Pastors, Deacons, and Church Members

Copyright 2019 by David W. Cloud

ISBN 978-1-58318-274-1

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 Table of Contents

The Pastor ................................................................................5

The Pastor’s Call ......................................................................7
The Pastor’s Qualification ....................................................16
The Pastor’s Authority ..........................................................49
The Pastor’s Support .............................................................73
The Pastor’s Ordination .......................................................75
The Pastor’s Discipline .........................................................77
The Church Member’s Relationship to Pastors .................82
The Office of a Deacon .......................................................114
Way of Life Literature Publications ..................................133

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“Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ,
to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at
Philippi, with the bishops and
deacons” (Philippians 1:1).

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 The Pastor
It has been said that “everything rises and falls on
leadership,” and that is true in the churches. Never has there
been a greater need for God-called, qualified, devoted,
properly trained, capable, wise pastors.
This is strongly emphasized in Scripture. Three entire
books of the New Testament are called “the Pastoral Epistles”
because they are focused on the training of pastors. A major
portion of Acts 20 is devoted to the same subject (verses
17-38). Two chapters of Scripture are dedicated to the pastor’s
qualifications.
Since 2017, I have been praying fervently for God to raise
up 1,000 special preachers to lead special churches. I pray for
prepared men and a prepared people that we might have New
Testament churches in these last days that are stronger than
any that have existed in my lifetime.
There is one office of leadership in the New Testament
church, and the one office has three names: Pastor, Elder,
Bishop.
Bishop is the Greek episkopos, which means overseer (epi is
over and skopos is watcher). Elder is presbuteros, which
means older, senior. It speaks of maturity, experience,
wisdom. This is the term most often used for the church
leader (Ac. 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 1
Ti. 5:17, 19; Tit. 1:5; Jas. 5:14; 1 Pe. 5:1). Pastor is poimen or
poimaino, which is usually translated shepherd (Lu. 2:8).
In Titus 1:5 and 7 the terms “elder” and “bishop” are used
interchangeably. We see all three terms in Ac. 20:17, 28. In
verse 17 the church leaders are called elders. In verse 28 they
are called episkopos and poimaino. We see all three terms in 1
Pe. 5: elders (verse 1), poimaino (verse 2), and episkopeo
(verse 2).
The three terms emphasize different aspects of the one
office.
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 Pastor refers to the chief duty of his office. He is a
shepherd of the flock. He feeds and protects the flock.
Elder refers to the dignity of the office. He is an
experienced, proven, mature Christian.
Bishop refers to the responsibility and authority of the
office. He is an overseer. Compare Heb. 13:7, 17. “Bishop,
pastor, elder do not signify so many offices, but departments
of work in the one office. Here is a working force: there is an
overseer for that working force; here is a flock: there is a
shepherd for that flock; here is an assembly: there is a ruler of
that assembly, a president” (B.H. Carroll).
Pastors are under-shepherds and under-bishops. The
church belongs to Christ, and He is the Great Shepherd (Heb.
13:20) and the Bishop of your souls (1 Pe. 2:25). A pastor
once told me, “There are no under-shepherds; only
shepherds,” but he is wrong. Pastors are not shepherds of
their own flocks and they do not rule by their own authority
or for their own benefit and glory.

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 The Pastor’s Call
The office of the pastor is a divine call. Paul said that the
bishops at Ephesus had been appointed by the Holy Spirit
(Ac. 20:28).
Following are some of the chief tests of God’s call:
1. The test of desire
1 Timothy 3:1 (“If a man desire the office”)
This speaks of a strong, compelling desire; a passion; a
zeal. It could be translated “if a man reach out to
grasp” (John Economidis). The Greek word is oregomai
which is elsewhere translated covet. In 1 Ti. 6:10 it refers
to coveting money and possessions. In contrast, the
qualified pastor covets the work of God. In Hebrews
11:16 it refers to pilgrim Christians who “desire a better
country, that is, an heavenly.”
Paul speaks of this strong calling in 1 Co. 9:16 when he
says, “for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me,
if I preach not the gospel!”
Those in Israel who did the work of building the
Tabernacle were men “whose hearts stirred them up, to
come unto the work to do it” (Ex. 36:2). Likewise, men
who lead the churches must be men whose hearts have
been divinely stirred for this great task. This desire must
be more than a mere interest; it must be a passion, a
powerful, divine summons. It has been said, and rightly
so, that if a man can refrain from preaching and from
church leadership, he should refrain, because God’s call
to such ministry is attended by a powerful,
unmistakable summons. A man might say no to God’s
call, as Jonah temporarily did, but he will not mistake
the call or ignore it lightly!
Charles H. Spurgeon, in addressing the men in his
Pastor’s College, warned, “If any student in this room
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 could be content to be a newspaper editor, or a grocer,
or a farmer, or a doctor, or a lawyer, or a senator, or a
king, in the name of heaven and earth let him go his
way ... If on the other hand, you can say that for all the
wealth of both the Indies you could not and dare not
espouse any other calling so as to be put aside from
preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, then, depend upon
it, if other things be equally satisfactory, you have the
signs of this apostleship.”
This is the type of calling I experienced after I was saved
in 1973. I was consumed with the desire to study and
teach the Bible. That’s all I wanted to do. Immediately I
started witnessing to my old friends. Within the first
year I started printing little booklets containing the
spiritual truths I was learning. I was working as a
printer at the Florida Citrus Commission in Lakeland,
Florida, and I did my work well and had a good
testimony on the job, but I wasn’t satisfied. I just wanted
to study the Bible and pursue God’s calling, and the
Lord soon gave me freedom to do that, and I’ve done it
ever since. I couldn’t be happy doing anything else.
Psalm 37:4
God imparts the right desires to those who love Him.
He imparts His will into that individual’s life. Then He
fulfills those desires.
The verse does not say that whatever an individual
desires he will have. Desire itself is not evidence of God’s
leading and calling, because there can be many wrong
desires in a man’s heart. The promise is for those who
delight in the Lord, those who love the Lord and love
His Word and abide in Him and pursue His holy will.
To delight in the Lord is a passionate thing. It is not a
casual, half-hearted thing. It is not lukewarm. Delight in
the Lord is first-love passion (Re. 2:4). It is the passion
of Psalm 1.

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 Delight in the Lord is fed by God’s Word. Through
Scripture the mind is renewed (Ro. 12:1-2) so that we
know the mind of Christ (1 Co. 2:15-16). Through
studying God’s Word and through the preaching of
God’s Word, God’s people are stirred to do His will. His
desires are put into their hearts. The coveting after the
world is replaced by the coveting after God and His
business.
2. The test of life (1 Ti. 3; Tit. 1)
Desire is important, but this, in itself, is not enough. The
individual’s life must also meet the requirements for the
calling. Some people who desire to be pastors, deacons, or
missionaries are deceived about God’s call, because they don’t
meet the standards that God has laid out.
Examples of how the test of life restricts the calling.
If a woman, for example, feels God is calling her to be a
pastor or deacon, she is wrong, because the Bible says
plainly that this is a man’s work.
If a man has a poor reputation in his community, or is
given to wine, or has an angry, combative spirit, or loves
money, or does not have faithful children and a good
home life, or has more than one wife, etc., he can be
certain that God does not want him in the pastorate
until such issues are solved.
In 1980, I was invited to teach a group of pastors in
Nepal in an all-day Bible conference, and I chose the
book of Titus as my outline. After we had gone through
the standards for pastors in chapter one, I was informed
that one of the men had three wives. He maintained
three families on three properties that he owned and he
visited them on sort of a circuit. I told the national
pastors that this man could not be a pastor because of
his marital status. He spoke up and said that he knew
that God had called him to pastor because he had a

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 vision. The entire group chose to ignore the Word of
God in favor of the man’s vision!
We would note here that the call to preach is not
necessarily the same as the call to pastor. A man can
preach in many ways without being a pastor: in the
highways and byways, in the jails and nursing homes,
on the street corners, from house to house, in a bus
ministry, etc. Men who are not qualified to be a pastor
or deacon can still preach the Word of God in many
ways if they are faithful to Jesus Christ and have a good
Christian testimony.
3. The test of ability (Tit. 1:9-11; 1 Ti. 3:5; 1 Pe. 5:2)
When God calls, He equips. He will never call someone to
do something without giving that person the ability to do it.
When the Lord wanted the Tabernacle built in the time of
Moses, He prepared men for this work. “See, I have called by
name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah. And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in
wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all
manner of workmanship” (Ex. 31:2-3). We see here the main
aspects of God’s call for special service. First, it was an
individual call. God called Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of
Hur. Second, it was a call to a particular work. Third, the call
was accompanied by the ability to perform that work.
It is true that God loves to use the weak things of this
world for His service. In this way Jesus Christ receives the
glory. God often calls men to preach who seem unlikely
candidates by man’s natural standards. He will not, though,
call a man to be a pastor who cannot do the work of a pastor.
No man without such ability is qualified to be a pastor,
even if he has a strong desire and a good Christian testimony.
Such a man should heed Romans 12:3 - “For I say, through
the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to

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think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith.”
Consider some of the things the pastor must be able to do:
The pastor must be able to feed and shepherd the Lord’s
sheep (1 Pe. 5:1-2). He must be apt to teach God’s Word
(1 Ti. 3:2). He must be able to preach God’s Word
effectively (2 Ti. 4:2). He must be able to teach all the
counsel of God (Acts 20:27). The man called to be a
pastor must, therefore, be able to read and study well
enough to do this work. The qualified pastor is a
studious man, a man who “labours in the word of God
and doctrine” (1 Ti. 5:17). He must be a serious student
of God’s Word (2 Ti. 2:15).
The pastor must be able to make disciples by teaching
the believers “to observe all things” (Mt. 28:20). This
involves more than teaching facts. It involves teaching
how to walk with Christ, how to live the Christian life,
how to do the work of the ministry.
The pastor must be able to take oversight of the church.
He must have the ability to lead and oversee and
supervise all areas of church life and ministry (Ac.
20:28; 1 Pe. 5:2; Heb. 13:17). The qualified pastor is a
leader, a manager, an overseer, a supervisor. He must
have leading ability and planning ability. He should be a
man of ideas. He has to lead the church in
accomplishing everything Christ has commanded. He
has to take God’s commands and apply them to his
cultural setting and figure out the best way to do God’s
work in that particular situation. He isn’t a man who
blindly follows tradition. That is not a leader. Yet many
pastors don’t rethink the tradition they have inherited.
They don’t analyze the services and programs to see if
things could be done more effectively.
The pastor must be able to protect Christians from error
(Tit. 1:9-13; Ac. 20:28-30). This includes rebuking when

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 necessary (Tit. 1:13). It requires the exercise of
discipline (Tit. 3:9-11). It requires the courage to
confront sin and error. It requires spiritual discernment
to know true believers from false (Tit. 1:16). The
qualified pastor is the opposite of the simple man who
“believeth every word” (Pr. 14:15). The pastor must have
keen doctrinal and spiritual discernment and a
shepherd’s heart for protecting and watching over the
sheep. He must be informed about any danger that his
chu rch f a c e s , su ch as Ne w Ev angel i c a l is m ,
charismaticism, ecumenism, contemplative prayer, and
contemporary music, and he must be able to protect the
church from such things.
The pastor must be able to train Christian workers and
leaders (2 Ti. 2:2). A qualified pastor is a serious
educator.
The man who lacks the ability to do the work of a pastor is
not qualified to be a pastor, even if he has a good Christian
life and testimony and even if he has the ability to do some of
the work of a pastor.
There are many good Christian men who can preach and
teach, but they don’t have the gifting to be pastors. They
might not be strong enough to exercise discipline as they
should and to deal with error. They might not be able to
reprove and rebuke. They might not have the spiritual
wisdom to deal with people effectually in a pastoral way. They
might not be good leaders and overseers.
4. The test of recognition (Ac. 13:1-3; 16:1-3)
When God called Paul and Barnabas to a particular
missionary work, their church recognized that call. This is an
important test. The normal Bible pattern is for an individual’s
call and burden to be recognized by the church which knows
him best. The same was true when Timothy was called to
accompany Paul on his journeys (Ac. 16:1-3).

