Tag: Biblical Qualifications for Leadership

December 15 2020

The Character Qualifications for Leadership

A. Scott Ingram Gospel Leadership, Leadership Qualifications Biblical Leadership, Biblical Qualifications for Leadership, disciplined leader, ministry leadership, not a drunk 0

This is Part 10 of the Biblical Leadership Series. Click here to go to Part 1.

Up to this point, we have looked at five of our six categories of biblical qualifications for leadership. That includes the spiritual, calling, capability, family, and emotional qualifications. In this post, we will look at the final category which is the “character qualifications” of the leader. These are the qualities which pertain, particularly, to the outward reputation of the leader.

Character Qualification 1: Above reproach (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:6, 7)

The first character qualification is that the leader must be “above reproach.” This means that their character and integrity are such that no criticism will come about to discredit them. This does not mean that people will not try to discredit a leader. That happens all the time. It happened to Jesus! What it means, however, is that the leader will be found blameless before such criticisms, and his character will remain in tact. There will be no credible blame of fault placed on him or her, which would require public reprimand or censure.

This qualification is especially necessary in our modern “cancel culture.” People who hate Christianity are looking for every opportunity to discredit people’s integrity, in order to remove their ability to have a public voice. While biblical Christianity will always be a target of this “cancel culture” and the “woke” generation, our personal character should be able to stand up to any accusation or attack which comes at us.

Character Qualification 2: Self-controlled (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8)

While the ESV (my Bible of choice) says “self-controlled,” a more apt definition of the Greek word here, “sophron,” would be “prudent.” It means that we are thoughtful about our actions, and live a moderate life.

One Bible Lexicon¹ says this is being,

“careful or wise in handling practical matters; exercising good judgment or common sense.”

It goes on to say it is,

“avoidance of extremes and careful consideration for responsible action”

To be self-controlled simply means that you are thoughtful about all of your outward, public actions, remembering that everything you do is a reflection of Christ to the watching world.

Two secular thinkers who used this same Greek word in their writings were Aristotle and Aeschin. Aristotle said,

“the prudent [sophron] person is intentional on the what, the how, and the when of doing what should be done.”²

I think that “intentional” is a great definition of being self-controlled.

Aeschin wrote that this kind of person is

“moderate [sophron] in lifestyle so as not to be tempted by bribes.³

If we are not intentional in every area of our lives, then we will find it easy to stumble in our character and witness before others.

Character Qualification 3: Respectable (1 Timothy 3:2)

If you are going to be a leader in the body of Christ, as well as a public face for the church in the world, you must be respectable before men. Another translation would be “honorable.”

According to our lexicon⁴, this means,

“having characteristics or qualities that evoke admiration or delight, an expression of high regard”

While it is true that we should not be working for men or trying to gain their approval, the reality is that too often we want to throw off any need for human approval. The way we dress. The music we listen to. The places we frequent. The language we use. While these things (and many more) might not be sinful in and of themselves, they will lower us in the eyes of people. The leader should be respectable. That means we live in such a way that our lifestyle wins people’s approval.

And remember, this is not a call to simply “put on a show” in front of people. You cannot be a hypocrite who lives one way in front of people, and another way in private. To be a biblically qualified leader your life must actually be respectable; not just a pretense when people are looking.

Character Qualification 4: Dignified (1 Timothy 3:8)

Going hand in hand with being respectable is the call to be dignified. This is a different Greek word which carries the same connotation. The leader must live in such a way that they are worthy of respect. It means “noble” or “honorable.”

If we are representatives of the Kingdom of God – not as servants, but as sons/daughters of the King – then “noble” ought to describe how we live. We should carry ourselves as royalty.

(For an extended look at this idea, I recommend the book “The Supernatural Ways of Royalty” by Kris Vallotton.)

Character Qualification 5: Not a drunk (1 Timothy 3:3, 8, Titus 1:7)

Paul writes the same idea to Timothy and Titus, by saying “not a drunkard.” Then he repeats the idea, again, to Timothy by saying “not addicted to much wine.”

