Here is a
trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the
overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate,
self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given
to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must
manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do
so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone
does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s
church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become
conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must
also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace
and into the devil’s trap. 1 Timothy 3:1-7
Paul wrote to Timothy, who was an overseer of the church
in Ephesus, and in 1 Timothy gave the qualifications of an overseer, also known
as a bishop. Most scholars see the roles
as elder, pastor and overseer as the same.
Their job—watch over God’s people.
In Titus 1, Paul wrote similar qualifications talking
about an elder.
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in
order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as
I directed you. An elder must be
blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[ 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 1:5-9
The qualifications for all the positions are virtually
identical, raising a high bar of integrity for these leaders. They are:
·
Above
reproach, someone not blamed for doing bad things
·
Faithful to
his wife
·
Temperate
or sober
·
Self
controlled
·
Someone you
respect
·
Hospitable
to outsiders
·
Teachable
·
Not a drunk
·
Gentle, not
violent
·
Not
quarrelsome but seeks unity
·
Not greedy
·
Manage his
family well / children are believers
·
Must be seasoned
in the Christian life
·
Good
reputation with people outside the church
·
Love God’s word
While no one is
perfect, an overseer/elder/pastor strives always for perfection, knows his
weaknesses and works hard for God’s approval.