All Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995 Ed. (NASB95) published by The Lockman Foundation

Within the past several months, there’s been much talk of a lack of qualified church leaders, commonly referred to as “pastors”. If you’ve been around evangelical circles in the U.S. for any extended period of time, this should be apparent to you – unless you’ve lived in one of the few pockets where most of the churches are led by top-notch elders. However, it’s clear that Bible-believing, gospel-preaching assemblies in the U.S. are deficient in faithful, masculine, godly, and sensible leadership. We need to correct this. And one of the best ways to do this is to look at the Scriptures that were specifically written for the purpose of outlining the qualifications and practices of church leaders, usually called “elders” by the New Testament.

I want to look with you at Paul’s Letter to Titus, the shortest of his so-called “pastoral epistles,” to see what it took in the early body of Christ to be a church leader, and a mature man of God. I hope that you can use this teaching to be encouraged yourself to grow in your Christlike masculinity, and perhaps discern whether you ought to step up and “aspire to the office of overseer,” as Paul puts it in 1 Timothy 3. Regardless, the letter of Titus shows us the basics of what elders should be like, as well as how local assemblies of believers ought to interact with each other. This letter also provides us with a template for godly masculinity in general, and also for the dynamics of discipleship that ought to be found in our congregational life.

So, let’s first look at the first section of the letter to see Paul’s, and therefore the Lord’s, qualifications for missionaries, elders, and mature Christian men. His theme here is that godly men are to be stewards of the spiritual resources that the Lord has given them, especially the gospel, and their own characters.

Gospel Stewards Have Spiritual Sons

In the first section of his letter, Paul describes the apostolic role that the Lord has given him, and then reminds Titus of his father-son relationship with him. The thing I want to emphasize is that last part. If we want to understand how godly leaders and men are raised up, the chief thing we need to grasp is that the discipleship, teaching, and training of them comes about through spiritual fatherhood and sonship. In the body of Christ, there are mature men who ought to be exercising fatherly care of younger and less experienced men. This obviously needs to mainly happen in Christian households, but it shouldn’t be restricted to natural relations. The way that the New Testament describes church leaders is as spiritual fathers to their congregation. And such was the case with Paul. In fact, he told the Corinthians, “though you . . . have countless tutors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for I became your father through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:13).

Whether or not Titus was converted directly through Paul’s preaching is unknown, but the fact is that Paul thought of him as his spiritual son, since he calls him “my true child in a common faith” (v. 4). And notice the only basis of this father-son relationship – a common faith. Paul treated Titus as his son because Titus needed someone to guide, teach, counsel, discipline, and mentor him like his father. And that’s what Paul was doing in writing to him. His concern is the task of appointing church leaders given to Titus by Paul. This task that he outlines shows us some of the main qualities that every godly man should be striving to manifest with all of his being.

Elders Can Set Churches in Order

As we move to the body of the letter, the first thing I want to bring to your attention is the extraordinary, but not necessarily primary, importance of godly leaders of Christian assemblies. This truth is highlighted by the way in which Paul reminds Titus of his mission on the island where he was serving Christ’s body. He writes,

“For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you . . .” – Tit. 1:5

It will be helpful to know some of the background of these words to Titus. As I already mentioned, Titus was a sort of apprentice and follower of Paul, and had served with him in missionary efforts to plant assemblies for at least a few years. We know this because Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians that Titus was with him when he visited Jerusalem with the question of Gentiles being required to observe the Law as Christians, culminating in the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. This was before his second missionary journey, so it’s clear that Titus had been with Paul for quite some time before he started this journey. And it was during or after this second journey that Paul wrote to Titus. Hence, Titus was a long-standing helper for Paul.

So, now we know why Paul chose Titus to “appoint elders” in Crete. Titus was acting as an apostolic representative of Paul, and doing what Paul and Barnabas had done during their first missionary journey in Asia Minor. But what does this mission teach us about the importance of elders?

First, it’s clear that specifically designated “elders” are unnecessary when churches are first established. The reason for this is that most of the assemblies that were planted by the apostles and their representatives consisted only of first-generation Christians. This would be the case for most of the Christians on Crete. Hence, they went for some time without specific men recognized as the official leaders of the assemblies. Nevertheless, there were eventually men that fit into this role.

That leads us to the second truth about assembly leaders. Elders, overseers, or “pastors” are eventually needed in every assembly. And the way they came to be recognized and serve their roles in the early body of Christ wasn’t by being seminary-trained, credentialed, and then candidating for the position at multiple assemblies. Rather, it was by serving among their congregation, growing in spiritual maturity and knowledge, and then experiencing the Lord’s calling for them to assume the office of an elder. The way I like to express this is that elders are home-grown. Ideally, church leaders shouldn’t come from outside places, but be men from the very congregation that they go on to oversee.