Without getting into a full discourse on whether or not a Christian can drink alcohol, I will suffice it to say this: if you are going to lead the church of God, getting drunk (or putting yourself in a situation where you might be tempted to get drunk) is out of the question. If you have a glass of wine at dinner or an occasional drink at social functions, that is between you and the Lord. However, if you occasionally drink too much, your public witness will be destroyed and you are disqualified from leadership. I have seen too many “great” pastors destroy their ministries over a love for alcohol. Complete abstinence is better than compromising yourself with temptations to have “just one more.”

Going back to the idea of being royalty, we should remember the words of King Solomon to his son:

“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.”
^{Proverbs 31:4-5}

Addiction Can Go Beyond Alcohol

Secondly, however, is this idea of not being “addicted.” This can go way beyond alcohol. There are many pastors and leaders who struggle with addiction to many things, as a way of escaping the stress and anxiety of the ministry. I know pastors who are addicted to drugs — some to things like smoking marijuana, others to things like prescription meds such as pain killers and anti-psychotics. (Please note that I am not against medications given under a doctor’s supervision, but I am talking about those who have legitimate addictions and “self-medicate” without legitimate medical oversight.) Others are addicted to junk food (my major temptation to feel better), binge watching television, video games, and other forms of escapist entertainments.

I believe it is in reference to many of these things which Paul writes to the Corinthians,

“‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.”
^{1 Corinthians 6:12 (emphasis mine)}

If you are addicted and controlled by anything other than the Spirit of God, then you need to seek help and overcome before stepping into ministry leadership.

Character Qualification 6: Gentle/Not Violent (1 Timothy 3:3, Titus 1:7)

Although these are technically two qualifications for leaders, they go hand in hand with one another. The Greek word for “gentle” means that you are “kind, tolerant, or fair.” The Greek word for “not violent” simply means that you are not a bully.

In your interaction with people, you must have the reputation of being a kind person, who treats people with tenderness. You are tolerant of people, even if they are not easy to get along with, rather than pushing them around or bullying them into conformity or into agreeing with you.

Personally, this is an area I have to work very hard at. Not because I consider myself to be a bully, but because I have been told by many people that I am an intimidating figure and I have a naturally loud, booming voice. For some people, it makes me seem very unapproachable. Unapproachable is not an acceptable disposition for a leader!

If we are going to qualify to lead God’s people, we must have the same gentle spirit that Jesus had to all who came to him.

Character Qualification 7: Thought of Well by Outsiders (1 Timothy 3:7)

Again, it is easy for many leaders to think it doesn’t matter what other people think about us. However, not only are we called to be “respectable” and “dignified”, but Paul goes out of his way to let us know this does not just pertain to our reputation within the church. Our communities and those outside of the body of Christ should “think well of us,” if we are leaders in the ministry.

This is a difficult one for too many. Let me ask you: do you sincerely care about building relationships with non-believers, or do you simply want to hit them with truth bombs and run away?

Protesting Sin or Proselytizing Sinners?

Too often the church is accused of not truly caring about people. Many leaders only want to add notches to their belts, to make themselves look good to the body of Christ, rather than truly caring for the sinners. This has led to some ridiculous activities within the body of Christ. Just look at the various Christian groups who hold up signs of judgment at gay pride rallies, abortion clinics, and funerals of soldiers. They spew their hate-filled rage at people, thinking it is a holy work of the Lord, yet they have no love for sinners and no grace to offer the lost and hurting.

A most extreme example for me personally was when I was out one evening with a group of friends from Bible college, and we were met by a large “sin protest” in Fort Worth, Texas. We were confronted by these men and women, with their pamphlets condemning people to hell, and even after we informed them that we were Christians and studying to be ministers, they still wanted to tear us down and prove that God did not love us because we didn’t look or act like them.

Jesus was completely different!

Jesus was loved by non-believers. Tax collectors and sinners welcomed him into their homes for banquets. Massive crowds followed Him through the streets to hear Him teach and to be blessed by Him. In fact, it was His reputation with the non-religious that made the religious community suspicious of Him.

If we are going to reflect Jesus and be thought well of by outsiders, we must learn to prove our love for people first, before we prove to them how right we think we are.

