life teaches things a sermon cannot.

When I was in seminary, Katie and I went to dinner at a pastor’s house.

We ate with his family.

Then we watched he and his wife go through their bedtime routine with their kids.

Then we sat and talked for hours before going home.

I’ll never forget that night for as long as I live.

It stands out in my mind.

I watched this Pastor function in his family and I learned more about him, about godliness in parenting and about what a home should like than he could have taught me in a 35 minute sermon on Parenting.

And the next time I saw him in the pulpit, his teaching meant more to me because I knew what sort of Dad and Husband he was.

I knew the sort of godly woman he was married to.

I saw what he looks like down on one knee helping a child put on tiny little socks.

If the pastor is not hospitable, he will be nothing more than a teacher whose life is unknown by the people.

This will not breed trust.

On the other hand, the hospitable pastor has a life that can be seen.

His ordinary rhythms of prayer, correction, repentance, and joy—they can be found wherever he is in everyday life. And he doesn’t hide it away.

His spiritual life is not just something curated for public presentation.

It is the air he breathes and he invites others into it so that he is known and so that he can know.

Application

If a man aspires to shepherd, they must consider these things.

Are you willing to open your life to others or to only maintain public relationships and a public persona?

Are you living the sort of life you can invite others into?

It is crucial this is considered because here is what I think you will find in God’s world”

Healthy churches are hospitable churches, following the example of healthy and hospitable pastors.

4. The Pastor’s Life (v. 2-7)

The pastor who sets an example must be able to teach (GIFTING)

They must be hospitable, opening their lives to others.

Here are the rest of the character qualifications.

The household is the proving ground for the church

1 Timothy 3:4–5 ESV

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

The home is like a little church.

In this home, the pastor should be husband of one wife.

He is a one-woman man.

He treats marriage as being sacred and is faithful in it.

He is no adulterer who takes the covenant lightly.

And in the home, the pastor should not provoke his children to anger, but raise them in the discipline and the instruction of the Lord.

In other words—God calls the pastor to a godly life in his household.

God calls the the husband to shepherd that home in the pattern of Christ in Ephesians 5.

After all, If a man cannot shepherd his own household, how can he lead God’s household—the church?

If a man cannot keep his handful of children in good behavior—how will he oversee the souls of dozens and dozens of people?

If a man is cold, harsh and neglectful at home, he will be the same in the church.

But If he is a tender, patient and attentive at home, he will typically display that same character in the church.

If a man is considering being a pastor, his wife may have the best opinion on his qualifications.

But it isn’t just abut his wife.

His children must be considered as well.

Submissive children reflect a father who has shepherded hearts, not merely managed behavior.

We can see in v. 4 that the overseer is to keep his children submissive, with all dignity

They should be well-behaved. Submissive to the authority in their home.

Not because they fear beating but because they revere their father, who is good to them and fair to them, but also fixed in the truth in all he does.

In his letter to Titus, Paul says:

Titus 1:6 ESV

if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.

This does not mean that all of a pastor’s kids must grow up and be adult believers who live their lives for Jesus.

Every pastor wants that.

But it is not guaranteed. That is in God’s hands. He is the One who converts the heart.

However, Paul’s words to Titus do emphasize that a pastor is fulfilling his duties.

He is raising his kids in such a way that it is his clear aim that they would be faithful followers of Jesus.

He points them to Christ and His Gospel faithfully.

The fruit of the Spirit is the observable evidence behind the rest of the list.

We have a number of other qualifications in this passage that are not to be ignored.

Here is the thing about them—they are all really things that every Christian should strive for and want in their lives.

On one hand they are pastoral qualifications but on the other hand, they are just the effect of the fruit of God’s Spirit being produced in our lives.

They are marks of godliness and maturity that each believer should desire to possess.

But when it comes to the pastor—these things must be present

Let’s read Paul’s text about the fruit the Spirit will bring about in a Christian’s life as He sanctifies them and transforms them with the truth of God’s Word:

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

If any Christian abides in Christ, they should bear this fruit.

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

So the question becomes—is the man being considered for eldership bearing fruit because he abides with Christ?

Let’s see how this works.

The Pastor must be:

Sober-Minded (v. 2)—> self-control and peace

A clear mind and settled peace will see to it that the pastor doesn’t respond sinfully when circumstances present challenges.

Self-Controlled (v. 2) —> self-control

Here the fruit is named outright.

Respectable (v. 2)—> goodness and self-control

An ordered, disciplined life.

A life where one where sinful impulses and desires are crucified, rather than indulged.

Respectability comes when people observe someone’s life over a period of time and see a pattern of holiness.

Not a Drunkard (v. 3)—> self-control

Self-Control again.

A man ruled by a substance cannot simultaneously be ruled by the Spirit in that area of his life.

A pastor must be ruled by the Spirit.

