In this article we will look at the biblical qualifications and practical tasks of church elders.
Elders (teaching and managing) are shepherds and, in light of Scripture, should be qualified in character, leading the house and doctrine. The list of elders’ qualifications applies to them obligatorily, but is also an encouragement to all Believers to follow Yahusha by following their example.
Let’s look at the qualifications of elders so that we have healthy and scriptural expectations, but also are able to discern Yahuah’s call among candidates for this position. In the New Testament, lists of criteria for an elder appear in two pastoral letters: 1 Timothy and the Epistle to Titus. According to them, an elder should be characterized by:
1. Have Desire (1 Tim 3:1)
Above all, an elder must want this ministry. It cannot be the work of an unwilling hired hand who performs it out of compulsion or for financial gain. Wanting to be an elder is first and foremost a desire to serve, not to be served. It is to serve, not to conduct (Mt 20:24-28; Lk 22:24-30. The congregation does not need Diotrefes who love first places, but humble leaders with a servant’s heart (3 Jn 9-10).
An elder is a servant. He should not carry the title “servant of Elohim” without the attitude of a servant of Elohim. He should not wear the title “servant of the Word” if he is unwilling to submit to the judgment of the Word. “Comrade” Stalin was a comrade to his countrymen in name only. “Citizen” Robespierre was equal to his compatriots only in the demands of the French Revolution, not in how he treated them.
2. Be Blameless (1 Tim 3:2)
Yahuah’s grace is manifested in the life of the elder of the congregation in such a way that it is difficult to direct deserved criticism against him because of his lifestyle, actions and speech. No charge can be found against him that can discredit him. When Daniel’s enemies looked for a reason to accuse him, they could not find anything reprehensible. So they decided to accuse him of practicing regular prayer to Yahuah, and thus opposing the king’s decree.
“4 Then the governors and viceroys sought to find occasion against Dani’ĕl concerning the reign. But they were unable to find occasion or corruption, because he was steadfast, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any occasion against this Dani’ĕl unless we find it against him concerning the law of his Elah.” – Daniel 6:4-5
3. Be a Husband of One Wife (1 Tim 3:2)
The first area mentioned in which an elder must be free from accusations is his marital and sexual life. For men who are married, this means the requirement of marital fidelity and sexual purity. An elder should literally be “a man of one woman,” which emphasizes his devotion to his wife in deeds and thoughts. He should be grateful and content with his wife and not allow himself to frolic (or “innocently flirt”) with other women.
4. Be Sober, Moderate, Decent (1 Tim 3:2)
An elder should be able to control himself, be poised and balanced, and not hasty in his judgment. Of course, he should not shy away from strong opinions, where the scriptures expresses them, but before he forms a judgment, he should examine the facts fairly and honestly. He should be prudent, reasonable and discreet. He must be a man who can be trusted to entrust and solve serious problems, because he loves the sheep and cares about them. He should not be biased, but principled in his actions. He can be relied upon to seek justice. Elders should initiate what the congregation teaches, namely the truths of humility, the desire to serve, care and brotherly love (Matthew 23:1-12; Mark 9:34-35; 10:32-45).
5. Be Hospitable (1 Tim 3:2)
An elder’s actions should reveal his heart’s desire to have an open home and life for those he serves. An elder’s home is a place where he serves, not where he expects to be served. An elder’s home is a place that Yahuah uses as a means to bless others. Through shared meals in his dining room, shared conversations in the living room, shared prayers, shared laughter, people should experience grace, goodness and strengthening in faith.
6. Be Able to Teach, a Good Teacher (1 Tim 3:2)
Paul left Titus in Crete to be there until he found men capable of teaching. The first characterizations of the elder concern his character. Here, on the other hand, it is about his knowledge and skills. The Church desperately needs men who understand the Word of Yahuah, understand the world, modern culture, and are able to teach and defend the whole counsel of Elohim. We desperately need the truth brought to every area of our lives.
Not every elder needs to preach, but every elder should hold to the righteous doctrine and be able to implement it in their lives: their own, their family’s, and others who need encouragement or exhortation (Titus 1:9). The shepherd in particular is required to have biblical, theological qualifications. It’s good if he has extensive scriptural knowledge. However, we must be careful here: professionalism is a good thing, but professionalizing the congregation is destructive. There is nothing healthy about a situation where pastoral candidates go to theological seminary and graduate like doctors graduate from medical school. Then, in turn, they treat service in the congregation as a certain social status and, like Pharisees, love long robes, academic titles and religiosity for show. It is not uncommon for young boys to put on colored robes after seminary and, with their heads held high, build up the image of the clergy as an effeminate important man. The most important diploma of an elder is the fragrance of the Gospel in his home and the way he talks to his wife, children.
7. Not be Indulging in Drunkenness (1 Tim 3:3)
The elder should not be controlled by various substances. This is not a call to ban such things. It is a demand that these things never hold a person in their grip. It is for us to control alcohol, not alcohol to control us.
8. Be Not Violent, not Pugnacious, but Gentle, not Quarrelsome (1 Tim 3:3)
Since the day Cain killed Abel, people have turned on each other with hatred, violence, division. Yahuah hates this (Proverbs 6:16-19). Such an attitude disqualifies a person who is prone to these things. Sometimes conflicts are inevitable, but we should not look for opportunities for bad or unnecessary conflicts. (Romans 12:18).
A salesman may say to a woman: “Your foot is too big for this shoe” – and thereby lead her into complexes. However, he may say, “This shoe is too small for your foot.” The problem is with the shoe, not the foot.
