Paul focuses on the following in the letters to the young men Timothy and Titus, see also The Book of Timothy:
- Organization of leadership structure in the church.
- Sound doctrines.
- The people in the Body of Christ. To be obedient to the Lord, dedicated in your walk with God and fruitful in your walk with Jesus. The intention is to make the people in the Body of Christ grow and mature.
An elder refers to a leadership position similar to overseer, shepherd (= pastor).
A man to be an elder in a congregation needs the following qualifications where all but one (in bold below) deals with a person's character (Tit 1:6–9):
A man to be an elder in a congregation needs the following qualifications where all but one (in bold below) deals with a person's character (Tit 1:6–9):
- Must be above reproach (it's blameless). This means that if someone makes an accusation, it can't stick.
- A man of one wife, that's a one-woman man. It speaks of his devotion to his only wife.
- His children should be believers. A man who aspires to church leadership must prove his leadership ability in his home, with the ability to lead his family in a godly upright manner.
- Not being arrogant, meaning he isn't a demanding type of person, not a "My way or the highway" person. Such leadership comes from brokenness from pride, see the last part of The Apostle Peter.
- Not have short temper.
- Must not be a drunkard, see "What does God think about Christians drinking alcohol?" in The Woman's Place in the Congregation.
- Not be violent.
- Not be greedy for gain. No one can serve two masters (Mat 6:24),
see The Love of Money and Hillsong Employee Leaks Thousands of Financial Documents | Australian Government Gets Involved. - Must be hospitable. Receives strangers in his home. Kind hearted.
Wants to open up to people. - Not live in immorality, see the 7th commandment in
The Ten Commandments. - Must be self-controlled. Sober-minded. It means a balanced character.
A person who doesn't give in to wild emotional highs and lows. - Must be sincere, holy, and disciplined.
- Must hold fast to the word that's taught, so that he may instruct (teach) sound doctrine and also rebuke those who contradict it,
see Dealing With Sin in the Church. See shepherd and teacher in
The Book of Ephesians. Teaching isn't the same as preaching:- A teacher must be able to convey the truth from God's word, read a text from the Bible and explain what it means and encourage application of the message. He brings instructions.
- A preacher brings news. He exhorts and proclaims the gospel.
An evangelist falls into this category.
See why it's important not to elevate someone too quickly as a leader at time
40:37–42:55 in 1 Timothy 5 • Instructions concerning widows and Elders/Pastors.
40:37–42:55 in 1 Timothy 5 • Instructions concerning widows and Elders/Pastors.
See also examples of bad and good leadership at the end of The Book of John.
It's important to teach what is suitable for sound doctrine (Tit 2:1). Teaching must be consistent with God's Word. The older men should be taught to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and endurance (Tit 2:2). The older women should be taught to be reverent in their way of live, not to be slanderers, or addicted to much wine (Tit 2:3). Then they can exhort the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, busy at home, kind, and submissive to their husbands, so that no one slanders the word of God (Tit 2:4–5). Similarly, the young men should be encouraged to be self-controlled (Tit 2:6), to be balanced.
We should obey rulers and authorities (unless it's against God's will (Acts 4:18–20)), be ready to do all that is good, not to slander anyone, be peaceable and considerate and always be gentle to everyone (Tit 3:1–2). See This World is Not Our Home in The Book of Romans.
When the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (Tit 3:4–5a).
He saved us by the new birth in Christ, by renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us freely through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we should become heirs with the hope of eternal life
(Tit 3:5b–7), see Salvation.
He saved us by the new birth in Christ, by renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us freely through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we should become heirs with the hope of eternal life
(Tit 3:5b–7), see Salvation.
The grace of God has been shown to offer salvation to all people (Tit 2:11). It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, sincere, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for that blessed hope,
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Tit 2:12–13).
He gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people who are his very own, eager to do that which is good (Tit 2:14).
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Tit 2:12–13).
He gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people who are his very own, eager to do that which is good (Tit 2:14).
See also The New Testament of the Bible.
