The Qualities Of Elders
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LEADERSHIP
Part Three: The Qualities of Elders
The task of growing elders is a great one, because the work that results is what God intended! If we are not ACTIVELY WORKING so that this congregation can have qualified elders, we are not doing God’s will - we are sinning against God.
On the same basis, a man who decides, “I don’t want to be an elder” will answer to God in judgment for that mindset. Can we refuse anything that our God offers to us and believe that we can still be considered faithful? I do not speak toward men who cannot change their circumstances; I speak toward men who can still work toward this goal.
When considering these qualities, we cannot add to or take away from what we have been given. The best course is to hold to what we have, and not deviate from it. Someone may disagree with the way I hold these qualities; I will be happy to be corrected if I am wrong.
This will be a quick overview of the qualities, NOT a detailed study. If you would like to study these qualities in detail, please make it known. We will not cover deacons in this study, because we have no record of churches having deacons without elders. Thus, the main importance is in securing an eldership.
As we consider these qualities, may we keep in mind: a man who fails to match even ONE of these qualities is not ready for the work of an elder. He does not GROW INTO these qualities, but has them already.
This being said, these are not impossible ideals to accomplish; we are given these qualities so that the elders of God’s church can do the work as God has given us to do it. We are not looking for SUPERMEN. We are looking for and grooming Godly men who fit these qualities.
1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9
REPUTATION
REPUTATION
Blameless— (anepileptos/423) [3:2] — (anenkletos/410) [1:6,7]
Other translations: “above reproach”
This means he must be unable to have a charge brought against him. NOT sinless, but blameless – not a man who openly practices sin.
Good Report--(marturia/3141) [3:7]
Even beyond the understanding of the members of the church, this man is someone who has an honorable reputation. This is a man who is thought well of in the community. Not a rascal, useless, etc.
CHARACTER
CHARACTER
Holy—(hosios/3741) [1:8]
This man is sanctified - holy for God, set apart [SEPARATE] from sin. Again, this does not mean he is sinless - only that at this point he is in right standing with God.
Just—(dikaios/1342) [1:8]
This man is impartial - he does not favor some members over others, but does his best to treat everyone equally.
Patient—(epieikës/1933) [3:3]
This man is calm and considerate. He knows that sometimes God’s work progresses more slowly than other times. He is able to “wait upon the LORD” (Isaiah 40:31).
Good Behavior—(kosmios/2887) [3:2]
This man is orderly in his life; dignified, courteous, and modest.
Lover of Good—(philagathos/5358) [1:8]
This man loves to see good being done, and has a particular appreciation for those who seek to practice good.
Not Self-Willed—(authades/829) [1:7]
Essentially, someone who isn’t only concerned by what HE wants.
This man is NOT stubborn, unyielding in judgment, unconcerned of others.
SELF-CONTROL
SELF-CONTROL
Temperate—(egkratës/1468) [1:8]
This is a man who has developed his self-control. His passions (carnal desires, etc.), tongue (speech and communication), and temper have all been honed to the point that he can control himself even in tense and emotional situations.
Vigilant—(nëphalios/3524) [3:2]
This is a man who is constantly watchful for dangers that threaten the flock he shepherds.
Acts 20:28-31 - Paul warned the Ephesian elders to be vigilant.
Sober—(söphrön/4998) [3:2] [1:8]
This is a man who is sober minded. His even temper helps him to see the truth of the situation, and his cautious, rational mindset allows him to look to God’s word for the solutions.
Not Soon Angry—(orgilos/3711) [1:7]
This man is able to control his temper - NOT just to keep from being angry, but being able to be angry at the right TIME and for the right REASON.
Ephesians 4:26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
Not Brawler—(amachos/269) [3:3]
"not fighting"
This is a man who is going to avoid fighting on a personal basis. He does not seek for a confrontation, but tries to diffuse situations before they turn contentious. Avoids conflict for conflict’s sake.
Not Striker—(plëktës/4131) [3:3] [1:7]
“bruiser, ready for a blow; a pugnacious, contentious, quarrelsome person”
“Why don’t we step outside to handle this?” Don’t think that those words have never escaped the mouth of brethren in Christ!
This is a man who is going to avoid physical altercations to handle disagreements.
No “Popeyes” or “Blutos” within the eldership.
Not Given To Wine—(paroinos/3943) [3:3] [1:7]
"tarrying at wine"
This is a man who does not give himself over to alcohol.
Some claim he could drink, but not get drunk.
Proverbs 23:29-35 - If we understand what “wine” was, this reasoning falls apart.
“Wine” in the Bible has a very low alcohol content, enough to purify the drink for use. Thus, modern application would be a man who abstains altogether from alcohol as a recreational drink.
SPIRITUAL VIEW OF POSSESSIONS
SPIRITUAL VIEW OF POSSESSIONS
Not Greedy of Filthy Lucre—(aischrokerdës/146) [3:3] [1:7]
"greedy of base gain"
This is a man who is not going to allow himself to prosper by doing something wrong.
