Leaders in the Church: Qualifications

In the previous three posts I began a new topic on spiritual abuse. This topic has become of interest to me because of the prevalence of spiritual abuse and how it robs Christians of their true joy in the Lord. God has added to my heart and life a desire and plan to help people be set free from spiritual abuse. 

The number one ingredient which causes spiritual abuse is a misguided church leader, or church leadership. Each of the five characteristics of spiritually abusive churches stem from the leadership. So how does a church solve this dangerous problem? The best place to start is with the scriptures. 

The following list of qualifications for church leadership is from Paul's first letter to Timothy (chp. 3:1-12). During a time of rapid expansion of Christianity churches were forming by the thousands, all over Judea and beyond. Timothy was a church planter who looked to Paul for advice. Below is what Paul had to say. In my opinion these are not recommendations. I think Paul thought of these as conditions, or qualifications, for being a leader. I'm sure Timothy and others like him were tempted to cut corners and appoint some men without the following qualifications, especially in light of the need. But they did not. 

"It is a true statement that anyone whose goal is to serve as an elder has his heart set on a good work. ² An elder 

• must be such a good man that no one can rightly criticize him.

• He must be faithful to his wife. 

• He must have self-control and be wise.

• He must be respected by others.

• He must be ready to help people by welcoming them into his home.

• He must be a good teacher. ³ 

• He must not drink too much, and he must

• not be someone who likes to fight.

• He must be gentle and peaceful.

• He must not be someone who loves money. ⁴

• He must be a good leader of his own family. This means that his children obey him with full respect. ⁵ If a man does not know how to lead his own family, he will not be able to take care of God’s church. 6 

• An elder must not be a new believer. It might make him too proud of himself. Then he would be condemned for his pride the same as the devil was. ⁷ 

• An elder must also have the respect of people who are not part of the church. Then he will not be criticized by others and be caught in the devil’s trap.

I'll comment on just a couple here. One, the church leader should have "self control." Someone who cannot control their temper is not fit for church leadership. Period. As the old adage goes, "Don't raise your voice; improve your argument." A man who is quick to anger will do more harm than good. At this point a person with a short fuse might make excuses for himself and point to the over-turning of tables by Jesus. Sorry, not the same. Jesus did not "loose it." He intentionally showed anger in order to make a point. He was never out of control. Being out of control would be sin. And we know Jesus was sinless. A "hot head" on the other hand should not be a leader in a church, unless he allows the Spirit of God to remove his anger issues. 

Another qualification stands out to me: "respected by others," including those "who are not part of the church." A man who does not have the respect of the people he is leading in his church, and does not have the respect of people in the community is not fit for church leadership. Respect comes from people trusting him. If he is not trusted he will be ineffective in his demonstration of Godly leadership. Furthermore  respect and trust must be earned. It is not simply granted to him because of his charisma, experience, education, or ambition. Respect and trust are measured by the people he seeks to lead. If he coerces or manipulates others in order to appear trustworthy the truth will always catch up to him. Therefore, Paul includes this one in his letter to Timothy. 

Finally, the person should be "a good leader of his own family." Now this one is very important. I think these are ALL very important. But this one is about family, and the local church is supposed to be like a family. We are, after-all, brothers and sisters in Christ. If a church leader does not have a good track record leading his own family, or has lost control or is loosing control of the kids in his family, he should not lead in the church. Instead he should focus all his attention on his family, and seek the Spirit of God for wisdom and guidance. A church leaders should NEVER say he is or was called to "sacrifice" time with his family in order to "lead God's church." This is only an excuse. God does not see leadership of ones family and leadership within the church as in competition to one another. If he did he never would have included this as a qualification for church leadership. Leadership of ones family is like a person's resume as he "applies" for leadership in a church. If he cannot provide solid spiritual direction at home he should not be considered for leadership in the Body of Christ. That's what Paul tells Timothy. And he concludes with the following: 

 ⁸ In the same way, the men who are chosen to be special servants must have the respect of others. They must not be men who say things they don’t mean or who spend their time drinking too much. They must not be men who will do almost anything for money. ⁹ They must follow the true faith that God has now made known to us and always do what they know is right. ¹⁰ You should test them first. Then, if you find that they have done nothing wrong, they can be special servants.

Here Paul reiterates a couple previous qualifications and ends with the a strong admonition to "follow the true faith that God has made known to us." Both then and now there are challenges to this "true faith" made known to us. True faith is built around the true Gospel -- that Christ came as God in the flesh in order to make atonement for the sins of man. If this is not the center of the leader's teaching he will not likely lead people to freedom in Christ. But if it is his center, and if he meets all the other qualifications prescribed here by God through Paul, he "can be a special servant." 

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Future post: "What Should I Do if My Church Leader Doesn't Meet God's Qualifications?"