Character Qualification 8: Not a Slanderer (1 Timothy 3:11)

To fulfill this qualification means that we not only love people when we are face to face with them, but we love people behind their backs. It means that as leaders we do not gossip about people. We don’t speak with malice toward those who disagree with us, and we certainly do not try to destroy the reputation of others before our congregations or our communities.

The Greek word here for “slanderer” is “diabolos.” This is literally the word for “devil.” To be a devil means that you are making yourself an adversary and bringing public charge against people to bring them down. To use modern language, it means that you are not the target of “cancel culture.” You have become “cancel culture,” seeking to destroy those you disagree with or disapprove of.

To be a slander means that you are using your mouth in a way opposite of the gospel. To preach the gospel is to speak truth resulting in the good of others. To share gossip is to use rumors and accusation to cause harm to them.

(Although I will not discuss it here, there is a lot to say about pastors and leaders who want to argue theology for the sake of arguing. They will play “devil’s advocate,” intentionally speaking falsehoods to bring division or challenge those they don’t fully agree with. That, too, seems to fit the Greek definition of a slanderer.)

Character Qualification 9: Upright, holy, disciplined (Titus 1:8)

Again, this qualification could be divided into three, but I believe they go hand in hand, and are listed in this order in the book of Titus, so we will keep them together.

The word “upright” means “righteous, just, or fair.” To be “holy” means to be “devout” and “pleasing to God.” And “disciplined means “having one’s emotions, impulses, or desires under control.”

This is a holistic qualification for a person’s character and public reputation. If we are to lead people as representatives of the Lord, we must be outwardly seeking to live a righteous life before men. This comes from an inward devotion to holiness in how we reflect Jesus through our lives. The day-to-day outworking of these things is that we discipline ourselves, daily, to become more and more like Christ in the world.

Paul says this was a conscious process of making sure the life we live fits the Gospel we preach:

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
^{1 Corinthians 9:27}

In Summary

To be a biblically qualified leader, we must be intentional in our character and the reputation we hold before the church and our community. There can be no hint of hypocrisy, in which we say one thing while doing another, and there can be no credible accusation standing against us which would destroy our own witness, or the reputation of the ministry or church we lead.

God cares about how the world views us and why. While it is expected that they will hate us, persecute us, and seek to bring us down, that is not our way. If we are to reflect those characteristics back on the world, we are not ministering for the Lord. Instead, our lives must be known for love, building others up, and bring out what is best in us and in others. That is what will qualify us to lead.

Let’s Connect

In the next post we will look at the idea of team ministry, and discuss why it was never God’s intention to have one person leading an entire ministry by themselves. You can make sure to never miss any future posts by subscribing to my newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or share your info with others.

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¹ William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 987.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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October 13 2020

Biblical Leadership

A. Scott Ingram Gospel Leadership, Leadership Qualifications Biblical Qualifications for Leadership, leadership 0

Let’s talk about leadership. Some, in both the religious and secular world, would argue that quality leadership is among the highest priorities of any group of people with a goal to achieve. In the famous words of John Maxwell, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” This is true whether you are running a business, building a community organization or social club, forming a movement to change culture, or overseeing the church of God.

Declaring Spiritual Independence

For some, talking about spiritual leadership carries a connotation of oppression, and they fight against it. There are entire movements within the Christian community that argue against “organized religion” or any kind of spiritual oversight within the church.

Partly, this comes from evangelicalisms roots in the Protestant reformation, when the unbiblical overreaches of the Catholic hierarchy were overthrown. To be sure, this was necessary. The church was never intended to have a king claiming to sit on the throne of Jesus Christ in the world. The church was also never intended to choose its leaders based on wealth, family lineage, or political and military abilities.

Jesus said that the leadership structure of His church would be “upside down” from the world’s leadership, and that the highest level leaders would be “servant of all” (see Mark 10:42-45). Remembering the long history of spiritual abuses by church leaders for centuries, we thank God for reforming the structures, and moving Christianity back to the grassroots levels. This, however, does not nullify the need for leadership.

Still, there are many today who want to throw off all spiritual authority. They believe that “personal salvation” implies complete autonomy in their spiritual life and sanctification. Not only do many want to do away with large organized structures of leadership, such as denominational oversight or national fellowships, but they want to do away with pastors and elders in the local church.

