A Few Leadership Qualifications
1 Timothy 3:1-7 NLT
1 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.” 2 So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 3 He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 4 He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. 5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?
6 A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. 7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.
Timothy was tasked with leading the church at Ephesus, a rather large church. Not only was he the primary overseer, he also had to bring on new leaders. Paul is giving him a list of qualifications for choosing leaders. In looking at this list, it’s still applicable today. Remember, culture may change, but character is a constant.
Over the years, as we have chosen staff members to take on leadership positions within the church, we have seen the value of this list. When we paid attention to the qualifications, it has helped us make some wise choices. When we ignored red flags on the list, we paid the price. We have not been perfect and have even been fooled by some, but by and large, the list has helped tremendously.
One of the things we paid the most attention to for a church leader was their family. When the family was in disarray, that was a huge red flag. We aren’t looking for a dictator, but for men we looked for leadership in the home. Paul said if they can’t manage the home, they won’t do well in the church. That’s the faithful in little, faithful in much principle. And a man’s spouse can often reveal the condition of the home. A friend of mine who has traveled and preached in churches for years says he always wants to meet the wife. Wives leak the truth. His words, not mine, but there is some wisdom there.
Do they have a good reputation on the outside? One of the mistakes I made as a young pastor was thinking that someone would do good under my leadership. And I paid the price for that bit of arrogance when I hired people with a spotty track record.
Some of the wisdom sounds a lot like common sense. Don’t pick a heavy drinker. Or someone who is violent. Those are the no-brainers. Someone who is not quarrelsome will be someone more pleasant to work with. And self-control is a winning characteristic in any setting, church or secular. New believers are great, but not for key leadership positions. I have paid the price for that mistake. Notice Paul did not designate age, but a new believer is subject to getting proud, and that does not turn out well.
Paul does mention being able to teach, but never says anything about being a great preacher. Able to teach does not always mean an amazing speaker. And Paul does not mention a winsome personality or someone who looks a certain way. Choosing leaders based on looks and charisma is a huge mistake. Trust me, I still have the scars to prove it.
Please let me be clear. I don’t believe that I have ever met anyone who is a perfect ten on all these qualities. But these are wonderful guidelines, and because they are God’s Word, they are truth and light. I am grateful to the Lord for this list.