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 Consider this statement by Spurgeon to the preachers in
his Bible college: “Considerable weight is to be given to the
judgment of men and women who live near to God, and in
most instances their verdict will not be a mistaken one. Yet
this appeal is not final nor infallible, and is only to be estimated
in proportion to the intelligence and piety of those consulted. I
remember well how earnestly I was dissuaded from
preaching by as godly a Christian matron as ever breathed;
the value of her opinion I endeavoured to estimate with
candour and patience--but it was outweighed by the
judgment of persons of wider experience ... I have noted ...
that you, gentlemen, students, as a body, in your judgment of
one another, are seldom if ever wrong. There has hardly ever
been an instance, take the whole house through, where the
general opinion of the entire college concerning a brother has
been erroneous. Meeting as you do in class, in prayer-
meeting, in conversation, and in various religious
engagements, you gauge each other; and a wise man will be
slow to set aside the verdict of the house” (C.H. Spurgeon,
Lectures to My Students).
As Spurgeon noted, there are exceptions to this rule. When
a church is controlled by unsaved or carnal men, the church’s
judgment can be wrong. There have been instances when
God called a man or woman to a certain work, but the church
refused to recognize the call or support the ministry. In fact,
there are examples of this in the Bible. Jesus was rejected by
His own people (Joh. 1:11). Paul was rejected by the Galatians
and by some in the Corinthian church (Ga. 4:15-17; 1 Co. 9:1;
2 Co. 6:11-12; 3:1). John and other men of God were rejected
by the proud Diotrephes (2 Jo. 9-10).
5. The test of proving (1 Ti. 3:10; 2 Co. 8:22)
The Scriptures show that churches must be careful in
ordination. Men should demonstrate their zeal and
faithfulness before ordination, not by ordination. This is true
for every position of service in the church. The believer

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should show by his manner of life that he is qualified for a
special place of service, regardless of how “lowly.”
The Scriptures warn about hasty ordinations (1 Ti. 5:22).
Timothy was instructed to be cautious about ordaining men
to positions of leadership. The context of 1 Timothy 5:17-25
concerns leaders in the church. By laying on of hands, those
performing the ordination are testifying publicly that they are
convinced God has called the person being ordained. It is a
recognition of a divine call. Those performing the ordination
are identifying themselves with the one being ordained. If the
church makes a mistake because of hastiness and failure to
prove the person by God’s standards, they become partaker of
the sins of the man wrongly ordained.
6. The test of fruit
The Bible emphasizes the importance of fruit. “And he
shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Ps. 1:3).
Note that the fruit is personal and individual (“his fruit”).
Fruit is different for different people. There are different gifts
and callings, but there will be fruit.
If you are called to a certain ministry, you should have
some fruit, some success, some evidence. The blessing of God
should be evident in some tangible way. “... make full proof of
thy ministry” (2 Ti. 4:5).
There are pastors who are never successful in the ministry.
In fact, there are pastors who only kill churches. They always
have an excuse for their failures, and the excuse might sound
reasonable, but there should be some evident blessing and
fruit if a man is called of God to that ministry.
Many men simply don’t have the ability to do the work of
the pastorate. They are good Christian men. They have a
good testimony and a good family, and they love Christ and
love the Word of God, but they don’t have the gifting and
wisdom and ability and discernment to lead a church.

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 One fruit of a pastor should be more preachers. Many
pastors do not reproduce themselves, do not raise up and
train more preachers, do not send out preachers to start new
churches. After 25 years, there are no more preachers in the
church than when his ministry began. We don’t see this in
Scripture. The missionary church that is put before us
preeminently in Scripture is Antioch. Paul and Barnabas
worked together to establish the foundation of that church
(Ac. 11:22-26), and by the time God called them to go out
from that church as foreign missionaries, there were already
other preachers in the church (Ac. 13:1).
Fruit is an important test in all areas of ministry. There are
missionaries who never start sound, self-governing, self-
supporting, self-propagating churches. There are Sunday
School teachers who do not grow their classes either
spiritually or numerically. There are song leaders who do not
raise the standard and blessing of the church’s song service.
A God-called pastor will show evidences of his calling in
all of the aforementioned ways: by the test of desire, the test
of life, the test of ability, the test of recognition, the test of
proving, and the test of fruit.
A man who does not have the biblical evidence of God’s
calling should be content with doing something other than
pastoring. There are many ways to preach without being a
pastor.
Churches must be very careful in ordaining men. They
must measure men by God’s standards, not by human
standards. By ordaining the wrong men, they are doing both
those men and the churches a disservice, and this business
will doubtless be addressed at the judgment seat of Christ.
Once a man is ordained to the ministry, it is very difficult to
remove the ordination.

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 The Pastor’s Qualification
The Necessity of High Qualifications for Pastors
1. High standards are necessary because good leadership is
necessary.
It is impossible to have the right churches without the right
leaders. It has been said that “everything rises and falls on
leadership.” If elders are not qualified, the entire church will
suffer loss.
“A false step in the selection of permanent officers of a
church can seldom be retrieved, and must be productive of
the most melancholy consequences” (R.B.C. Howell).
“It is obvious that the character and welfare of the church
depend greatly, if not entirely, on the character of the
ministry. The office of the ministry is God’s great
appointment for the preservation of pure religion, and for
spreading it abroad through the world. The church adheres to
the truth; is built up in faith; is distinguished for love, and
purity, and zeal, in proportion as the ministry is honoured,
and shows itself qualified for its work. In every age
corruption in the church has commenced in the ministry;
and where the gospel has been spread abroad with zeal, and
the church has arisen in her strength and beauty, it has been
pre-eminently where God has sent down his Spirit in copious
measures on those who have filled the sacred office. If the
church will prosper from age to age, the pulpit must be filled
with a pious, learned, laborious, and devoted ministry, and
one of the first cares of the church should be, that such a
ministry should be secured” (Barnes).
2. High standards are necessary because of the character of
the church (1 Ti. 3:15).
Pastors are the leaders of the most important work on
earth, which is the work of the church. It is the house of God.
It is the pillar and ground of the truth in a world of lies. It is
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the institution where God’s people are nurtured, protected,
trained and prepared for God’s will. It is the headquarters for
world evangelism, as we see in Acts 13-14.
3. High standards are necessary because the pastor is the
steward of God (Tit. 1:7).
A steward is a manager. He is appointed to watch over his
master’s business and is accountable to the master for
everything that he does in that capacity. Abraham’s faithful
servant Eliezer is an example (Ge. 15:2; 24:1-61). He ruled
over all that Abraham had (Ge. 24:2). Joseph was a steward
for Potiphar (Ge. 39:4) and for Pharaoh (Ge. 41:39-40). Ziba
was appointed by David to be the steward for Mephibosheth
(2 Sa. 9:9-10).
4. High standards are necessary because of the difficulty of
the work (1 Ti. 3:5; 1 Pe. 5:3).
The pastorate is one of the most difficult jobs on earth, if
not the most difficult. It entails feeding God’s people with the
Scriptures, protecting them from spiritual danger, discipling
them, training workers and leaders, exhorting, reproving,
rebuking, comforting, disciplining, interceding. The pastor
deals with immortal souls. The business of the pastorate
entails walking with God, associating with men, and
wrestling with spiritual wickedness in high places. He must
know how to be gentle and how to be severe, how to comfort
tenderly and how to rebuke sharply, when the situation
warrants. The pastor must have a vision of reaching the world
for Christ and multiplying churches, and he must have the
ability to lead God’s people in that great work. The pastor
must be a ruler, a governor, a superintendent, a shepherd, a
nursemaid, a father, a headmaster, a teacher, a spiritual
warrior, a disciplinarian. He must effectively minister to
young and old, men and women, married and single,
husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, educated and
uneducated, weak and strong.

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 Who is sufficient for these things? Surely we see that the
difficulty of the work demands the high standards of God’s
Word.
5. High standards are necessary because the pastor must be
an example.
“Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock” (1 Pe. 5:3).
“A man’s life is always more forcible than his speech; when
men take stock of him, they reckon his deeds as pounds and
his words as pence” (C.H. Spurgeon).
6. High standards are necessary because of spiritual
warfare.
“Moreover he must have a good report of them which are
without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the
devil” (1 Ti. 3:7).
We see in this verse that Satan knows about church leaders
and seeks way to ruin them. Satan spares no effort in his
attempt to destroy church leaders. If the elder is not blameless
he will fall into the devil’s snare.
7. High standards are necessary because of the activity of
false teachers.
“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that
he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to
convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain
talkers and deceivers, specially they of the
circumcision:  Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert
whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy
lucre's sake” (Tit. 1:9-11).
The Bible warns that false teachers are controlled by Satan
(1 Ti. 4:1-2; 2 Co. 11:13-15). They are subtle and cunning
(Eph. 4:14). They are a very real threat to the churches (Ac.
20:27-32; 1 Th. 2:5; 2 Co. 11:1-3). They are an increasing
threat as the age draws to a close. “But evil men and seducers
shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2
Ti. 3:13).

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 In the face of this great danger, the Bible’s standards for
pastors appear absolutely necessary. Churches must have men
of unusual spiritual wisdom and ability if they will be
protected from the winds of false doctrine that are blowing in
this age (Eph. 4:14).

