Looking for Elders

Introduction

From time to time, I am given the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson. Here is the lesson that I learned recently—don’t assume that people will remember what you said or that what you said was worth remembering. When the process began in which you were encouraged to seek out men to serve as elders and deacons, Dwight nor I preached any lessons on what to look for in these potential servants. Instead I assumed lessons taught several years ago would be sufficient. I was wrong. So today with the encouragement of our elders, I am going to speak on the type of men that God would want us to look for when we are considering men to be special servants among us—both elders and deacons. Let’s open our Bibles to 1 Timothy 3.

The Text

There are two texts which deal with the traits of elders, one in Timothy and the other in Titus. The lists are not identical. There are about 10 differences between the two lists. Since Paul wrote both letters there must be a reason why the lists were not identical. It seems reasonable to understand that the differences can be attributed to different circumstances. Timothy lived in Ephesus. According to Acts 20, elders already existed. Thus, this well-established church had different needs. Titus lived in Crete. There were no elders in the churches on Crete. Instead, Paul is instructing Titus to establish elders in every congregation on the island.

The differences between the two lists are not significant; however, those differences point to the different locations and different needs of the church in Ephesus and the church on Crete. The differences also establishes that neither list is intended to be complete, but rather are to speak to specific occasions and locations. Many times preachers will combine the lists to make sure that all bases are covered. Paul certainly could have presented an identical list for each location and he could have made longer lists if the Holy Spirit had guided him to do so. We would do well to leave the lists intact and not make them longer than the Spirit of God made them.

I have chose to deal only with the Timothy text today because it is written to a well-established church with elders already present. Thus, the situation fits our circumstance a bit better than the situation which Titus had to deal with in Crete. Ephesus was a vibrant city. The temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the world, existed in Ephesus. Temple prostitution was rampant. In fact, a prominent house of prostitution was located in the central section of the city. It is in this text that Paul’s main concern is for elders to be involved in building up the church and defending doctrine.

Many have in the past called this list found in 1 Timothy 3 qualifications. However, any descriptive term used for this list is manmade. But I would encourage us to consider this list as qualities or character traits rather than qualifications. Let me explain why. The word qualifications suggests that there is a checklist of measurable traits. For instance according to our constitution in order for a person to be president of the United States, he or she must be 35 years of age, a natural born citizen of the United States, and must not have a federal conviction. These qualifications are easily verified and checked. However, the list that Paul gives is not so easily dealt with. For instance, take the character trait of not greedy. How would we measure such a trait? Is there a way to verify this trait as a quantifiable measure? Or is the trait intended for people to be able to observe and know that greed is not a part of the man’s life? Is it a character trait which Paul is interested in rather than a qualification? Each of the items in the list fit with the idea of looking for men to serve as elders or deacons who demonstrate certain qualities of character. This seems to fit well with the intent of Paul as he writes to Timothy.

Qualities

Let’s look briefly at each of the traits which Paul includes. In 3:2, Paul begins the list with the words “must be above reproach.” Then in 3:7, Paul ends this section with “must have a good reputation with outsiders.” Both of these phrases have the same meaning. One is intended for those inside the church and the other is intended for those outside the church. The point is they form a parenthesis around this section. Everything in between these two bookends is an elaboration on the theme of being above reproach or having a good reputation. This seems to be the overall thrust of what Paul wants the church to understand. The elders reputation both inside and outside the church is fundamental to his serving.

Let’s look at each of the other character traits briefly. “Husband of but one wife” is an interpretation rather than a translation of the text. The phrase is only three words in the Greek and it is the phrase “one woman man.” The words “one woman” modify man so to explain that the elder is to be a man who is faithfully committed to his wife. This is a character trait. It is not intended to specify the number of times that a man can be married, but it speaks to his character in regards to his wife. That is, the elder is faithful to his wife; no hint of flirtatious behavior or wandering eyes for others.

Temperate is probably used figuratively here to refer to being free from every form of excess or rashness. Similar to what Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5, he is to keep his head in all situations.

Self-controlled and respectable are words that mean under control and orderly. The elder is able to keep himself in check and is not given to being out of control.

Hospitable means to welcome people into his home.

Able to teach—Paul didn’t have Sunday School in mind. Such did not exist in his day. This same word occurs in 2 Timothy 2:24 and Titus 1:9 and in these contexts it means that the elder has the ability to teach the truth and to refute error.

Not a drunkard means the elder must not be given to excessive consumption of alcohol.

Not violent but gentle and not quarrelsome—these three go together. The elder is not to be given to strife and quarrels. Instead the true elder is gentle even in correcting opponents, as Paul instructs in 2 Timothy 2:23-25.

Not greedy is another key trait. This is what false teachers go for. A man who desires money over the love of God and for his people should never serve as an elder.

The qualifications in verses 4 and 5 address the elder as a man who manages his family well. The word “manage” doesn’t do justice to the intent of the word which Paul uses. Yet the intent is found in verse 5 with the word “care” when the potential elder’s family is compared to the church. The word manage is intended here to mean “to be concerned about, to care for.” This implies guidance with a great deal of caring concern. Children are to be known for their obedience and for their generally good behavior.

Not a recent convert is another requirement, so that he will not get the big head. That isn’t the Greek but it carries the idea very well. In other words, the elder is to be well grounded in the faith or mature in the faith.

The qualities for deacons in verses 8-13 are very similar. According to verse 9, like elders, they are to be men who love truth. The testing in verse 10 seems to suggest that the deacons are to be men who have been noticed for their faith and are of worthy reputation. What we notice is that the character traits for elders and deacons do not differ significantly, if at all. What is significant is that both elders and deacons are to be men whom the congregation recognizes for their upstanding character and their caring natures. They are to be men who love truth and who care deeply about people.

In verse 11, a brief list is given for wives. There is some debate if this list pertains only to the wives of deacons or if the list applies to the wives of both elders and deacons. I would point out that the phrase “in the same way” in verse 11 and the word “likewise” may apply to the same thing. In other words, the “likewise” of verse 8 definitely is meant to make a comparison between the elders and deacons. Verse 11 “in the same way” may mean that it is to make a comparison to the elders and wives as well. Secondly, if it applies only to the wives of deacons, it seems odd that Paul would not address the wives of elders. It seems reasonable that verse 11 applies to the wives of both elders and deacons.

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