Thirdly, Paul describes the appointment of elders by Titus as the final action that will “set in order” what’s left for the assemblies in Crete. That is, churches aren’t put in order, or completed, unless they have qualified leaders that are properly appointed to serve them. And notice that the elders in the 1st century were appointed by other godly leaders. They weren’t self-appointed, or even appointed by their congregation, but recognized, acknowledged, and established by other biblically qualified leaders, such as Titus, or other pastor-missionaries like Paul and Barnabas.

The final thing Paul’s reminder shows us about Christian leaders is that every congregation should be led by a team of them. That’s why Paul told Titus to appoint elders in “every city”. In the New Testament assemblies, many cities were inhabited by one unified congregation that met together as a body on a weekly basis. If this was the case in Crete, then these words to Titus mean that there were to be multiple elders overseeing each congregation. And besides this seeming likelihood of Paul’s words, the New Testament nowhere describes a congregation as being overseen by a single man in any way. On the contrary, everywhere that “overseers,” “elders,” or “pastors and teachers” are mentioned as individuals, they’re referred to in the plural. And this team model of church leadership is first shown to us in the example of the first assembly in Jerusalem, which was first led by the twelve apostles.

So, we’ve seen that elders are integral for a healthy, mature assembly of believers, but it remains to touch on the term itself. The very term “elder” conveys to us the character and qualities of assembly leaders. The word obviously means an “older” person, and in the Greco-Roman and Jewish backgrounds of the early body of Christ, they would have already had familiarity with leaders that went by this term. In Jewish society, every town was overseen and led by a group of mature, experienced, and ostensibly wise men, who worked together to make the major decisions for the community. A similar thing went on in most ancient cultures, including Greek city-states. Therefore, the body of Christ was basically transitioning the model of multiple respected, wise, and mature, men leading a community into the spiritual family of the Assembly of Christ.

Hence, as we now look at the qualifications that need to be met by assembly elders, we do so already assuming that such men are relatively more experienced and more respected by the congregations that they serve.

Overseers are God’s Faithful Stewards of Assemblies

Remember as we look at the character traits required of elders that these aren’t virtues reserved for assembly leaders. They are qualities that ought to be expected of any Christian man in the same stage of life as those worthy to be called “elders”. The Lord’s main requirement for His under-shepherds of the body is living a life “above reproach” (vss. 6-7). To be above, or beyond, reproach, means to be out of reach of any legitimate criticism of one’s general character and lifestyle. That is, there should be no glaring or consistent sin being committed by a man serving as an elder. In fact, this requirement should be expected of all believers, but is only especially critical for those who lead and oversee congregations. It’s noteworthy that one of Paul’s prayers and instructions for the Philippians in his letter to them is that they’ll be “blameless,” which is the same thing as being above reproach.

But for elders, in normal cases, the major way that they display their immunity from reproach is how they treat their wives and children. That’s why Paul’s first qualification for men who are appointed as elders be that they are “the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion” (v. 6). So here we see a man described as a faithful husband, and a diligent and caring father. The reason that the Cretan elders needed to have children that believed the gospel, and were innocent of recklessness and rebellion, was that this would show the father’s competency in raising obedient and respectful children. In their society, more than in our own western one, fathers were recognized as the leaders and examples of their children, and usually were their main influences. It was expected that the father’s fundamental ways of thinking and lifestyle would be followed by his children. Hence, in a Christian household, it was the norm that children raised by believing parents would at least outwardly conform to the beliefs and practices of their father. So, if a father believed and obeyed the gospel, and taught it to his children, then his children likewise would profess faith in the gospel, and mostly be submissive to their godly father.

Paul next explains why elders must be faithful leaders of their wives and children. It’s because the office of an elder is the spiritual counterpart to leading and overseeing a biological family. Thus, he explains that “the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward” (v. 7). What is a steward? It’s a servant who takes care of, and uses, the possessions of his master. Just as a husband is the steward of his household, so also elders are stewards of “the household of God,” or Christ’s body.

Next, Paul lists specific qualities that demonstrate a man to be above reproach. The most important one is that he be what I’d call “God-willed,” or willed by God’s Word. This is why Paul begins the list with the necessity of an elder not living as “self-willed.” This is Paul’s way of describing someone who is egotistical or self-absorbed. They cannot be ultimately motivated by their own selfish desires for pleasure or praise. Rather than being self-centered, they are to be others-centered.