The Qualifications for Pastors

In the following study, we combine the standards of 1
Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
God has always required high standards for those who lead
His people. This was true for the judges of Israel (Ex. 18:21),
the Levites (Le. 10:8-10), and the kings (De. 17:14-20).
The Lord’s standards for church leaders are much higher
than anything that was required of Old Testament leaders.
For example, that David committed adultery and kept his
office is not an example for the church age. David was a king
of the nation Israel, not a pastor of a New Testament church.
In a nutshell, the pastor must be blameless in the areas
listed in 1 Timothy 3:2-5 and Titus 1:6-8
“Blameless” is repeated three times by way of emphasis
(1 Ti. 3:2; Tit. 1:6, 7). In 1 Ti. 3:2, “blameless” is
anepileptos, which means “not to be taken hold of,
irreproachable” (Robertson’s Word Pictures). It means
“having no just handle for blame” (John Economidis). It
means that there should be nothing in the man’s life that
the enemies of God can take hold of to bring reproach
upon the church. In Titus 1, “blameless” is the Greek
“anegkletos,” meaning “that which cannot be called to
account, i.e., with nothing laid to one’s charge as the
result of public investigation” (Vine). It is translated
“unreproveable” (Col. 1:22). Since the pastor does the
Lord’s work in a wicked world and has occasion to make
many enemies for the truth’s sake, accusations will be
made against him, but Paul is referring to charges that

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 can be substantiated with witnesses and evidence (1 Ti.
5:19-20).
Blameless does not mean sinless or perfect according to
man’s standards. It means blameless according to God’s
standards.
We have seen the reasons for the blamelessness of the
pastor in the previous section on the necessity of the
high standards for pastors.
THE PASTOR MUST BE A MAN.
“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one
wife” (1 Ti. 3:2).
A woman is not qualified to be a pastor. Compare 1 Ti.
2:12.
THE PASTOR MUST BE BLAMELESS IN HIS FAMILY
LIFE.
“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one
wife” (1 Ti. 3:2).
“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?)” (1 Ti. 3:4-5).
“If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having
faithful children not accused of riot or unruly” (Tit. 1:6).
The pastor is to rule his house “well.” He must be an
example of God’s will for the home. He must understand this
business and have some success in it. One of his jobs is to
educate the families in his church in the matters of the
husband-wife relationship and child training, and if he isn’t
doing a good job with his own family, it is impossible that he
will build up the homes effectually.

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“the husband of one wife” (1 Ti. 3:2)
The pastor should be a married man. God’s standard is
in contrast to the Roman Catholic requirement of
“celibacy.” It is not possible for a single man to
understand and to deal effectively with families in the
way that a married man can.
The pastor cannot be a polygamist. I know of a pastor in
Nepal who has three wives, but the Bible forbids this.
The pastor should not be divorced and remarried. There
are some who hold that a divorced man can be a pastor,
but for the following three reasons we are convinced
that this is not the scriptural position. First, the pastor
should not be a divorced man because he is to be
blameless in his marital status. The man who is divorced,
though he can be forgiven and can serve the Lord
fruitfully in many ways, does not have that blameless
marital status that is required for this special office.
Second, the pastor should not be a divorced man because
he is to be an example of God’s will to the church (1 Pe.
5:3). Though divorce is allowable under certain
circumstances (“except it be for fornication,” Mt. 19:9), it
is not God’s design for marriage (Mt. 19:3-6). He hates
putting away (Mal. 2:16). Third, the pastor should not be
a divorced man because he has to preach the whole
counsel of God, and if he has a broken and crippled
marital status, regardless of the reason, he is not in a
position to preach some things with complete authority.
People tend to discount preaching when it is done by a
man who has serious blemishes in relation to the things
he preaches. We have great sympathy for saints whose
marriages have been destroyed by the infidelity and
abuse of their partners, and we know many such cases.
But when a divorce happens under such circumstances
and a second marriage is taken, there are great negative
consequences no matter how innocent one party might

!21
 have been, as every divorced and remarried person
knows, and that second marriage will not have the same
blameless reputation of a first marriage.
The pastor must be a man who is content with his wife
and doesn’t have a roving eye. The “husband of one
wife” means “a one-woman sort of man” (Wuest). “God
wants a man to hold a church office only if he is
attached solely and wholly to his wife. Nothing will ruin
a man’s ministry more quickly than infidelity or
philandering” (John Phillips).
The pastor must have a good relationship with his wife
(1 Ti. 3:4-5). The “husband of one wife” refers also to the
quality of his marriage. If a man does not know how to
love and guide his wife in a godly manner, he will not
know how to love and guide the church, which is a
greater and more difficult responsibility. A husband’s
rule of a wife and a pastor’s rule of a church is not like
worldly lording. It is not done with a harsh, overbearing
attitude. It is a rule by love and humility and
compassion and gentleness. If a man does not know
how to treat his wife in this manner, he will also not
treat the church properly.
“having his children in subjection with all gravity” (1 Ti.
3:4)
The pastor must have his children under discipline. This
is described and emphasized in the book of Proverbs
(Pr. 13:24; 19:18; 22:6, 15; 23:13-14; 29:15). One of the
pastor’s jobs is to instruct and build up the families in
the church so that the parents can effectively train the
children. He cannot do this if he does not discipline his
own children. “The word for ‘subjection’ here is the
same word used in 1 Ti. 2:11 to describe the subjection
of women in the church to the authority of men. It is
primarily a military term. It is a simple scriptural
principle that children are to learn obedience in the

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home, where parents are to exercise authority and rule
over their offspring. When children are defiant,
argumentative, and self-willed and are allowed to get
away with disobedience and temper tantrums, it is
evident that their parents have lost control” (John
Phillips).
The word “gravity” refers to the children’s obedient
demeanor and their respectful attitude toward authority.
Strong defines it as “venerableness.” The children are to
be so trained that they respect authority. I know a pastor
who has four children. When another church worker
visited this home, the pastor and his wife told the
children to give the best seat to the visitor. The children
refused to move and instead of disciplining them, the
pastor ignored the open disobedience as if nothing
happened. He allows the children to do as they please.
The pastor’s wife says that it is too much trouble to make
the children obey. I think of another pastor who told his
young son to pick up something and put it in the trash
can. When the boy refused after being told twice, the
pastor got up and did the job himself and did not
discipline the boy. I have seen this type of thing many
times. Such men are not qualified to be pastors
according to God’s standards.
We would hasten to say that the qualified pastor is not a
severe disciplinarian after the fashion of a Marine drill
sergeant. He is a father like God is a Father, meaning
kind, patient, compassionate, as well as authoritative. He
must be firm but fair, strict but loving. There is a saying
that “you can have as many rules as you please, as long
as your relationship exceeds your rules,” meaning that
child training must be bathed in godly love and close,
tender relationships in Christ.

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 “having faithful children not accused of riot or
unruly” (Tit. 1:6)
The pastor’s children must not have a poor testimony in
the church and community. If children are not
disciplined properly, they have a reputation of being
unruly. Such a reputation greatly weakens the pastor’s
testimony and injures the Lord’s work.
The children must not be accused of living in a riotous
manner, referring to profligacy, licentiousness,
recklessness, wastefulness, dissolution. The prodigal son
wasted his substance in “riotous living” (Lu. 15:13). This
refers to sensual partying, drinking, drugs, rock & roll,
worldliness, and such. It refers to being a bad example
to the church and the community.
The children must not be accused of being unruly,
meaning insubordinate, ungovernable, disobedient to
authority. The children must be well disciplined, and
this begins at a very young age. They must be taught to
obey authority, not only the authority of the father. They
must obey the mother. They must obey teachers. They
must obey older people. If they don’t, they aren’t
disciplined properly. Obedience with a right attitude is
the proof of proper discipline. Once when a preacher
was preaching a Bible conference, his young son, age
about 9, was sitting in the back of the church near me.
He was playing with something that was making noise
and was disturbing those around him. I told a man
sitting beside me, who was closest to the boy, to tell him
to stop, but he didn’t stop, even after being told four
times. Later I informed the preacher so that he could
deal with the boy. A child that doesn’t obey a command
by an adult is unruly.

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 THE PASTOR MUST BE BLAMELESS IN REGARD TO
HIS WIFE’S CHARACTER.
“Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober,
faithful in all things” (1 Ti. 3:11).
The same qualifications are given for the wives of both
pastors and deacons.
The man’s wife is a very important part of his life and
ministry, and her spiritual condition and thinking will greatly
affect his personal life and ministry. If church officers have
unspiritual wives, the entire congregation will be injured. I
have known of many cases in which a pastor’s wife weakened
his hands and undermined his ministry. I think of wives who
aren’t kind, gracious, compassionate. I think of wives who
have no great love for God’s Word and aren’t Bible students. I
think of wives who lack spiritual wisdom and discernment. I
think of wives who are not modest in attitude and dress. I
think of wives who are worldly minded, who want their
children to excel in worldly education rather than surrender
to the Great Commission, who would rather that their sons
be engineers and doctors than preachers, who would rather
that their daughters be fashionable and popular with the
worldly crowd than modest pilgrims. I think of wives who
have critical spirits and are gossips and spend their time
tearing down the flock rather than building up. I think of
wives who form cliques and show favoritism and cause
division rather than spiritual unity. I think of wives who are
petty in their judgments, criticizing something like a little
makeup or a little jewelry while overlooking a heart that loves
Christ. I think of wives who are hasty in judgment and do not
allow the saints space to grow.
These qualifications are also important because the older
women in the church are to instruct the younger women (Tit.
2:3-5). If the wives of church officers are not godly women
who are an example to others and who can instruct the
younger women in the practical aspects of Christian

!25
discipleship and godly family life, the work of God will be
greatly weakened. This does not mean, of course, that the
work of teaching the younger women is limited to the wives
of church officers.
The pastor’s wife is “grave.”
This “speaks of that combination of gravity and dignity
which invites the reverence of others” (W.E. Vine). The
wife of the pastor and deacon is the type of Christian
lady who lives her life with a godly seriousness of
purpose. Her life is the kind that causes others to
respect her spiritually and morally. She is spiritually
minded. She loves God and is serious about serving
God.
The spiritual “gravity” of the qualified pastor or deacon’s
wife causes other women to accept her teaching (Tit.
2:3-4) and to seek her counsel.
This does not mean, of course, that she has no sense of
humor. It is referring to a serious-minded, dignified,
grave manner of life, not a humorless personality. Spirit-
filled women have many types of personalities, but one
thing they all have in common is a spiritual dignity that
causes others to look upon them with respect.
The pastor’s wife is not a “slanderer.”
The Greek word used for “slander” (diabolos) is used
elsewhere of the devil. The word means “accuser.” In
Revelation 12:10 the devil is said to be the accuser of the
brethren. He loves to say evil things about people with a
malicious goal of hurting them. He slandered God to
Eve (Ge. 3:4-5). The wife of the pastor or deacon must
be a woman who is especially careful about her
conversation and attitude toward people. Otherwise she
can easily hurt her church and ruin her husband’s
ministry with her tongue.