9. Be Not Greedy for Money (1 Tim 3:3)
As with alcohol, the issue is not whether he has the money, but whether the money has him. An elder must maintain trusting faith in whatever situation (including financial) Yahuah has placed him in. A leader must not make his service or decision contingent on financial gain. Of course, those who work full-time in the congregation should be paid for their work.
D, A. Carson accurately wrote on this subject: “The congregation should not pay clergymen for the services they provide, as if the shepherds live by earning their own living. Such an assumption stretched to the point of absurdity might also imply that the Master’s servant is paid a given amount for praying, this much he receives for a sermon, this much for an hour of preparation, and this much for a counseling session with a distraught widow who has just lost her son, etc. (…) No, the congregation does not pay its ministers, but rather provides them with the means to serve freely. The church recognizes that those who serve in this way must be ”maintained” and are worth it. (…) The worst situation occurs when greedy and jealous ministers, constantly compare themselves with other ‘professionals’, while the congregation adopts an attitude: Master, keep him humble, and we will keep him poor.”
A shepherd is not someone who does his job for money. A shepherd is someone who does the job he is called to do, and Yahuah wants him to have a living from the congegation for that.
10. Be a Good Steward of the Home (1 Tim 3:4, Tit 1:6)
Household requirements do not mean that a bachelor or husband without children cannot be an elder. The qualifications describe a man who has a family. The home is a small church, and the man is the minister in it. What is important is how the man/woman leads the family, provides and manages his/her home.
The home is the first place of service, a testimony of faith in Yahusha visible in good deeds. Therefore, every elder in the congregation and a candidate for elder should ask himself questions: is my family protected, fed, loved, warm and safe? Do I clearly communicate with my life that Yahuah’s Word is the foundation of everything that happens in my home? Do I smell the fragrance of grace and the Gospel, or tension and constant stress?
Hypocrites are always more interested in the outside than the inside (Matthew 23:25-29). So a man will often be tempted to focus more on his testimony there than here; outside the home than at home. This is not the kind of faith we want. Such faith will not encourage the householder. On the contrary. It will lead away from what is most important: the Gospel. The questions that every man in the congregation should ask himself (not just elders) are: are you loyal to your wife and children? Are you accessible to them? Are you their biggest support or their biggest critic? What do the children learn about Yahusha’s love by looking at your life, the way you talk to your family, spend time with them, laugh together?
At the same time, we must be careful not to make the home an idol. Let’s not make home a quiet, central, inaccessible, enclosed place. Rather, home is a place of service, a base where we enjoy Yahuah, ourselves, rest, but also equip, work. The goal is not home. The goal is the Kingdom of Elohim Yahuah. Home is a means to that end.
11. Be Keeping Children in Obedience and Honesty who do not Face the Charge of Waywardness or Debauchery (1 Tim 3:4)
The children of an elder should not be accused of defiance or rebellion (Titus 1:6). In the context of the elder’s ministry – do the children love their dad, respect him, respect his decisions and faithfully follow him as disciples of the Messiah? Do they trust him? Do they ask him questions about living the faith and understanding the scriptures? Does the family pray together and for each other? At home, the husband, dad is a spiritual advisor, shepherd, youth leader and children’s school teacher. If a believer in Yahuah needs guidance, support, help regarding family leadership – an elder in the congregation should be someone who can provide it.
12. It Cannot Be a Recent Convert (1 Tim 3:6)
There is a special temptation of pride towards those who assume the office of elder while still young in the faith. Attacks from the devil and people against the congregation are to be expected, and elders must take responsibility and stand in the forefront of spiritual battles. Although the scriptures do not place age as a categorical limit for ordination, we see wisdom in the Scriptures and a certain recurring pattern that for special vocations Yahuah calls men over the age of 30. We have examples of this in the calling to the Levites to work in the Tent of Assembly, in Joseph’s appointment as an administrator in Egypt, in the beginning of Yahusha’s ministry (Gen 41:46; Num 4:1-3; 1 Kings 23:1-5; Luke 3:23). Elders should be mature and have “senses trained to discern both good and evil” (Heb 5:14). Timothy became a shepherd in the congregation in Ephesus after at least ten years of his membership in it.
13. Must Be Giving Good Testimony To Those Who Are Outside (1 Tim 3:7)
If outsiders think the elder is a “Yahusha maniac” or a “scriptural absolutist” – all is fine. However, it’s better that they don’t call him a con man, a conceited person or a proud person. An elder is, among other things, the congregation’s calling card to the outside world. Of course, all believers should have a good testimony, but this is especially true of congregation elders.
Summary
So we have listed moral, family and mental qualifications. Now, of course, it is not about us applying these qualities to elders and pastors discovering that someone is not perfect in this and that. It’s not about legalism and perfectionism. Everyone stumbles. It’s about whether we can characterize someone with these criteria, even if there isn’t 100% perfection in it. It’s about realistic requirements.
The problem is not the elder who, after a dispute, is able to repent, confess sin and repent of it. The problem is an elder whose attitude and character is characterized by quarrelsomeness. Such a person should resign from office immediately, even if he has previously written five excellent commentaries on the books of the New Testament.
In earthly kingdoms, those who are privileged to be served are fit as leaders. In the Kingdom of Yahuah, leaders should be those who consider service to others their privilege and want to imitate Yahusha in this – the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep. It is the responsibility of believers to pray that Yahuah will appoint and equip such people. Elders are the gift Yahuah gave to the congregation to be responsible for the life of the body (Hebrews 13:17). Our goal is for all of us, by Yahuah’s grace, to grow up in all these things that Yahuah speaks of in relation to the elders. This is the benchmark we are all to strive for, not a bonus for the elect.
