By Jay T. Robertson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
Setting the example
1 Timothy 3:1–13
Everything rises or falls with leadership. If there’s no leadership on the field there will not be any points on the scoreboard. So it is with the church. One of the greatest crises in the church today is the vacuum of godly, male leadership in the church. Godly pastors and godly deacons are important.
A Pastor’s Heart (1)
A man who will succeed as an overseer, elder or pastor (these terms are used interchangeably in the New Testament) must be called by God into the work.
God’s call on a man’s life will create within him a desire to serve in this office. A man may meet the character requirements and be able to teach the Word, but if he lacks a pastor’s heart he will not succeed in God’s eyes.
A Pastor’s Character (2–7)
Character leads to trust. Trust leads to leadership. The overarching character qualification is the overseer “must be above reproach.” While enemies may bring accusations against the overseer, these charges are proven to be empty whenever fair methods of investigation are applied.
The overseer must be a “one-woman man.” He is to be a man of unquestioned morality, one who is entirely true and faithful to his wife. His marriage relationship should serve as an example of faithfulness to his wife. He is to maintain sexual purity in his conduct as well as in his thought life.
The overseer must demonstrate Spirit-empowered self-mastery. He is to be “self-controlled.” He thinks clearly. His pleasures are not primarily of the senses but those of the soul. He is to be “sensible” in that he is well-disciplined and knows how to order his priorities correctly. He is to be “respectable.” He must have an orderly life. Ministry is no place for a man in a continual confusion of unaccomplished plans and disorganized activities.
The overseer must minister well. He must be “hospitable,” a lover of strangers. In other words the overseer is generous in meeting the needs of people he does not know.
He must also be “able to teach.” Every overseer must possess this spiritual gift. He is to be skillful in teaching the word of God to the people of God. He may be gifted to teach one-on-one, in a small group or from the pulpit. The overseer must work hard to know the Word and to communicate it with passion. Effective teaching is woven into the moral character of the teacher. What a man is cannot be divorced from what he says.
The overseer must also be above reproach in that he not be an “excessive drinker,” a “bully,” “quarrelsome” or “greedy.” Rather he is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, gentle, gracious and selfless. “He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with dignity.” If the overseer cannot manage his own family well, how can he be expected to manage God’s family?
The overseer should not be a “new convert.” He needs to be a man who has matured spiritually and is continuing to grow as a follower of Christ. He also must have a “good reputation” among people outside of the church.
A Deacon’s Character (8–13)
Having covered the qualifications of the servant leaders, the overseers, Paul turns his attention to the leading servants, the deacons.
The qualifications for serving as a deacon are like the qualifications for serving as an overseer with one notable difference. The overseer must be able to teach the word of God. God-called deacons are to meet needs of the people according to the Word, support the ministry of the Word and unify the body around the Word.
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