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 Slander refers to lying, gossiping, backbiting, and other
types of hurtful conversation, especially that which is
untruthful and mean-spirited and spoken with the
object of hurting people or getting back at them for
some perceived injury. Gossip and slander involve
deception, untruth, and an injurious attitude and
purpose. It is the fruit of a mean-spirited person rather
than a Christ-like person. Lying comes from a heart of
hate (Pr. 26:28). Jezebel slandered Naboth to steal his
property (1 Ki. 21:9-13). God hates lying lips (Pr. 12:22),
and the righteous also hate lying (Pr. 13:5).
We must emphasize that it is not wrong for the wives of
pastors and deacons to discuss the spiritual condition of
people in a godly manner so that help can be given to
them and so that others can be protected from possible
harm. To “speak the truth in love” is not slander (Eph.
4:15). To admonish or reprove is not slander (Ro. 15:14;
Eph. 5:11). To discuss and report spiritual and moral
problems in a godly manner is not slander (1 Co. 1:11;
5:1). For Paul to warn Timothy about Alexander and
other false teachers and evil workers was not slander (1
Ti. 1:20; 2 Ti. 2:16-18; 4:14).
The pastor’s wife is “sober.”
This is the Greek “nephalios,” which is also translated
“vigilant” (1 Ti. 3:2). To be “sober” means to be in
control of one’s mind and life with the goal of pleasing
God and fulfilling His will. The wife of the qualified
pastor or deacon is spiritually and morally circumspect.
She meditates on God’s Word and tests everything by
God’s Word. She is on guard against spiritual dangers,
watching over her own life and her family and those to
whom she ministers.
To be “sober” is the opposite of being under the control
of wine or anything that would destroy one’s spiritual
vigilance. Consider some examples of things that can

!27
 take control of one’s mind in an unwholesome manner:
Alcohol and drugs; sensual music such as rock and roll,
country/western, pop, rap, CCM, and contemporary
Southern Gospel; unwholesome television programs;
filthy literature; worldly social media; the vast majority
of Hollywood movies; television “soap operas:”;
romance novels; sensual beauty magazines; gossip
magazines; or any other influence which would draw
one’s mind away from fellowship with Christ.
The pastor’s wife is “faithful in all things.”
In a word, this is God’s standard for the wife of a church
officer. She must be a faithful Christian woman in all
aspects of her life: in her home, in the church, and in
society. She has a good testimony before her family, the
church, and the community.
She is dependable. When it comes to any service of God,
she gets the job done and she gets it done right.
THE PASTOR MUST BE BLAMELESS IN HIS
PERSONAL LIFE.
“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” (1 Ti. 3:2-3).
“But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just,
holy, temperate” (Tit. 1:8).
Following are the specific areas in which the pastor is to be
blameless.
No man will have perfection in all of these things, but a
pastor should be a man who exhibits these characteristics in a
general sense and is growing spiritually.
“vigilant” (1 Ti. 3:2)
This means circumspect; spiritually watchful.

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 The pastor is a man who knows that he is in a spiritual
war and he lives his life cautiously and purposefully so
as not to be overcome by his enemies, the world, the
flesh, and the devil. Compare 1 Th. 5:6-8; 2 Ti. 4:5; 1 Pe.
5:8.
Vigilant is the opposite of spiritual and moral
carelessness.
“sober” (1 Ti. 3:2)
This means “self-controlled (moderate as to opinion or
passion)” (Strong). The Greek sophron is also translated
“temperate” (Tit. 2:2) and “discreet” (Tit. 2:5). It is the
opposite of intoxicated or spiritually and morally
careless.
This refers to a sound mind; it refers to one’s thinking. It
describes a man who is “level-headed” and wise. He is
able to apply God’s Word to practical living and to
practical situations in the church. He isn’t hasty and
doesn’t jump to conclusions. He is careful to search out
all the facts and to get to the truth of the matter.
Soberminded also touches on the issue of levity. While a
good sense of humor can be a benefit to the ministry,
the pastor must have the reputation overall of being
sober and serious about the things of God and life in
general. I think of a pastor I once knew who was hardly
ever serious. He didn’t joke sometimes; he joked all of
the time. It was frustrating to try to talk with him about
serious things. That is not a pastor type of man. B.H.
Carroll wrote, “Do not put a man in the office of bishop
who is a clown. I knew a man who occupied the pastoral
position in a prominent place in this state; a very
brilliant man. But it was impossible to have a reverent
feeling toward him, for he was the funniest man I ever
saw … but after you laughed at him and listened to him,
somehow or other you did not have reverence for him,
for he was not soberminded.”
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“of good behaviour” (1 Ti. 3:2)
This means “orderly” (Strong). The Greek “kosmios” is
also translated “modest” (1 Ti. 2:9).
This is a general description of a man who orders his life
in an upright, godly, honest manner. It disqualifies large
numbers of pastors. In the 1990s, Way of Life had to
stop sending out books to churches on account, because
so many of them didn’t pay their bills or didn’t pay in a
timely manner. It was a shocking thing to learn that
many pastors of Bible-believing churches are dishonest.
Of good behavior also describes a disciplined man. He is
able to order his personal life and the church in a godly
fashion (1 Co. 14:40). He keeps his word. He is punctual
in his appointments, which is a matter of honesty.
“given to hospitality” (1 Ti. 3:2)
The Greek “philoxenos” means “fond of guests.”
The pastor must be a man who enjoys showing
hospitality, both to the unsaved and to the brethren.
Compare Heb. 13:2; 1 Pe. 4:9.
“not given to wine” (1 Ti. 3:3)
The Greek word “paroinos” is a combination of two
words para (near) and oinos (wine).
According to some commentators, this means that the
pastor must not linger at the wine and be a drunkard.
For the following reasons, we believe Paul is saying the
pastor should not go near wine. First, the only way to
avoid impropriety with alcoholic beverages of a certainty
is to avoid them altogether. “Wine is mocker, strong
drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is
not wise” (Pr. 20:1). The following is from John G. Paton:
Missionary to the New Hebrides, 1891: “From
observation, at an early age I became convinced that
mere Temperance Societies were a failure, and that Total

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Abstinence, by the grace of God, was the only sure
preventive as well as remedy. What was temperance in
one man was drunkenness in another; and all the
drunkards came, not from those who practised total
abstinence, but from those who practised or tried to
practise temperance. I had seen temperance men
drinking wine in the presence of others who drank to
excess, and never could see how they felt themselves
clear of blame; and I had known Ministers and others,
once strong temperance advocates, fall through this so-
called ‘moderation,’ and become drunkards. Therefore it
has all my life appeared to me beyond dispute, in
reference to intoxicants of every kind, that the only
rational temperance is Total Abstinence from them as
beverages, and the use of them exclusively as drugs, and
then only with extreme caution, as they are deceptive
and deleterious poisons of the most debasing and
demoralizing kind.” Second, wine and beer and other
alcoholic beverages are much more potent today. “Today’s
wine is by biblical definition strong drink, and hence is
forbidden in the Bible. ... Therefore, Christians ought
not to drink wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages for
they are actually strong drink and are forbidden in
Scripture. Even ancient pagans did not drink what some
Christians drink today. ... to consume the amount of
alcohol that is in two martinis today, by drinking wine
containing three parts water to one part wine (the
biblical ratio) a person would have to drink over twenty-
two glasses” (Norman Geisler and Robert Stein, Focus in
Mission, Sept. 1986).” For more about the importance of
abstinence, see “Christian Drinking Is a Bellwether
Issue,” www.wayoflife.org.
Drinking has become increasingly accepted among
professing Christians. In 1978, Richard Quebedeux
documented the dramatic changes that were occurring
within evangelicalism. He observed that “the wider

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culture has had a profound impact on the evangelical
movement as a whole” (The Worldly Evangelicals, 1978,
p. 115). This was the product of the renunciation of
“separatism.” He mentioned rock music, dancing,
smoking, immodest dress, and drinking. By the turn of
the 21st century, many evangelicals were embracing
drinking with enthusiasm. The book Listening to the
Beliefs of Emerging Churches: Five Perspectives contains
probably a dozen positive references to drinking. In
2003, Wheaton College announced that it had changed
its rules to allow drinking, smoking, and dancing for
graduate students and faculty members (Chicago Sun-
Times, Feb. 20, 2003). In 2007, a Lifeway Research
survey found that 29% of Southern Baptist “laity” drank
alcohol (“Baptists & Alcohol,” Baptist Press, Nov. 2,
2018). In 2013, Moody Bible Institute dropped its 127-
year ban against alcohol and tobacco use by faculty and
staff. In 2014, Dallas Theological Seminary dropped its
ban against alcohol.
“Not given to wine” would also include not being under
the influence of mood-altering drugs such as marijuana.
Marijuana is being legalized in many places across the
world, and we predict that it will be increasingly
accepted by “evangelical” Christians. In 2018, Canada
became the second country to legalize recreational
marijuana, after Uruguay. Since 2012, ten states in
America have legalized recreational marijuana and
others have decriminalized the possession of small
amounts of the drug. Proponents of recreational
marijuana typically ignore proven dangers such as
addiction, psychosis, marijuana as a gate-way drug,
long-term effects on learning, cognition, and
personality, “amotivational syndrome” (lethargy and
loss of interest in achievement), bronchitis and
respirator y infections, and increased risk of
cardiovascular disease.

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“no striker” (1 Ti. 3:3)
The pastor must not be a quarrelsome, pugnacious type
of man who loves to fight.
There are two ways to strike others: with fists and with
words. The pastor should not be the type who strikes
out at others in either way. Some men do not use their
fists, but they lash out with an angry tongue and pen,
using vicious words and not representing the
graciousness of Christ.
An example of a striker pastor in the first churches is
Diotrophes, who spoke against the apostle John,
“prating against us with malicious words” (3 Jo. 1:10).
Another example was Jerome, one of the fathers of the
Catholic Church. He hated those who desired to remain
true to apostolic doctrine and “engaged in many violent
and bitter controversies.” When Vigilantius, Jovinian,
and Helvidius rejected Jerome’s false teachings such as
infant baptism, worshiping relics, enforced celibacy, and
the perpetual virginity of Mary, Jerome called them
dogs, maniacs, monsters, stupid fools, two-legged asses,
gluttons, and madmen. “The pen of Jerome was
rendered very offensive by his grinding tyranny and
crabbed temper. No matter how wrong he was, he could
not brook contradiction” (Armitage, A History of the
Baptists, I, p. 207).
A modern example of a striker is the late Peter
Ruckman, a Baptist pastor in Pensacola, Florida. He had
the same type of crabby spirit as Jerome of old and used
the same type of language against those with whom he
disagreed. He claimed that God instructed him to “pour
out vitriol” upon other preachers. “God called me to sit
at this typewriter and pour forth VINEGAR, ACID,
VITRIOL, AND CLEANING FLUID on the leading
conservative and fundamental scholars of 1900 through
1990. ... God is in charge. He ... destines me to sit at this

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typewriter and LAMBAST, SCALD AND RIDICULE
these Bible rejecting fundamentalists ... I hereby
dedicate myself anew to the task of DESTRUCTIVE
CRITICISM AND NEGATIVE BLASTING against
every adversary of that Holy Book...” (The Bible Believers
Bulletin, Dec. 1985). Some of the names Ruckman called
men who disagreed with him were “jackass,” “poor,
dumb, stupid red legs,” “silly asses,” “apostolic succession
of bloated egotists,” “two-bit junkies,” “two-faced, tin-
horned punks,” “incredible idiots,” “egotistical jack legs,”
“conservative asses whose brains have gone to seed,”
“cheap, two-bit punks,” and “stupid, little, Bible-rejecting
apostates.”
Of course, striker also refers to a pugilist. I have been
threatened with physical harm by pastors on more than
one occasion. On at least two occasions pastors have
written to me and threatened me with bodily harm
because of my teaching. On a trip to the Philippines in
January 2004, a Filipino pastor associated with the
Baptist Bible Fellowship International threatened to
strike me because he did not like my warnings about
Jerry Falwell, a preacher that he admired. B.H. Carroll
wrote, “I once heard a pastor boast on a train that he
had just knocked a man down. I said, ‘I am going to
pray for you either to repent of that sin, or resign as a
pastor.’ I will admit there was some provocation, but a
pastor must not be a brawler, he is not a swash buckler,
he is no striker. I think of the two wicked men who
headed off a Methodist circuit rider and told him he
must turn back and not preach and he fought them and
beat them and went on to his preaching engagement. I
believe I would myself have fought under the
circumstances. But the idea in 1 Timothy 3 is that the
preacher must not have the reputation of ‘throwing his
hat into the ring’: ‘Now, there’s my hat, and I’ll follow it.’
— ‘don’t you kick my dawg around.’ Not contentious. …

