An elder must be blameless,
faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages
God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not
given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be
hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy
and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been
taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who
oppose it. Titus 1:6-9
While many women serve faithfully in
the local churches, keeping those churches alive especially when the men fail
to stand up, the role of the elder seems to point to male leadership. The role as described by Paul in the book of
Titus described the elder in a masculine form, calling that person a “man” and “the
husband of one wife.”
In chapter 2 of Titus, Paul gave
roles for the woman, older and younger, to fulfill which are very important in
the health of the body of Christ. Paul used very specific gender identifications for all these roles.
Men also respond better to male
leadership than to female leadership.
Women tend to respond to both quality male and female leadership. This role of elder is not a role fit for many
people and the qualifications are difficult for many men to achieve.