In my ministry in East Africa, where I oversee Sozo Ministries’ 35 churches, I have been accused of being an abusive spiritual dictator for simply following clear and biblical church discipline procedures to correct or remove unqualified pastors within our network. Recently, when I removed a pastor from our ministry for refusal to repent of sin and comply with our ministry policy, I felt the need to let our broader network know. There was nothing said about his sinful behavior or that he had been removed for wrongdoing. I simply said that this pastor “has chosen to leave Sozo Ministries International and will no longer be representing our ministry in any capacity.”

This, however, was met by a personal attack from someone outside of our ministry, who knew the pastor, but not the full details of his sin. They claimed I had made a direct attack on this pastor, intending to destroy his future in ministry, and accused me of unbiblically elevating myself over others, whereas (in their opinion) God has made everyone equal. According to this person, no ministry leader has the right to pass judgement (i.e. attempt to correct the sinfulness) of other leaders who serve under or alongside them.

I am not sharing this story to justify the actions I have taken within our ministry. I believe the Bible when it says I will stand before God and be held to a higher standard for how I have led my ministry (James 3:1), and I do not take that reality lightly. I am simply using this experience to point out how some want to throw off any spiritual leadership, as though God’s intentions were to invest all authority into individual Christians privately, rather than to publicly call leaders to stand as overseers of His church.

God Appoints Leaders

The truth is that God’s original plan was that every individual would be equal, and would be led by Himself alone. However, since the day sin entered into the world, God has appointed leaders among humanity.

He appointed the man to be the leader in his home (Genesis 3:16).
He appointed the formation of nations (Genesis 11:8, Deuteronomy 32:8), and the establishment of national leaders (Genesis 17:4, Daniel 2:21).
He began to raise up righteous men to stand in positions of leadership for the benefit of His people, like Joseph (Genesis 41:44 and 50:19-20) and Daniel (Daniel 2:47-48).
He appointed men who would be deliverers and defenders of His people, Israel (Moses, David, Nehemiah).
He appointed the Judges (male and female) to defend His people, and keep the peace within Israel.
He appointed Priests to act as mediators between Himself and sinful humanity.
He appointed Prophets (male and female) to declare His Word and call His people to faithfulness and repentance.
He appointed Kings to lead the nation of Israel in righteousness.
In the New Testament, Jesus appointed the 12 Apostles to build the church He established, after He returned to heaven.
Later, He gave to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (male and female in each category) to lead the church until we all, finally, reach maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16). (I believe this will happen at His return.)

While it is true that at the final judgement men will cast all their crowns (authority) at the feet of Jesus, we cannot deny that until that day comes, God looks for, calls, and appoints men and women who will lead in every area of life, including the church.

Am I Called by God?

One of the most challenging questions we must ask ourselves, if we are to take on a role in spiritual leadership, is whether or not God has called us to that role, and if we are qualified to step into the work.

As we move ahead in this series, we will discuss the qualifications for spiritual leadership, at length. For now, let me focus on the “called” question.

I am convinced that God’s “calling” of people into ministry hinges as much on our own willingness and desires, as it does on His sovereign appointment. For example, in the Old Testament, God often speaks of “searching for a man” who had a heart to seek God and lead the people:

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Isaiah 6:8

(God says) And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
Ezekiel 22:30

(In anointing King David) But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him…
2 Chronicles 16:9

Of course, we know that the leaders God called – Isaiah, David, Ezekiel, and others – had been moved in their spiritual pursuits by the Holy Spirit, to lead them into the place of willingness to lead. Yet, it was ultimately their response to the love and calling from God which made them acceptable to be appointed.

As we begin to look at the appointment of spiritual leaders within the New Testament church, Paul writes to Timothy,

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
1 Timothy 3:1

This implies that being “called” into the position of a pastor or elder has as much to do with your own desire and pursuit, as it does with Jesus’ calling.