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 We should not be like Shakespeare’s Hotspur, ready ‘to
cavil on the ninth part of a hair.’”
“not greedy of filthy lucre” (1 Ti. 3:3)
“Greedy of filthy lucre” is the Greek “aischrokerdes,”
which is a compound of three Greek terms--a (not)
aischros (filthy) kerdos (lucre or gain). It means one who
is greedy of improper gain, one who is desirous of base
gain.
There are at least three ways that a man can be greedy of
filthy lucre: First, a man is greedy of filthy lucre when he
loves money and personal gain. This is the man who is
not content with godliness (1 Ti. 6:6-10). The greedy
man should not be in the ministry. Second, a man is
greedy of filthy lucre when he is willing to use unlawful
or unjust means to obtain money and possessions. In
this sense it refers to “gain obtained by base arts and
employments” (Family Bible Notes). Third, a man is
greedy of filthy lucre when his motive for Christian
service is personal gain. Compare Tit. 1:11; 2 Pe. 2:3.
Many men are in the ministry for what they can get out
of it by the way of money and prestige. I recall a pastor
that I knew many years ago who used the church’s
property and funds to operate his personal business.
The term “rice Christian” refers to those who are
Christians because of how it can benefit them
financially. Churches and mission organizations must be
very cautious, so that they do not support men who are
merely seeking a livelihood and trying to use the church
as a ladder to personal advancement.
The motive for filthy lucre is associated with all sorts of
evil, such as taking bribes (Pr. 15:27; 1 Sa. 8:3). This was
the sin of Balaam (Jude 11). This was the sin of the
prophets of Israel in the time of apostasy (Is. 56:11; Jer.
6:13; Mi. 3:11; Mal. 1:10). This was the sin of Judas, who
was a thief (Joh. 12:6).

!35
 If a man’s motive is money, he will not have a ready
mind to preach God’s Word and to do God’s will (1 Pe.
5:2). He will always be weighing decisions by how he
will be affected financially. He will not preach hard
things from the Bible that people do not like to hear,
because he will fear that tithers will leave or will stop
giving.
This is why men must first be proven before they are put
into the ministry (1 Ti. 3:10). If a man will not serve the
Lord without pay, he should not be put into a position
whereby he is paid to serve the Lord.
“patient” (1 Ti. 3:3)
This describes the pastor’s demeanor and attitude in life.
The Greek word (epieikes) is also translated
“moderation” (Php. 4:5) and “gentle” (Tit. 3:2; 1 Pe.
2:18).
The opposite of being patient is being impatient,
irritable, hasty, harsh, overbearing.
“not a brawler” (1 Ti. 3:3)
This is from two Greek words, the negative a (not) and
mache (peaceable).
It is the opposite of gentleness and meekness (Tit. 3:2).
Note how many times the Holy Spirit emphasizes that
the pastor is to be a gentle, meek type of man. Compare
“no striker” and “patient” in verse 3.
Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit (Ga. 5:22). It is a
product of being surrendered to God and under God’s
control.
“Gentleness or meekness is the opposite of self-
assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in
God’s goodness and control over the situation. The
gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a
work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will” (Vine).

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 This does not mean the pastor is pacifistic and wimpy, as
he is usually portrayed by Hollywood. Meekness is
being weak to defend one’s own opinions, but strong to
defend God and His Word; it is weak to promote self,
but strong to promote God and His Word; it is weak
toward fulfilling one’s own will, but strong toward doing
the will of God; it is weak for personal views, but strong
for God’s truth. The Lord Jesus Christ is meek and
gentle, but He is also bold, forceful, manly. Twice He
made a whip and chased the money changers out of the
temple (Joh. 2:15; Mt. 21:12). He will return to earth as
the King of kings and Lord of lords and rule with a rod
of iron. Moses was “very meek, above all the men that
were upon the face of the earth” (Nu. 12:3), but he was
exceedingly zealous for God and truth. He ground the
golden calf to powder and threw it on the water and
made Israel drink it (Ex. 32:20). He did not hesitate to
punish evil doers (Nu. 25:5). Paul was gentle as a nurse
with the believers (1 Th. 2:7), but he was also very bold
against evildoers in the church (1 Co. 5) and against
heretics (Ac. 13:9-10; 1 Ti. 1:19-20; 2 Ti. 2:16-18; Tit.
3:10-11).
“not covetous” (1 Ti. 3:3)
This is from three Greek words: a (not), philos (love),
and arguros (silver). The pastor must not be a man who
is in love with money.
This refers to a manner of life. The pastor is not one who
lives to pursue wealth. Paul is an example of what the
man of God should be (Ac. 20:33-34; 2 Co. 12:14-15).
This is the second time that the Holy Spirit has
emphasized that the pastor must not be a man who is
seeking after money and personal gain. Compare “not
greedy of filthy lucre” (1 Ti. 3:3).

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 The Pharisees were covetous (Lu. 16:14). Not only did
they love money but they also loved the prestige of office
(Mt. 23:6; Lu. 20:46) and the praise of men (Joh. 12:43).
Diotrephes loved to have “the preeminence” (3 Jo. 9).
“not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into
the condemnation of the devil” (1 Ti. 3:6)
The Greek word neophutos means “newly sprung up,” in
the sense of a new plant.
There is no specific amount of time that is required to
pass after conversion before a man is no longer a novice,
and there is no specific age. Men mature at different
rates. One believer might mature so rapidly that he is
ready to take an office of leadership within a relatively
short time, whereas another might require a very long
time. Charles Spurgeon was called to the pastorate of
New Park Street Baptist Church when he two months
short of age 20. Two years later he started his Pastors
College. It is exceedingly rare, though, that a man will
be ready to be ordained a pastor at age 20 and start a
Bible college at age 22.
The main thing that we learn from this requirement is
that churches must be very careful in dealing with
novices. They must be handled wisely before the Lord.
They must not be rushed into leadership positions.
Their character must be monitored. Some men cannot
handle any type of position without becoming proud.
The particular danger for the novice is pride, which was
the thing that condemned the devil. Compare Isa.
14:12-14. Pride is one of the great dangers of the
ministry. See also Pr. 16:18; 29:23; 1 Pe. 5:5.
This does not mean, of course, that the novice should
not preach. He must have opportunities to preach and
minister in order to grow, but he is not qualified to be
appointed a bishop as long as he is a “neophutos.”

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“a good report of them which are without” (1 Ti. 3:7)
The Greek word translated “report” (marturia) is also
translated “testimony” (Ac. 22:18) and “witness” (Tit.
1:13).
Those that “are without” are the unsaved. Compare 1 Co.
5:12; Col. 4:5; 1 Th. 4:12.
This does not mean that the unsaved will necessarily
speak well of the pastor’s doctrine. They will probably
not like his “narrow minded” preaching on sin and hell
and judgment and on Jesus Christ as the only way of
salvation. The gospel is foolishness to the unsaved (1 Co.
1:18) and is openly hated by many of them (Ac.
19:27-28; 22:22).
What this means is that the unsaved in general will
speak well of the pastor’s manner of living, his honesty,
generosity, kindness, morality. Compare Ac. 6:3; 10:22;
22:12; 3 Jo. 12. “Nothing could be worse for the
testimony of a local church than to choose an elder with
a bad reputation. The world quickly spots a phony. A
man who has a foul mouth on the job, or does not pay
his bills, or has an extramarital affair, or is embroiled
with the law [due to something he has done wrong], or
abuses his family simply has no right to be an elder.
Public opinion must be taken into account” (John
Phillips).
“let these also first be proved” (1 Ti. 3:10)
This means that the pastor’s life and abilities are tested to
ascertain if he is called of God and qualified for the
position.
The requirement that he be proven applies both to
pastors and to deacons. In fact, by application and
principle, it applies to all ministries in the church. Every
individual who is put into a position of ministry, such as
music or Sunday School teaching or ushering, should

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 first prove that he or she has a right testimony and has
the zeal and ability and faithfulness to do that particular
work.
Church officers are to be proven before they take an
office. They are men who have demonstrated their
calling. Timothy was warned about ordaining men too
quickly (1 Ti. 5:22).
Proving is protection for the church. If a church will be
patient and prove men properly, it will be far less likely
to appoint the wrong men to leadership positions.
“not selfwilled” (Titus 1:7)
The pastor is not to rule the flock by his own will but by
God’s will. “Not one who is determined to have his own
way in everything; setting up his own judgment to that
of all others; expecting all to pay homage to his
understanding” (Adam Clarke).
The pastor’s authority is not his own word and own will,
but the Word of God (Heb. 13:7). If a pastor attempts to
rule by his own will, he has no authority and the
brethren should not follow him. The church does not
belong to the pastors but to God. See Titus 1:7, where
the pastor is described as “the steward of God.” Pastors
are under-shepherds who watch over the Lord’s flock (1
Pe. 5:2-3).
Diotrephes was self-willed. He ruled the church by his
own will and thinking, refusing to receive even the
Lord’s apostles, and treating the believers harshly when
they did not do what he demanded (3 Jo. 9-10).
“not soon angry” (Tit. 1:7)
He must be a man whose temper is under control. “Not
a choleric man; one who is irritable; who is apt to be
inflamed on every opposition; one who has not proper
command over his own temper” (Adam Clarke).

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 There are constant challenges to the church leader’s
teaching and leadership and he must be patient and
meek instead of quick to become angry at opposition.
This is a serious matter before God. Moses’ anger
brought God’s judgment upon him so that he could not
enter into the Promised Land (Nu. 20:7-13; Ps. 106:32).
“a lover of good men” (Tit. 1:8)
The qualified pastor loves those who love the Lord (Ps.
16:3; 1 Jo. 3:14).
His close fellowship is with good men and not with evil
men (Ps. 1:1; 1 Co. 15:33).
He loves good men regardless of their rank in life or the
color of their skin or their level of education or whether
they are in his own church. It is the unsaved man who
merely loves his own (Mt. 5:46-47).
“just” (Tit. 1:8)
What is “just”? It means “equitable (in character or
act)” (Strong). It refers to honesty (Le. 19:36). It refers to
right dealings with men, not giving preference, not
taking bribes, treating all men fairly (De. 16:18; Col. 4:1;
Heb. 10:38).
Consider some ways the pastor must be just: in his
dealings with the brethren (1 Ti. 5:21); in his dealings
with the other elders (1 Ti. 5:19-20); in his dealings with
the unsaved (1 Ti. 3:7).
“temperate” (Tit. 1:8)
This means “self-controlled” (Strong). It means “having
power or control over all his passions and appetites” [it]
“denotes abstinence from all that would excite,
stimulate, and ultimately enfeeble; from wine, from
exciting and luxurious living, and from licentious
indulgences. ... It relates not only to indulgences
unlawful in themselves, but to abstinence from many

