Qualifications for Elders

On Sunday Stephen preached from 1 Peter 5:1-5 about Elders. As Elders, we have been thinking about the Biblical instructions about Elders.

There are two key passages that define the qualifications for Elders. 1 Tim 3:1-7 says:

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the 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. 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? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

And Titus 1:5-9 says:

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 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. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 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.

We take these qualifications very seriously. We consider these as we think about potential new Elders, and we also examine ourselves against these qualifications. Just as Stephen said that no one should serve as an Elder out of compulsion, none of us should serve as an Elder if we do not meet the qualifications.

We have recently discussed the qualification of managing our households. In Timothy, Paul is very explicit – if we cannot manage our own household, how will we care for God’s church? Each of us has a wife and children – many children between the four of us. How do we judge ourselves against this? There are two important standards that we believe we should apply.

First, the ESV translates Titus 1:6 saying that our children are believers. Other translations state that our children are to be faithful – the Greek word can be translated either way. We believe that “faithful” is the correct standard. John 1:12-13 tells us that we are born again not by the will of man. Each of us wishes that we could will our children to be born again, but we cannot. But we can raise our children to be faithful and submissive while they live in our home. If we cannot, then we should not be Elders.

Second, we are told that we are to manage our household (1 Tim 3:4). Some of us have adult children – what is the standard for them? Our belief is that children who have grown and left the house are no longer under our under our parental authority in the same way. Just as we cannot will our children to believe, we cannot expect them to be submissive when they are living their own lives. We pray for our adult children, we speak Christ to them, we shepherd them as they will receive it, but ultimately they must choose for themselves how they will live, and if they will follow Christ.

The Membership Covenant at Mars Hill Church in Seattle states that the church has a responsibility to the members to ensure that elders meet the biblical qualifications of the office. We promise to PCF that we will do the same – we will examine ourselves that we continue to meet the qualifications in scripture, and we will examine any prospective Elders carefully.

Posted by David Fenton on Feb 23, 10:43 PM