Discussing this verse, Simon J. Robinson says,

“The word ‘aspires’ is the translation of a word which describes someone who is taking specific steps towards a goal he has in mind and the word ‘desires’ refers to the passion that drives him. Paul is not talking about someone who might like to be a leader because of the status it brings, but about a man who has a conviction that God has called him to this ‘noble task’.”
^{Simon J. Robinson, Opening up 1 Timothy, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2004), 55–56.}

The first step to knowing you might have a calling from God to ministry is that you have within you a desire and a willingness to serve God’s people without seeking personal glory or benefit. This is a rare characteristic to be sure, yet as Paul continues to list the necessary qualities these men and women must demonstrate (1 Timothy 3:2-13 and Titus 1:5-9), and this selfless lifestyle shines through in each one of them.

Am I Called By The Church?

A second question that must be asked, which is also under attack in the modern world, is “has my calling by God been verified by the church?” Meaning, if you say that God has called you, has this been confirmed by the men and women who have led you in the faith throughout the course of your Christian life.

One of the qualifications we will discuss in a future post is that they “must not be a recent convert” (1 Timothy 3:6). There is a need for them to have been discipled and raised up to maturity in the faith.

From the examples given in the Old Testament, continuing throughout the history of the church, there has been a process of “ordination,” where a persons gifts and callings are recognized by the church, and hands are laid on them, commissioning them into public ministry. We see this in Acts 13:

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers…While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Acts 13:1-3

This was the public recognition of God’s ministry calling on Paul and Barnabas by existing church leadership. Yet verse 4 says of this ordination ceremony that, they were “being sent out by the Holy Spirit.”

Paul also reminds Timothy of the time when the elders laid hands on him, appointing and releasing gifts into him for ministry.

Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
1 Timothy 4:14

Paul later writes to Timothy that as he appoints elders in the church not to prejudge what he sees or to show partiality in this work. He specifically commands him, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands…” (1 Timothy 5:22).

Self-Appointed Leaders

Biblically speaking there cannot be legitimate spiritual authority that has been established on it’s own. If there is a call to lead God’s people publicly, there will first be recognition and release by existing church leaders who have seen you grow in spiritual maturity, develop your gifts, and discover the calling on your life.

There is a major crisis in the modern church in this regard! On the one hand, we have many self-proclaimed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, overseers, bishops, and more, whose giftings have never been publicly recognized or verified by the broader church body. These men and women simply take on the title for themselves, and enter ministry without support or connection with others.

Right now, one of our Sozo Ministries’ pastors in Uganda has been handed the reigns of a church which was founded and built by a self-appointed “prophet.” This man was able to use deceptive means (and likely a lot of witchcraft) to build a big following in the name of Jesus, but by the grace God, the truth about this man was revealed, and he was chased out of the community. Our pastor is now working with this large, but spiritually immature group of people to disciple them into true Christianity. It has proved to be a difficult task, as the faith they have been taught has no foundation in truth. We must be wary of any spiritual leaders who have not been affirmed by spiritual fathers and mothers in the faith

On the other hand, the crisis in the church extends to the fact that many called and appointed leaders remain ignorant and insecure in their spiritual authority, and they do not attempt to raise up and release other leaders into public ministry. Either they do not know the responsibility they have to equip leaders in the church, or worse, they blatantly ignore it because they fear it would threaten their own leadership role if other anointed men and women are raised up.

Let’s Look at Leadership

As we spend the next few weeks looking at the requirements for biblical leadership, it is my desire to call all men and women of God to rise up and meet the qualifications of mature Christianity. If you are already in a spiritual leadership role, it is my desire to spur you on in your personal growth and development in Christ, as He leads you to repent and/or further affirms your standing in the church.

If you are desiring to step into a spiritual leadership role, then I pray you discover what it means to truly be a man or woman of God who leads from truth and integrity, rather than simply relying on the fact that “God called me.” After all, “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).

If you are someone who despises the thought of spiritual leadership, I hope you can see that the bible not only mandates it, but also gives guidelines to keep it healthy and on track. On the other hand, if you are currently in submission to bad spiritual authority, I hope you will discover God’s true plan for His leaders, and can be set free to submit yourself to better pastors and overseers, who will represent Jesus well.

Whether you feel a calling to ministry or not, I encourage you to stay tuned to this series, as spiritual leadership will affect your life in some way or another. Let’s seek to find out how to live in submission and in authority, biblically.

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