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 things that were regarded as lawful, but which were
believed to render the body weak” (Barnes).
Paul referred to this in 1 Co. 9:27.
THE PASTOR MUST BE BLAMELESS IN HIS
TEACHING MINISTRY (1 Ti. 3:2; Tit. 1:9-11).
Not only must the pastor be blameless in his personal and
family life, he must have the ability to teach the Word of God
and to protect the church from error.
“apt to teach” (1 Ti. 3:2)
He is capable of teaching. He is qualified to be a teacher,
skilled in teaching. This means that he has good Bible
knowledge for teaching and that he has the ability to
teach. There are men who know sound doctrine and
hold fast to it, but they do not have the ability to teach it
to others. “No one should be allowed to enter the
ministry who is not qualified to impart instruction to
others on the doctrines and duties of religion; and no
one should feel that he ought to continue in the
ministry, who has not industry, and self-denial, and the
love of study enough to lead him constantly to endeavor
to ‘increase’ in knowledge, that he may be qualified to
teach others. A man who would teach a people, must
himself keep in advance of them on the subjects on
which he would instruct them” (Barnes).
“Ignorance can be cured, but the natural incapacity to
teach is irremediable so far as this office is concerned.
The power to arrest and hold attention, the power to
awaken the dormant and alarm the careless, the great
faculty of being able to impart what we do know or may
acquire, the being able, not only to say things but, to so
say them that they will stick, yea, the power not of
pouring into empty vessels from our fulness nor of
cramming a receptacle with many things, but of
suggesting so that the other mind will do the thinking

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 and working out—that is the teacher. Once only, though
inclined thereto more than once, I put my arms in
tenderness around a ministerial student and said, ‘My
boy, may you and God forgive me if I make a mistake,
but after patient trial and much observation, I am
impressed that you never can be a preacher. You are a
Christian all right, your moral character is blameless,
but so far as I am capable of judging with the lights
before me, you are wholly devoid of any aptness to
teach’” (B.H. Carroll).
“as he hath been taught” (Tit. 1:9)
The teaching process is described in 2 Ti. 2:2.
This does not mean that he has a formal seminary
education. It refers to training and knowledge, not to
theological degrees. The men that Titus ordained were
not trained in a formal theological school; they were
trained by the apostles and missionaries. The Pastoral
Epistles instruct us that the qualified pastor is a man
who not only is diligent to study on his own; he also has
been trained by other men.
The training of a qualified pastor is extensive. It is no
small thing. He must learn the Bible properly so he is
able to teach it effectively. The Bible is a big book and
the newest part is 2,000 years old. The preacher must be
educated in Bible history, geography, culture, customs,
principles of interpretation, and doctrine. He must learn
at least the fundamentals of the 66 books and how that
the individual books fit into the whole. He must know
the law, the Psalms, and the prophets. He must know the
gospels and the epistles. He must understand the gospel
thoroughly and understand how it associates with the
law (e.g., how the law of Moses prepared for the gospel,
but the law of Moses is not the believer’s law, Gal.
3:24-26). He must be educated about Israel and the
Church. He must learn the meaning of Bible words and

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 figures of speech. He must understand faith, sin,
atonement, propitiation, redemption, justification,
sanctification. He must know Bible prophecy. He must
understand the Bible text/version issue. And he must be
educated about all aspects of church practice. He must
have some expertise in the work of evangelism and must
understand Christ’s program of world missions. If
pastors, in particular, and preachers/teachers, in general,
are more thoroughly trained, the churches will be much
stronger.
“holding fast the faithful word” (Tit. 1:9)
The pastor must not only be a man who has been taught
the truth, he must understand it properly and not veer
from it. Compare 2 Ti. 2:2 -- “faithful men, who shall be
able to teach others also.” Some men sit under good
teaching but they do not learn effectually; they don’t
understand correctly; they get things mixed up. They
never become skillful in the word of truth. They are
weak in doctrine. They tend to go off on theological
tangents. Such men are not qualified to be pastors.
“that he may be able by sound doctrine both to
exhort” (Tit. 1:9)
The pastor is a man who not only knows and
understands sound doctrine and teaches sound
doctrine, but he is able also to use it to build up the
saints. He is not just a teacher; he is an exhorter. He is a
preacher. He can teach in such a way that the Word of
God affects the people’s lives and changes how they live.
“Exhort” is the Greek parakaleo, which encompasses the
full range of what it means to build up the saints with
God’s Word. It is translated “beseech” (43 times - Mr.
1:40), “comfort” (20 times - Mt. 5:4; 1 Co. 14:31; 2 Co.
1:4), “entreat.” (the father entreated the elder son, Lu.
15:28; entreat an elder as a father, 1 Ti. 5:1), “desire” (the
eunuch desired Philip to sit with him and teach him, Ac.

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 8:31; Cornelius desired Peter to come and preach to
him, Ac. 9:38).
“and to convince the gainsayers” (Tit. 1:9-12)
The pastor must have the ability not only to exhort the
saints but also to protect them from false teachers and
compromisers. He must be able and ready to deal with
error.
The false teachers are described (Tit. 1:10-11). They are
unruly. They will not submit to God-ordained authority.
They believe they are a law unto themselves. They are
vain talkers. They are full of talk but their talk is vain,
meaning empty, not valuable for salvation or spiritual
edification. Their talk does not build up; it tears down. It
produces doubt and confusion. They are deceivers. They
are not afraid to use deceptive tactics. They “creep into
houses” (2 Ti. 3:6). They use “sleight” and “cunning
craftiness” (Eph. 4:14). For example, they use Bible
words but change the meaning. An example is Karl
Barth who spoke highly of the Bible’s inspiration and of
Christ’s deity but did not mean that the Bible is infallible
or that Jesus is God. Another example is the Roman
Catholic Church, which uses the term “grace” but really
means works and sacraments. False teachers will also
hide their identity, such as when the Seventh-day
Adventists have prophecy conferences and do not
identify themselves as Adventists. False teachers will
also change their identity, such as the Jehovah’s
Witnesses who have changed their name many times.
They subvert. This means “to overturn.” The Greek word
(anatrepo) is also translated “overthrow” (2 Ti. 2:18).
They overthrow the sound Bible faith of people and turn
them from right doctrine. They are after filthy lucre.
Their motive is money and prestige; they want to make
an impression upon people and gain a following.

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How does the pastor stop their mouths (Tit. 1:11)? This
does not mean that the preacher must be able to turn
every false teacher from his error. That is not possible.
The heretic has a deep spiritual problem (Tit. 3:11). He
has a seared conscience (1 Ti. 4:2). Ordinarily he will
not respond to the truth but will continue to argue
against it and to champion his false doctrine. This also
does not mean that the preacher can stop heretics with
physical force or by using the civil authorities. New
Testament churches do not have authority to arrest,
torture, kill, or otherwise physically persecute their
enemies (Lu. 9:54-56).
First, to convince the gainsayers means that the
preacher teaches sound doctrine in such a way that the
believers are not deceived by error (Tit. 1:9 “by sound
doctrine”). The God-called pastor shuts the mouths of
false teachers by building up the saints so that they can
defend the faith and are not therefore led astray. He does
this by effectual education. For example, he shuts the
mouth of the Jehovah’s Witness by instructing the saints
carefully in the doctrine of Christ’s deity; and he shuts
the mouth of the Seventh-day Adventist by instructing
the saints in the doctrines of the sabbath and eternal
punishment, among other things; and he shuts the
mouth of the New Evangelical by instructing the saints
in biblical separation.
Second, to convince the gainsayers means that the
preacher answers the false teaching. Every false teacher
has pet verses to support his error. These are taken out
of context and misused, and the God-called preacher
must know how to deal with these challenges so that the
false teachers are no longer able to use their specious
arguments to confuse the minds of the saints. There are
a great many errors today, more than ever before, and
the Internet has made it easy for heretics to promote
their doctrines into Bible-believing homes and
!46
churches. The Lord’s people must be well educated so
they will not be led astray by any “ism,” whether it is
Romanism, Seven-day Adventism, New Evangelicalism,
Judge Not-ism, Charismaticism, Modern Textual
Criticism, Sovereign Electionism, Replacement
Theology, etc.
Third, to convince the gainsayers means that the
preacher rebukes the saints when they are giving heed
to false doctrine and are in danger of going astray (Tit.
1:12-14). The pastor is more than a teacher. He must
also reprove and rebuke when necessary. We see this in
Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians in regard to the
doctrine of the resurrection (i.e., 1 Co. 15:33-36) and his
epistle to the churches of Galatia in regard to the
doctrine of the gospel (i.e., Ga. 1:6-9; 3:1-3; 4:9-20). In
Titus 1:12-13, we see that the believers must be dealt
with according to their character and according to how
they respond to God’s Word. The Cretians had very
poor character. They were liars, evil beasts (dangerous
and unpredictable like wild beasts, backbiters, hurtful,
gossips), slow bellies (lazy, idle, living for one’s belly or
appetites and lacking ambition beyond that; “slow
bellies ... with the idea of indolent, slothful in Christian
duty, idle, insincere,” Complete Word Study Bible).
Because of their poor character and slowness to obey
God, they were to be dealt with sharply. This is contrary
to the human psychology, but it is how God’s Word
instructs us to deal with insubordination.
Fourth, to convince the gainsayers means that the
preacher rejects heretics when they refuse to repent
(Tit. 3:10-11). The pastor must have the courage to deal
plainly with those who are teaching error. The word
“heretic” means one who creates divisions by false
doctrine and if they are not dealt with in a strict
manner, they will divide the church and possibly even
destroy it. The qualified pastor is not a man who is
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committed to being everyone’s buddy. He must
disassociate from men who would cause harm to the
flock that God has entrusted him with. He also must
withdraw himself from preachers who are committed to
a path of error and compromise even if they are
otherwise sound in doctrine and are brothers in Christ.
See 2 Th. 3:6.

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 The Pastor’s Authority
General Lessons about Pastoral Authority
Following are some important truths that are emphasized
in Scripture in regard to pastoral authority:
1. There are certain men in churches who are called
rulers and overseers.
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood” (Acts 20:28).
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you” (1 Thessalonians 5:12).
“Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the
saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the
bishops and deacons” (Philippians 1:1).
“This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop,
he desireth a good work” (1 Timothy 3:1).
“For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God;
not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no
striker, not given to filthy lucre” (Titus 1:7).
These verses teach that God-called pastors (the same office
is called elder and bishop) have authority over the assemblies.
Other Christians are to submit to this authority. As a church
member, pastor-elders are over me in the Lord.
When I honor and submit to them, I am not submitting
merely to a man; I am submitting to the Lord and Chief
Shepherd of the church and to His plan and program. I am
obeying His Word.
Many women could share horror stories of how their
husbands abused authority, but this does not destroy the fact

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that God has given husbands authority. (We don’t mean to
say that wives must submit to husbands even when they are
abused. We deal with the abuse of authority later in this
book.) When the saved wife submits to a husband, she is not
submitting merely to a man, with his faults and frailties; she
is submitting to her Lord God Himself. “Wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Eph.
5:22).
Likewise, abuse of pastoral authority does not negate the
fact that God has given authority to pastors and that the Bible
demands that God’s people submit to pastors who are leading
according to God’s Word.
Even in cases in which a Christian has been under the
influence of an abusive or unscriptural pastoral situation, he
or she must maintain a proper attitude toward pastoral
authority. He should leave such a church, if necessary, and
find a spiritually-healthy church that is led by God-called
men and join it and submit to their authority. A Christian
must carefully guard his spirit so that he does not become
bitter. He must examine himself before the Lord to be sure
that he is not rebellious toward genuine, God-given authority.
Sometimes we think the problem is with those who have
the rule over us when in reality the problem is with our own
stubborn hearts.
2. Church leaders are called by three different terms
(pastor, elder, bishop), which refer to different aspects of
the same office.
In Titus 1:5-7 the terms “elder” and “bishop” are applied to
the same office.
In 1 Peter 5, the same church leaders are called
“elders” (verse 1), pastors (“poimaino” or shepherds, verse 2),
and bishops (“episkopeo” or overseers, verse 2). Thus the
hierarchical form of church government which places
bishops over elders is not biblical. A pastor-elder is a bishop,
and a bishop is an elder.