Not Covetous—(aphitarguros/866) [3:3]
RSV - "free from the love of money."
This is a man who does not make money his primary concern in life. Many mask this desire with the reason that they have to “provide for their family”, and often “provide” them with such material wealth that they spiritually die.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Given to Hospitality—(philoxenos/5382) [3:2] [1:8]
"loving strangers"
This man has a home who is open to everyone; he is happy to receive and help people wherever the need is, and to whomever needs it. He does not regard his home as a sanctuary that no one else can enter, but knows what he has been given comes from God, and thus it behooves him to share it. He does this not from a sense of duty, but because he genuinely loves to be hospitable.
1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
QUALIFIED TEACHER
QUALIFIED TEACHER
Not a Novice—(neophutos/3504) [3:6]
“newly planted; a new convert, neophyte (one who has recently become a Christian)”
Thus, NOT specifically dealing with the question of age!
This is a man who has been “seasoned”; he has withstood the rigors of not only becoming a Christian, but living the life of a Christian.
If we have “novices” as elders, the problem of pride will rear its ugly head.
Apt to Teach—(didaktikos/1317) [3:2]
"skilled in teaching"
Not just ABLE to teach, but SKILLED.
This is a man who has been teaching bible classes, leading personal studies, doing his best to teach others the Gospel.
“Teach by example”? Can I become SKILLED at teaching by example? Further, does “teaching by example” make it known to everyone undoubtedly that a person is “skilled in teaching”?
Holding Fast Faithful Word—(antechomai/472) [1:9]
"to hold firmly to, cleave to"
This is a man who will not abandon the truth when pressure or difficulty arises. He will hold true to God’s word, enforce it when needed, and make it plain when evil arises.
This is a necessity because elders MUST monitor and evaluate preachers and teachers within the congregation and ensure that false doctrine is not taught / the FLOCK is being FED.
Exhort—(parakaleö/3870) [1:9]
"to call to one's side," "to call to one's aid."; to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
This is a man who is able and ready to exhort those who are in error from the word, whether knowingly or ignorantly.
A man who is unable to correct others and remains silent in the face of false doctrine does not fit this quality.
Convince Gainsayer—(elegchö/1651) (antilegö/483) [1:9]
"to convict, confute, refute," usually with the suggestion of putting the convicted person to shame
"to speak against," is rendered "answering again" in the AV of Tts 2:9 (RV, "gainsaying")
NKJV: “convict those who contradict”
This is a man who is able to use sound doctrine (1:9) to convict those who are speaking against it. He can rebuke/refute those who “talk back” against the truth of God.
NOTE: With all of these “teaching” qualities, it must be remembered that while there is no issue with the elders including a supported evangelist in these efforts, it is clear that these men must be able to handle these situations even WITHOUT an evangelist present.
MAN LEADING GODLY FAMILY
MAN LEADING GODLY FAMILY
Husband of One Wife—[3:21] [1:6]
"to be," [a] "one" "wife," "man,"
This man is not a bachelor or a polygamist. Polygamy would have been an issue in ancient times.
His wife is also to be faithful to God (1 Timothy 3:11).
Controversy over elders in their second marriages.
The marriage bond is broken when a man scripturally divorces his wife (Matthew 19:9). That being said, we must raise the question of true “innocence” even upon the part of the one who scripturally divorced his wife.
The quality of being BLAMELESS and of GOOD REPORT is absolutely essential to properly understand this. Many who scripturally divorce will even question their own actions. We must be wise in understanding this.
Faithful Children—(teknon/5043) [3:4] [1:6]
Plural form of "a child"; "believing, trusting;"
RSV, ESV - “his children are believers”; ASV “having children that believe”
This man has children who are faithful to God.
The word itself is plural. But this by itself does NOT mean that a man must have more than one child.
Matthew 7:9–11 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! [Are parents of single children invalidated from this?]
Deuteronomy 25:5–6 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. [Only one child necessary to fulfill the commands of God here.]
Since we cannot establish from the text HOW MANY are faithful, we must assume that ALL of this man’s children are to be faithful.
When we consider the qualification in 1 Timothy (“having his children in submission with all reverence”) and in Titus (“having faithful children”), it paints the picture of all children being faithful to God.
The same greek words for “reverent” and “faithful” are used to describe the children AND the wife in these passages. If we can allow for ONE CHILD to be unfaithful to God, we can allow for the wife to be unfaithful to God as well (1 Timothy 3:11)!
Rule Well—(proistemi/4291) [3:4,5]
"to preside, rule,"; also means "to maintain,"
This man has proven his ability to rule by how well he rules his house. This manifests in leading his family to Godliness. He leads his wife and children to be faithful to God with all that they have.
Children in Subjection—(hupotage/5292) [3:4]
“in obedience” - specifically, subjection to God.
This is NOT limited to the child’s time within the home. House denotes FAMILY.
This is a man whose children are in subjection not only to him, but to God. He does not let them live with a flippant attitude about faithfulness.