After this first absence of vice, the list is pretty normal. Elders can’t be “quick-tempered,” addicted to alcohol, violent, or seeking unjust profit (v. 7). Rather, they must be “hospitable,” lovers of goodness, “sensible, just, devout,” and “self-controlled” (v. 8). How does such a man act? He will first be eager to open his home to the use of strangers, which is what the Greek word for “hospitable” literally means. This obviously displays a person’s kindness, selflessness, and generosity. Next, he will be in love with all that is good, beautiful, or useful for the praise of God. He will constantly be pursuing such things, which are the realities of heaven. Third, he is “sensible,” or literally “sober,” so that he thinks carefully, critically, and wisely about all the affairs of his life. This leads a sober man to make wise decisions, which benefit himself and those in his life. Fourth, this man is “righteous” and “devout,” meaning upright in his treatment of his world and neighbors, and literally “pure,” so that his motives and private actions are in keeping with the fear of God. And what logically follows all of these ways of life is that this man will be self-controlled, or consistently in control of his thoughts, words, and actions. He will be able to resist the pressures and temptations of his sinful desires, and the world around him. Such a man is a ruler of himself, his household, and his resources. And this is precisely how God originally designed Adam to be in the garden. Men were made to rule the possessions that God has given them, in order to make the Lord known, and do good to their fellow man.

In verse 8, Paul concludes the character qualities required to be an overseer over a congregation. His final qualifications consist of his ability to understand, apply, and practice the teachings of Jesus and His apostles found in the New Testament.

Elders are Wise Teachers of God’s Word

The final requirement for true elders of God’s Assembly is that they have the ability to encourage their brethren, and to counter opponents of God’s Word. Paul writes that qualified overseers need to have such a grasp of New Testament teaching that they can “exhort in sound doctrine” and “refute those who contradict” (v. 9). The word translated “exhort” simply means to “encourage,” or literally “to call to oneself.” But it’s not enough to be able to encourage. An overseer must be able to encourage people with “sound doctrine,” or literally “teaching.” By teaching being “sound,” Paul is using the metaphor of something that is healthful, or life-giving. Their teaching can’t be polluted or compromised, but consistent with the teaching of Jesus and the apostles.

This is “the teaching” that Paul speaks of as the basis of “the faithful word,” to which elders must hold fast. To “hold fast” to “the faithful word” means that a man understands, applies, and practices the truths and precepts that are based on Jesus’s teachings to His apostles. If a man tightly grasps the “message” of the apostles, then he’ll be able to use its healthful teaching to encourage brethren, and to disprove the false arguments of doctrinal opponents. Hence, an overseer needs to be both virtuous in behavior, and also well-versed in the teachings of Scripture.

Are You a Faithful Steward of Your Masculinity?

Although Paul’s description in this passage was originally set forth for elders, it is a standard that all Christian men should strive for. So take some time to evaluate your character, or the character of your male loved ones, in the light of Paul’s words.

Are you above reproach, or blameless? Do you have any glaring or besetting sin that you’re failing to make efforts to avoid committing?

If you’re a husband, are you wholly devoted to your wife as if she’s your own body, and are you striving to possess children who believe the gospel, and respectfully obey you? If you’re a single man and you feel the desire to marry a wife, are you disciplining yourself to be a worthy husband at some point?

Are you selfishly motivated, quick-tempered, addicted to substances, violent, or inclined toward profiting illegitimately?

Are you eager to use your home and possessions to help those in need, and are you making efforts to do so?

Are you obsessed with good, beautiful, and beneficial things, and are devoted so much to them, that you hate all that hinders or distracts from what’s truly good?

Are you thinking and acting soberly, and with consistent control over your mind, emotions, decisions, and speech?

Do you act justly toward others, and seek to be pure for the Lord in thought, desire, word, and action?

Are you holding on to the whole teaching of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament, and seeking to grow in your understanding, and practice, of it?

Finally, to get to the beginning of this study, are you either being mentored by a godlier believer, or being mentored and mentoring a less experienced and less knowledgeable brother?

If you’re lacking in any of these areas, today the Lord is eager for you to confess your sin to Him, and ask Him for the power and wisdom to follow His will in that area. Be sure to take the practical steps necessary to grow in your godliness, whether it be devoting a good block of time for daily prayer and Bible reading, seeking a brother for encouragement, counsel, and example, or making the effort to meet with a faithful Bible-teaching, gospel-preaching, and brethren-loving assembly with godly elders.