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 3. Each church is to have its own leaders and
government.
“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set
in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in
every city, as I had appointed thee” (Titus 1:5).
“And when they had ordained them elders in every church,
and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the
Lord, on whom they believed” (Acts 14:23).
Since this is clearly the New Testament pattern, any outside
form of control over the New Testament church is unbiblical.
4. Every pastor is to be God-called, scripturally
qualified, and ordained.
“And when they had ordained them elders in every church,
and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the
Lord, on whom they believed” (Acts 14:23).
“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” (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set
in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in
every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the
husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused
of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the
steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to
wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of

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 hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy,
temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been
taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to
exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:5-9).
New Testament churches are not to be led by unordained
men or by men who cannot do the whole work of a pastor-
elder-bishop. Every pastor is to be both a teacher, a spiritual
protector, and a ruler or overseer (Ac. 20:28; 1 Ti. 3:2; Tit.
1:9-11; 1 Pe. 5:1-2).
5. Deacons are never referred to in the capacity of ruling
or overseeing the churches (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:9-13).
The deacon is a servant of the pastors and the church, not a
ruler of the church. Church rule by a deacon board is
unscriptural and has caused great harm in many assemblies.
We deal more extensively with this in the chapter on the
office of a deacon.
6. There is no scriptural support for any other sort of
board that has authority over the pastors.

The Extent of the Pastor’s Authority

Since responsibility implies a corresponding authority, we
get a clear idea of the extent of a pastor's authority by
considering his God-given responsibilities.
There are three major areas of pastoral responsibility, with
corresponding authority:
1. A pastor has the responsibility to teach and shepherd
the church.
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood” (Acts 20:28).
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the

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 perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you” (1 Thessalonians 5:12).
“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an
elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a
partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock
of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,
not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a
ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth
not away” (1 Peter 5:1-4).
Pastors, therefore, have the authority to oversee all aspects
of such ministry. They must have the final decision
concerning what is taught and by whom, and they must judge
all things that are taught to make certain it is correct (1 Co.
14:29).
2. A pastor has the responsibility to protect the church
from false teaching.
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch,
and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not
to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts
20:28-31).
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy;
having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding
to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which

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 God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them
which believe and know the truth. For every creature of
God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received
with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God
and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of
these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ,
nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine,
whereunto thou hast attained” (1 Timothy 4:1-6).
“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that
he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to
convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and
vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the
circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who
subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought
not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a
prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil
beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke
them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus
1:9-13).
Pastors have the God-given responsibility and authority to
determine what is taught and preached and by whom, as well
as to forbid the brethren from getting involved with false
things, such as Bible studies conducted by the wrong kind of
teachers, meetings in which unbiblical doctrines or practices
are promoted, etc. This includes oversight of the music
ministry of the church, because music is part of the church’s
teaching ministry (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Pastors don’t need
permission from deacons or the leading families of the
church in regard to whom they invite to preach or what
Sunday School lessons to use, etc. Pastors will stand before
God and give account for the church doctrinally, and they
therefore have the authority to exercise control in this area.
3. A pastor has the responsibility to oversee the entire
ministry of the church.
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to

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 feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood” (Acts 20:28).
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you” (1 Thessalonians 5:12).
“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an
elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a
partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock
of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,
not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a
ready mind” (1 Peter 5:1-2).
The pastor's position of overseeing the church is like that of
a supervisor or manager. The pastors are not to do all of the
work of the ministry--every Christian must be busy in the
work of Christ, Ephesians 4:16--but the pastors are to train
the people for their individual ministries and are to supervise
all of the work. And they have authority from God to exercise
this ministry.

Spiritual Characteristics of the Pastor’s Authority

The authority of a pastor is distinctly different from that
exercised by leaders in the secular world.
1. It is a ministering authority -- the authority of a
shepherd.
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood” (Acts 20:28).
“Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being
present I should use sharpness, according to the power
which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to
destruction” (2 Corinthians 13:10).

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 “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Peter 5:2).
The authority of a pastor is for the purpose of building up
and protecting God’s people and work. The church does not
exist to please and glorify pastors; it exists to please and
glorify the Lord.
2. It is a humble authority -- the authority of a steward.
“But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye
know that they which are accounted to rule over the
Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones
exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among
you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your
minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall
be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).
“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's
husbandry, ye are God's building” (1 Corinthians 3:9).
“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ,
and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1).
“For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of
God...” (Titus 1:7).
“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the
same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
“Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall
appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not
away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the
elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be
clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and
giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:3-5).

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 The pastor is to rule under the direction of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is to rule by Christ’s mind and by Christ’s will
rather than by his own. To be “self-willed” means to rule
pompously according to human thinking and human will
rather than ruling humbly according to God’s Word. The
church is God’s property; the people are God’s people; the
work is God’s work (1 Co. 3:5-9). Pastors are merely stewards
or caretakers.
Contrast this type of leadership with the ministry of proud,
willful Diotrephes (3 Jn. 9-10). He ruled by his own self-will
and according to His own pleasure. He forbade even the
apostle John to minister in the church. What a pompous
man!
A pastor has the authority to oversee and protect the
congregation and to warn them not to listen to false teachers
and compromisers who might lead them astray, but he has no
authority to forbid the people to hear (listen to sermons by,
read books and articles by) sound Bible preachers. That is the
way of a Diotrephes rather than a shepherd of God.
3. It is a loving authority -- the authority of a father.
“But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth
her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we
were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of
God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear
unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail:
for labouring night and day, because we would not be
chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the
gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily
and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among
you that believe: As ye know how we exhorted and
comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth
his children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7-11).
The pastor is to have a godly, loving, tender, sacrificial
consideration for the welfare of the people. His rule is not to
be an overbearing, self-serving type of rule.

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 4. It is a building up and liberating authority.
“For though I should boast somewhat more of our
authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and
not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed” (2 Co.
10:8).
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth
in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined
together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).
The church is not only a head; it is a body. A godly pastor
is not in the church to hinder the Spirit’s work through the
body of believers by exercising an oppressive type of
leadership that cripples individual vision and initiative. His
role in the church is rather to build up the body so that it
prospers spiritually and all of the various gifts are functioning
and Christ can be Lord throughout the entire body to freely
accomplish His work.
Godly pastors have the goal of maturing the flock so that
they can participate in the work of the Lord to the fullest
extent possible. They do not want to tie the saints down but
to liberate them to their greatest potential in Christ.
A pastor ministering according to the teaching of
Ephesians 4 will rejoice when his children mature and stand
on their own feet before Christ. The goal of a scriptural

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pastor is not to make the people dependent on him; his goal
is to mature the members so that they can interpret the Bible
properly for themselves and find direction for their lives
directly from Christ through the indwelling Spirit.
Many pastors are so jealous of their authority that they
hinder and cripple the work of God by turning the ministry
of the Lord into a “one man show,” and the people rise only to
the level of his servants and never mature to the true liberty
in Christ that we see in Scripture. Brethren, these things
ought not to be.
The Difference between Pastoring and Lording
“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an
elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a
partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock
of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,
not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a
ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:1-3).
Pastors have real authority in the church, but it is a
different kind of authority than that exercised by worldly
lords.
Note some of the differences:
Scriptural pastors love the flock and lead by compassion (1
Th. 2:7-8), but lords typically despise compassion. While a
pastor has the authority to demand (Tit. 2:15), and he must
demand that the people obey God, it is a different kind of
demanding than that of a worldly lord. There is a time to
reprove and rebuke, and even to rebuke sharply, but the
rebuking must be in the context of teaching, exhorting,
challenging, entreating, and beseeching. There is warning,
but it must be with tears in the sense of coming from a caring
heart (Ac. 20:31).
Scriptural pastors lead by example, but lords merely make
demands with little or no concern that they must exemplify
what they demand (1 Pe. 5:3).

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 Scriptural pastors know that the flock is not their own, but
lords feel that they own the people and thus can control them
according to their own desires (1 Pe. 5:2, 3 “flock of God”
“God’s heritage”).
Scriptural pastors care more about the welfare of the saints
than their own profit, but lords rule for personal gain and
typically are not afraid to abuse the people (1 Pe. 5:2).
Scriptural pastors are humble and do not consider
themselves greater than the flock, but lords exalt themselves
high above the people. Pastors are over the flock (Heb. 13:17),
but they are also among the flock (1 Pe. 5:2). They are to be
clothed with humility (1 Pe. 5:5).
Scriptural pastors aim to build up the people and free them
to do God’s will, but lords want to control the people and hold
them down (Eph. 4:11-12; 2 Co. 10:8). The Greek word
translated “destruction” in 2 Corinthians 10:8 is elsewhere
translated “pulling down” (2 Co. 10:4).
“But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye
know that they which are accounted to rule over the
Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones
exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among
you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your
minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall
be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).

Miscellaneous Suggestions to Pastors

1. Never forget that the people are not yours and that
you will give account for the way you treat them.
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood” (Acts 20:28).

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 “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords
over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock” (1
Peter 5:2-3).
“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall
receive the greater condemnation” (James 3:1).
A Baptist pastor can have his way in the church in this
present world even if he is wrong and sinning, because there
is no higher earthly ecclesiastical authority than the assembly,
but he will stand before the Chief Shepherd and give account
for how he acted. The following warning applies both to
pastors and to the people:
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God
destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are”
(1 Corinthians 3:17).
2. Treat the people as you would want to be treated.
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should
do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the
prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
Think back to the time before you were a pastor. Are you
treating the people now as you wanted your pastor to treat
you then? Were there things the pastor did that discouraged
you rather than built you up then, and are you repeating
those same mistakes in your own ministry? Were there
questions that you wanted to ask and should have been at
liberty to ask but were afraid to ask because the pastor didn’t
seem approachable, and could this be how you come across
to the people today?
3. Treat the people with equality.
“I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the elect angels, that thou observe these things without
preferring one before another, doing nothing by
partiality” (1 Timothy 5:21).

