PRESENTATION ON THE TOPIC: QUALIFICATION OF LEADERSHIP (ACCORDING TO 1&2 TIMOTHY AND TITUS)

Introduction  First and second Timothy and Titus are the three Pastoral Epistles, written to ministers in charge of important churches instead of to the churches themselves. Both Timothy and Titus were given explicit directions for shepherding the sheep, for guarding the churches. Paul, the aged and experienced apostle, write to the young pastor Timothy who is facing a heavy burden of the responsibility in the church at Ephesus. The qualification of the bishop as given in 1Timothy 3:1-7 deal mainly in trait (quality) of character rather than in the development of skills. The emphasis here is on the basic responsibility of the elders for the government of the church.

THE QUALIFICATION OF A BISHOP (OVEERSEES) (1Timothy 3:1-7) 1. Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.  “Bishop”: The word identifies the men who are responsible to lead the church. In the New Testament, the words “bishop,” “elder,” “overseer”, and “pastor” are used interchangeably to describe the same men.  Bishops (pastors, overseer, elders), are responsible to lead, preach and teach, help the spiritually weak, care for the church, and ordain other leaders.

2. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,  Living a blameless life is necessary for church leaders.  “Faithful to his wife” married partner to have good relationship with each other. Husband and wife trustworthy each other.  “Hospitable” As with all spiritual qualities, elders must set the example; their lives and homes are to be open so all can see their spiritual character.  “Able to teach” The preaching and teaching of God’s Word is the overseer/pastor/elder’s primary duty. (2 Timothy 2:24, Titus 2:1)

3. Not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  Bishop must not have a reputation as a drinker; his judgment must never be clouded by alcohol, his lifestyle must be radically different from the world and lead others to holiness, not sin.  “Not violent but gentle” Bishop must react to difficult situations calmly and gently.  Bishop must be motivated by love for God and His people, not money.

4. 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?  The leadership that the minister would need to lead the church members should be evident in the home, as well.  Trustworthily must look after Bishop home family.  “Take care of the church of God” Bishop proves God has gifted him uniquely to spiritually set the example of virtue, to serve others, resolve conflicts, build unity and maintain love.

6. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.  A leader in the church must have a blameless reputation in the unbelieving community.  The Bishop must not be the object of justified criticism by non-Christians.  The leader of the church must live without even giving the appearance of evil.

THE QUALIFICATION OF A DEACON (1Timothy 3:8-12) 1. In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.  Deacons”: from a word group meaning “to serve”.  Deacons serve under the leadership of elders, helping them exercise oversight in the practical matters of church life.  Serious in mind and character; not silly about important matters and worthy of respect.  “Not double tongued” means saying the same thing to one party as to the other. Their speech must not be hypocritical (deceitful), but honest and consistent.

2. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience  “Hold of the deep truths of the faith” deacons must preserve the truth as God revealed it. 3. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. Some ministers will not let anyone serve as a deacon, until they have attended their church for several years. This is so they can get to know them, and find out how they react in time of crisis. The deacon must be of very high moral character. He must be of such a nature that he will be an upright representative of the church.

4. In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.  Paul likely here refers not to deacons’ wives, but to the women who serve as deacons.  Paul gave no requirements for elders’ wives; there is no reason to assume these would be qualifications for deacons’ wives.  “Trustworthy in everything” Women servants in the church, like their male counterparts must be absolutely trustworthy in all aspects of their lives and ministries.

5. A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well.  The qualifications of deacons emphasize the importance of a man’s being able to manage his own household.  To be in the leadership in the church, it is important to show leadership in the family first.  The leadership that the minister would need to lead the church members should be evident in the home, as well. Children obey their parents. Parents, make their children obey them.

THE QUALIFICATION OF AN ELDER (1Timothy 5:17-25)  The elders who rule well should be considered worthy of “double honor”. But special honor should be given to the elders who labor in preaching and teaching.  Paul also quotes the statement, “the laborer deserves his wages”. This is found among the sayings of Jesus in Luke 10:7, “Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.”  The character of the elders in order that the governing body of the church may hold the respect and confidence of the membership.

 First, an elder is very familiar with the Word of God and would know the consequences (results) of sin.  Elders who continue in any kind of sin after the argument of 2 or 3 witnesses, especially any that violates (break the rule) the qualifications to serve.

CONCLUSION  Therefore, as the conclusion, the bishop and deacons should have many of the qualities according to the book 1, 2 timothy and Titus that makes them worthy enough to get respect and honor as the chosen one of God. The bishop should be blameless and he should possess the characters like honesty and should have hospitable behavior. He should be faithful to his wife and to the people of church and also he should never take the impure food and drinks that would make him bad in front of others. So, the bishops today in our church should also possess the same characteristics that would make them the perfect leaders.

 Similarly, deacons should have the serving heart with the trustworthy character and not double tongued. So, they could serve the lord and the people with correct manner which should be followed by our deacons also. Likewise, the elders should be honorable and should do hard work that will lead the church towards the bright future. If three of them will be good in the church then the church will get many advantages and it will grow physically as well as spiritually.