According to the book of Titus, Paul left a young Titus on the island of Crete to do two things: 1) settle things in order and 2) appoint elders in every town.As he directed Titus, Paul gave instructions about qualities that a church leader should exhibit. H e told Titus to appoint men of commitment (Titus 1:5-6), appoint men of character (Titus 1:7-8) and to appoint men of courage (Titus 1:9-10).
Appoint Men who are COMMITTED
Paul prioritizes the church order of leadership that needs to be established in churches in every town. Then, he began to detail the standards of spiritual leadership. In verse 6, notice the phrase “if anyone is above reproach”. The phrase “if anyone” is an open invitation for all men. And these men must be above reproach which means blameless and credible. Blameless does not mean a man will never make a mistake or even without any fault. Elders are not required to be perfect, but men who are credibly pursuing godliness.
In identifying church leaders, Paul advocated for men to be committed. After stating that elders must be “above approach reproach”, Paul detailed that it should be evident in their household. He is to be “the husband of one wife”. A blameless husband is committed to his wife in marriage. This does not exclude single men. Paul, Timothy and Titus were single. Spiritual leaders are faithful men, who uphold the biblical perspective of marriage. For those who do not or who live immorally or unfaithfully, they need not to be considered.
An elder must also be a blameless father. It says “his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination”. The word “believers” means “faithful” and the verse goes on to state the children should not be called debaucherous or insubordinate. As godly parents, we must teach and train our children well. We must teach them right and wrong and how to respect others. We must teach the gospel and model the gospel before them. This passage does not suggest that Elder and all of us, need to save our kids because we can never do this. Only by God’s grace, they need to come to an awareness of their own sin, repent and believe in the gospel. Nevertheless, Elders must be committed to point his children to Jesus.
Appointment Men who have CHARACTER
Next, Paul listed qualities each that an elder should and should not be like. Verse seven states “for an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined”. One cannot say, “I missed one or two of these qualities. So maybe, it is a good thing that I am not an elder.” This is not acceptable. For all these character qualities, any believer is not exempt, but should be pursuing these godly characteristics. However, when it comes to identifying elders, these character qualities should be more than apparent.
What should we think, especially if we do not think ourselves cannot live this out perfectly? The Gospel says that there was one and only one who lived out a perfect life and his name is Jesus Christ. Through faith in who he is and what he has done, we are united with him and united with his Spirit to live out these qualities with power. And when we do fail, we go back to the cross where Jesus took the penalty for our failures and we remember the empty tomb where he rose from the dead to give us new life to live by faith.
Appoint Men who are COURAGEOUS
The parallel passage in I Timothy listed notable character qualities but with one exception, an overseer must be “able to teach”. What does it mean? Titus 1:9, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instructions in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
To “hold firm” means to cling to or have a strong grasp for it. Elders should have the ability to persist in getting the correct interpretation of Scripture and hold to its truth. Paul reminded Timothy to “keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (I Tim. 4:16).
Overseers should be courageous and faithful in understanding the Word. The reason he needs to get the message right is because he needs to get the message out. He must teach God’s truth, but also defend God’s truth. An elder must be courageous to hold firm in order to counter those who contradict the truth. Titus encountered many false teachers and was instructed to appoint courageous elders in order to stand against those promoting false doctrine for personal gain.
As believers, we should aspire for all these qualities as mentioned in Titus 1:5-10 whether at home, in the community or at work. A healthy church has elders who should not only have these qualities, but should these qualities should be exceedingly apparent to all. For a growing church, we do need elders who are committed, who have character and who are courageous for God’s glory.