The qualifications for pastors and deacons is found in 1 Tim. 3:1-13. Notice carefully,
This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Many churches today are run on the business model. So, when they are selecting leaders, they often want a resume, rather than righteousness. They prefer success to spirituality, worldly leadership to Biblical servanthood, and over achievers rather than true “under-shepherds.” Today, many churches are looking for a CEO to run their business, not a preacher who is capable of “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
What are the qualification of a pastor? The Bible is very specific. First, he is to be blameless. This means “beyond reproach, not open to attack.” He is to be the husband of one wife. This has been interpreted in a variety of ways. Some hold that it means the preacher must be married. Some that he cannot be divorced and remarried, or married to a divorcee. Some even prohibit the pastor from remarrying if his first wife passes away. Some say it only refers to having one wife at a time, so a divorced preacher who has remarried would still be qualified. If that is the case, I supposed the logical conclusion is that if you do not plan on being a pastor or deacon, you are free to marry as many wives as you want. As MacArthur points out “Some have argued that its intent is to forbid polygamy. A man could not, however, even be a member of the church if he was a polygamist, let alone a leader.” The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary defines the word one as “one, alone, one and the same, only one.” MacArthur says,
The Greek text literally reads “a one-woman man.” Some may wonder why Paul begins his list with this quality. He does so because it is in this area, above all others, where leaders seem most prone to fall. The failure to be a one-woman man has put more men out of the ministry than any other sin. It is thus a matter of grave concern.
The pastor is to be “vigilant” (sober, circumspect) and “of good behaviour” (respectable, honorable, virtuous). Further, he is to be “given to hospitality.” The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary states “given to hospitality” “suggests both a fondness for and a natural desire to serve the needs of others.” The pastor must be able to teach. John Phillips explains,
The word translated “apt to teach” is didaktikos, which means “skilled in teaching.” The ability to teach the Word, like all other skills, is not acquired overnight. The Bible is a library of books, and it takes years of diligent study to acquire a thorough, working knowledge of its contents and to become familiar with sound hermeneutical principles. A teacher must understand the Bible’s broad movements; meet its many people; master its major doctrines; apply its vital principles; weigh its geography, history, cultures, and themes; think about the languages in which it was written; study its structure; attend to the context of any given verse; and compare various passages. An elder must aim to be skilled in all of these aspects of teaching.
Another qualification is “not given to wine.” MacArthur states,
A man who is a drinker has no place in the ministry. He is a poor example, and will surely be the cause of serious sin and disaster in the lives of others who follow his example as drinkers, justifying their indulgence because of their leader. A leader must be a man whose associations are radically different from those of the world, and whose example leads others to righteous conduct, not sin.
He is not to be a “striker” (a contentious person), not greedy, but patient (gentle, yielding), not a “brawler” (peaceable, not quarrelsome), and not “covetous” (not a lover of money). The pastor is to “rule his own house” well. J. Vernon McGee says, “An elder should have the authority in his own home – without being a dictator.” MacArthur adds,
An elder’s children are to be respectful, well-disciplined, and believers. An elder’s children must bring honor to their parents. The obvious implication is that his family is ordered, disciplined, not rebellious. He also demands in that same verse that the elder have “children who believe.” The point is that one given the task of leading men and women to justification, sanctification, and service in the church must have shown in the home that he is capable of such leadership.
The pastor is not to be a “novice,” or new convert. He must have attained some spiritual maturity. And he must have a good reputation among those outside the church.
The qualification for deacons is very similar to that of the pastor. A deacon must not be “doubletongued.” He must be honest, a man of integrity. The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary explains the meaning of “doubletongued.” “saying one thing to one person and then changing the story to another (giving different versions of a story perhaps with the intent to deceive).”
A final note about deacons, their wives must be godly women – “grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things” (1 Tim. 3:11).
In our day, many churches are ordaining women. Is this Biblical? The Bible says, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence” (1Tim. 2:12). That seems clear enough. Michael Bentley said, “There is one thing which is beyond dispute: this passage clearly teaches that an elder must be a man.” Dr. Mike Johnston asks seven questions about women preachers,
1. Why did the Holy Spirit use obvious male gender words (Greek) in describing senior pastor-elders? Was He hiding truth from us until the politically correct crowd surfaced to straighten us out, or was He intentionally mis- leading us into error? God forbid!
2. Why did the Lord vest all authority in men and not in women? (1 Cor. 11:3)
3. Why did He tie in overseeing the church with overseeing the home, which was unequivocally given to men? (Gen. 3:16; 1 Tim. 3:1-5; Eph. 5:22-23)
4. Why did the Holy Spirit point out the irrevocable connection between teaching, authority, and woman’s fall into deception? (1 Tim. 2:11-14)
5. Why didn’t God give us a clear example of at least one female pastor in the Bible?
6. Why didn’t Jesus choose at least one woman to be in His leadership team of 12, or His inner circle of three (Peter, James, and John)?
7. Why, if women are eligible for senior pastor ministry, didn’t God just come out and say it somewhere—anywhere—in Scripture?
What about women deacons (deaconesses)? In Rom. 16:1, Paul says, “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:” “Servant” is the greek word “diakonos.” This is the same word translated “deacon” in 1 Tim. 3:8. Simply put, we are all to be servants. “Daikonos” is translated twenty times “minister,” eight times “servant,” and three times “deacon.” It was a word used to describe people who serve. Later, it came to identify an office in the church. Women may serve in the church, but not as pastors or deacons.
REFERENCES
Barnes, Albert, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament, WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Bentley, Michael, Welwyn Commentary Series – Passing on the Truth: 1 and 2 Timothy simply explained, (Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press, 1997), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Eveson, Philip, Welwyn Commentary Series – The book of origins: Genesis simply explained, (Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Fleming, Don, Concise Bible Commentary, (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1994), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Gilbrant, Thoralf, ed., The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Johnston, Mike, Women Pastors and Preachers: What does the Bible say about ordaining women into pastoral ministry? PMI Center for Biblical Studies, 01 March, 2013, <http://pmicenter.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/what-does-the-bible-say-about-women-pastors-and-preachers/>
MacArthur, John, MacArthur New Testament Commentary – 1 Timothy, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Phillips, John, The John Phillips Commentary Series – Exploring the Pastoral Epistles: An Expository Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