Not Violent, But Gentle (v. 3)—> gentleness

Gentleness is named here.

Christ is gentle and lowly in heart.

He is humble and tender.

Pastor must be the same.

Not Quarrelsome (v. 3) —> peace and patience and gentleness

Pastors should be expected to de-escalate conflict, not vice versa.

Refusing to quarrel draws on at least three fruits at once.

Peace that doesn't need to win every exchange.

There is contentment with God, so there is no need to have the last word with man.

Patience that can absorb disagreement.

You have to be okay with not agreeing with someone and still being able to love them.

And gentleness that responds without contempt.

Angry people react.

Gentle people respond.

Pastors should generally be seen doing the latter.

Not a Lover of Money (v. 3) —> faithfulness and self-control

Pastors who are faithful will not view money as the goal of ministry.

Instead, the care of souls and the salvation of souls to the glory of Christ is his aim.

Seeing Christ formed in people—that is the reward he is after.

Not money.

Pastors should be marked by self-control as well.

We have seen that again and again in this list.

They shouldn’t be mastered by wine.

They shouldn’t be mastered by money.

Since these are the marks of Christian maturity that must be in a man who wants to be an overseer, we can also see that it shouldn’t be someone who is:

A recent convert (v. 6)

They won’t have these marks of maturity yet.

On the other hand, it should be someone who is:

Above reproach (v. 2)

They live their lives above board, walking in the Spirit.

Well thought of by outsiders (v. 7)

If someone walks with the Spirit and Christ is producing this fruit from their lives, they should have a reputation for righteousness inside AND outside of the church.

Seeing this full picture, it is clear who an overseer must be:

A mature Christian man who is able to teach

His life should be able to be attested to by those inside and outside the church.

This is one of the reasons why a plurality of pastors is so important.

Men should not pastor alone.

I don’t think we see this as the New Testament pattern.

Part of the reason is that it is too much work for one man and he will become weary.

But there is another reason.

Their lives have to be held accountable to Scripture’s qualifications.

They are able to watch over one another.

In a room of pastors, everyone is equal and they watch over one another through mutual accountability.

They make sure that everyone is doing their job...

...But they also make sure that everyone is still following Jesus closely as the job is being done.

A plurality of pastors helps make sure that a man doesn’t fall into disgrace—into a snare of the devil.

And if he does—the plurality is there to deal with it.

5. The Pastor’s Shortcomings (v. 7)

Pastors are not exempt from weakness.

Scripture is honest about its own leaders.

Shepherds can be weak.

Peter, an apostle, had to be restored by Jesus after his sin of cowardice.

Then he is confronted by Paul for giving in to fear and partiality (Gal. 2:11–13).

And yet Peter was not disqualified from usefulness in God's hands.

Not all failure is disqualifying.

A harsh word in a meeting or a season of spiritual dryness calls for honest confession and correction...

A poor reaction to a circumstance or a bad day of parenting should lead the pastor to own their sin and repent....

But these sins would not necessarily be disqualifying.

Instead, they would be evidence that the pastor is being sanctified like everyone else.

He is a human in need of God’s grace.

But certain sins are disqualifying.

Reputation destroying sins like adultery.

Settle patterns of deceit and sexual immorality.

Domineering spiritual abuse of people

Harming his family

These are sins that would require removal from office because they are disqualifying sins.

These are sins that would indicate a falling into disgrace—a snare of the devil, just as v. 7 mentions.

Charges of sins like these should only be brought according to God’s instruction:

1 Timothy 5:19–20 ESV

Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

If a pastor is in sin, it must be dealt with.

First of all by his fellow pastors.

Then it must be brought to the church.

If a pastor is removed, the work isn’t over.

That is painful for a church.

There is a long process of recovery after a pastor falls.

Application

When we have pastors who have bad moments and bad days, we should be patient with them.

Not all sin is disqualifying.

Many pastoral insufficiencies can be addressed through a simple conversation.

The pastor learns and grows.

The church member feels closer to the pastor after an honest conversation.

The Lord is pleased.

And yet, pastors can fall in ways that are truly disqualifying—even permanently disqualifying.

In these case, charges should be brought according to the Scriptures.

Everyone involved must be cared for.

These are tragic and delicate situations that hurt God’s flock.

But God gives grace for such moments to churches.

Conclusion

Having looked at a Pastor’s Example, Gifting, Life, Accessibility and Shortcomings, I hope we have guidance on the sort of men we should look for to oversee God’s church.

You are not looking for a flawless man.

You are looking for a credible one .

A man whose home, whose private walk, and whose visible fruit already testify that Christ is being formed in him.

After all—1 Timothy 3:1-7 was never meant to just be words on a page.

It is meant to be a description of men who are among you.

May God help Seaford Baptist always find the right men to shepherd her.