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 Be very careful about exercising favoritism. Treat the
people with equality in regard to enforcing standards for
workers. It is easy to let the standards slide with some
because they are your relatives or pets. Treat the people with
equality in regard to exercising church discipline. Don’t let it
be said that you were harsh toward some and lenient with
others over similar matters.
I know of pastors who have disciplined their own sinning
children, and that type of equality is an example to emulate.
King Asa is commended in God’s Word for disciplining his
own mother and making the burning of her idols a public
matter (1 Ki. 15:13). I know of other pastors who have
allowed their children and grandchildren to get away with
things that would not have been allowed in his own ministry
20 years earlier.
4. Aim to build up the people and give them liberty to do
God’s will.
“For though I should boast somewhat more of our
authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and
not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed” (2
Corinthians 10:8).
A pastor should have the goal of maturing the people in
Christ so that they can stand on their own feet and make
good decisions and follow God’s will, not wanting them to be
perpetually dependent on his microscopic control. A wise
parent even allows his children to make mistakes along the
way, knowing that they must learn how to do things on their
own and that they will not always get it right the first time.
5. Encourage the people to have a personal vision of
God’s will and to bring new ideas for the Lord’s work.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

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 The only thing the pastor should discourage is sin and false
teaching. Don’t let it be said that the pastor discouraged
people to have a vision and to exercise their gifts freely within
the boundaries of Scripture.
6. Aim to produce many leaders who will work alongside
of you to multiply the ministry.
“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain
prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was
called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which
had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
Saul” (Acts 13:1).
“And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea;
and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and
Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and
Trophimus” (Acts 20:4).
Everywhere in the New Testament we see teams of leaders,
both in individual churches and in missionary church
planting. Wise pastors will not fear sharing their authority
and ministry with other men of God so that the Lord’s work
can make good progress.
The advantage of ministry teams
The early churches were established and led by teams of
ministry-gifted men, and we have practiced this from the
beginning of our church planting work.
This is something I pray much for and it is something I
would urge young preachers to pray for. Pray for help. Pray
that God would raise up a ministry team. Since we see this in
Scripture, beginning with Christ’s choice of 12 apostles, we
can pray in confidence that it is God’s will.
When we started our first church in the early 1980s, I said,
“Lord, I am not able to do this by myself. My wife is a great
help, but we can’t do this alone. We need a ministry team like
we see in the Bible.” The Lord answered that fervent,
persistent prayer and brought other men alongside, one from

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India, one from Switzerland, and one from Nepal, and we
worked in harmony for several years in founding that church.
The four of us together were much stronger and more
effectual than any one of us would have been alone.
We see this in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:6).
We see this in the church at Antioch, which is set before us
as the preeminent missionary church. Paul and Barnabas
worked together to establish this congregation (Acts
11:22-26). Soon there were many other preachers at Antioch
(Acts 13:1). Then Paul and Barnabas were sent out as a
missionary team to plant churches across the Roman Empire
(Acts 13-14). When they had laid the foundation for new
churches, they ordained teams of pastor/elders to rule them
(Acts 14:23).
Consider some of the advantages to ministry teams:
More gifts (Eph. 4:11; Ro. 12:6-8)
When men minister as teams, many different gifts are
available. We see this in our church planting ministry.
Presently, four of us are functioning as a leadership team.
There is an American, a Korean, and two Nepalis. We are
different ages. We have different spiritual gifts, personalities,
training, and backgrounds, and these differences are an
advantage in the ministry.
For example, we have monthly youth meetings, and each
month a different leader plans and leads the meeting. As a
result, each meeting is different and the youth benefit from
the difference.
More eyes
When you have a multiplicity of ministers, you have more
eyes to see spiritual danger and error (Ac. 20:28-31). You
have more eyes to discern hypocrites, deceivers, and false
teachers.
More mouths (1 Pe. 4:10-11)

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 When there is a multiplicity of ministers, there is greater
variety in preaching and teaching. This is a great benefit to
the people.
In our church planting ministry, not only do the ordained
leaders share preaching and teaching duties, but we also give
many opportunities for younger preachers in training to
minister God’s Word. The churches benefit greatly from the
multiplicity of voices. Currently we have 13 preachers in
addition to the four leaders.
More hearts
When there is a multiplicity of ministers, there are more
hearts. Different men have different grace. Christ has all
grace, but we only have grace in part (Joh. 1:16). When men
can minister together in harmony as a team, their differences
in personalities and approaches and gifts and backgrounds
make the work stronger. Some are encouragers like Barnabas,
while others are reprovers like James. I think of a preacher
friend who says he can’t preach as hard as me in the matter of
reproof and rebuke, but he supports my reproof and believes
it is a blessing. Ministry teams make it possible for all types of
men to minister together in harmony.
More hands
When there is a multiplicity of ministers, there are more
hands to work.
Because we have many ministers in our team, we can have
more ministries, more Bible studies, more house fellowships,
more children’s ministries, more personal visits, etc.
More feet
When there is a multiplicity of ministers, there are more
feet to carry the gospel to more people.
Our ministry teams make dozens of outreaches each
month to carry the gospel to various parts of our city and to
many other towns and villages.
More equality

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 When there is a multiplicity of ministers, there is more
potential for equality in the church. God does not show
preference, and we are taught to follow God (1 Ti. 5:21), but
the temptation to show preference is very strong in fallen
sinners. We have relatives and friends. We have favorites.
Multiple leaders can help one another not to show preference.
When it comes to team leadership, in a practical sense
there will always be a senior leader or a head pastor. We see
James in this role in Acts 15:13-22. After the others had their
say about the issue at hand, James summarized the matter
and made a practical suggestion about how they should
proceed. The other leaders and the church members agreed,
and the matter was settled.
Whether complete unanimity is required in every decision
is something that each church must decide before the Lord.
For more about teams of leaders see The Discipling Church:
The Church That Will Stand until Christ Comes, available
from Way of Life Literature.
7. Value criticism.
No one really enjoys criticism and correction, but godly
criticism is necessary in this life. (I want to emphasize that I
am talking about godly criticism from a right spirit, not false
accusations and critical-spirited attacks from a desire to harm
a preacher and his ministry.)
The flesh despises “criticism.” The flesh thinks it is always
right. But James says that godly wisdom is “easy to be
intreated” (Jas. 3:17). When people approached Christ and
asked Him things, He didn’t lash out at them or become
angry and resentful.
No preacher does everything right or makes every decision
wisely. It matters not what I have experienced or how much I
have studied, I haven’t learned everything, not by far. Every
honest preacher will admit that he makes mistakes, probably
quite a few. I don’t think I’ve ever preached a message when I

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didn’t afterward say to myself, “Why did I say that? I wish I
could do that over.”
A man who does not want help and counsel and even
correction from the church family is not functioning as a
New Testament pastor but rather as a lord, and it is
impossible that such a church will be what God wants it to
be.
The preacher must remind himself that suggestions,
counsel, even correction, are not rebellion to authority. When
the people approach the pastors in such ways, they are not
rebelling against God, because God has commanded that
they “prove all things” (1 Th. 5:21). No pastor has the
authority to demand “unquestioning loyalty.” No preacher’s
decisions are infallible. There are no divinely-inspired
prophets today. The preacher’s sole authority is the Bible
rightly interpreted and applied, and a wise preacher will be
open to possible correction.
It has been said, “He who corrects me gives me a gold
coin.”
Proverbs teaches that the wise individual will receive
reproof. One’s attitude toward reproof is evidence of his
spiritual condition.
“He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he
that refuseth reproof erreth” (Pr. 10:17).
“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that
hateth reproof is brutish” (Pr. 12:1).
“Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth
instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be
honoured” (Pr. 13:18).
“A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that
regardeth reproof is prudent” (Pr. 15:5).
“Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way:
and he that hateth reproof shall die” (Pr. 15:10).

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 “The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the
wise” (Pr. 15:31).
“He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but
he that heareth reproof getteth understanding” (Pr. 15:32).
“A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred
stripes into a fool” (Pr. 17:10).
“As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a
wise reprover upon an obedient ear” (Pr. 25:12).
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an
enemy are deceitful” (Pr. 27:6).
Remember that it is difficult to challenge a leader and few
will do it. Be thankful for those Nathanael’s who speak their
mind (Joh. 1:45-47).
In Lectures to My Students, Charles Spurgeon gave the
following counsel:
“A sensible friend who will unsparingly criticize you from
week to week will be a far greater blessing to you than a
thousand undiscriminating admirers if you have sense
enough to bear his treatment, and grace enough to be
thankful for it. When I was preaching at the Surrey
Gardens, an unknown censor of great ability used to send
me a weekly list of my mispronunciations and other Slips of
speech. He never signed his name, and that was my only
cause of complaint against him, for he left me in a debt
which I could not acknowledge. I take this opportunity of
confessing my obligations to him, for with genial temper,
and an evident desire to benefit me, he marked down most
relentlessly everything which he supposed me to have said
incorrectly. Concerning some of these corrections he was in
error himself, but for the most part he was right, and his
remarks enabled me to perceive and avoid many mistakes. I
looked for his weekly memoranda with much interest, and
trust I am all the better for them. ... He demanded my
authority for calling a man covetous; and so on. Possibly
some young men might have been discouraged, if not
irritated, by such severe criticisms, but they would have

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 been very foolish, for in resenting such correction they
would have been throwing away a valuable aid to progress.
No money can purchase outspoken honest judgment, and
when we can get it for nothing let us utilize it to the fullest
extent” (Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, vol. 4).
The preacher who doesn’t like challenges not only
misunderstands his position and authority, he is also ignorant
of the reality of his own condition. No man knows everything
or sees everything. Every man has weaknesses and blind
spots. It matters not how long one has lived, how much
experience one has, and how much one has studied. We must
be careful to maintain the humility demonstrated by Agur,
who said,
“Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the
understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom, nor
have the knowledge of the holy. Who hath ascended up
into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in
his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who
hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name,
and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?” (Proverbs
30:2-4).
Agur was not saying that he was ignorant. He was
comparing himself to God rather than to man. He was saying
that before God’s omniscience, he is like a dumb animal. This
is the humility that will keep the preacher right in his self-
perception so that he remains open to further learning and
correction.
8. Listen to Criticism.
In receiving criticism be “swift to hear, slow to speak” (Jas.
1:19).
Hear your critic out and think on it before giving an
answer.
Don’t be quick to justify yourself.
Don’t be eager to discount the criticism if you find that
some of it is wrong; there might still be a lesson for you. One

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preacher suggested, “Take your critics seriously. Almost every
criticism contains a germ of truth. Your job is to find it.”
Also don’t be hasty to make a decision. Don’t be hasty to
discount the suggestion or criticism, but also don’t be hasty to
admit error and apologize. You should admit error when you
have erred, but don’t be hasty because it is easy to make a
mistake in the heat of the moment. First, make sure you have
actually erred and exactly how and to what extent and then
decide how you need to deal with the matter. Haste can
compound a problem.

9. Weigh the Criticism by God’s Word.

Both the preacher and his “critic” must remember that the
sole authority for faith and practice is the Bible.
The preacher must be careful that he does not weigh the
criticism by his own experience and tradition. It is my
observation that the average Independent Baptist pastor is as
tradition bound as an orthodox rabbi. He doesn’t judge by
God’s Word as much as he judges by his schooling and the
thinking of his preacher friends and by what he has seen in
other churches and by the example of prominent leaders.
To weigh “criticism” in the right way requires that the
preacher be a serious student of the Scriptures and a man
who has a Berean mindset (Ac. 17:11).
At the same time, the preacher is not to be judged by
another person’s thinking, experience, conscience, or
tradition. This is the theme of Romans 14. We are not to
judge one another on the basis of the Bible’s silence. The
example Paul gives is the matter of diet (Ro. 14:2-3). There is
no authoritative Christian diet. The New Testament says
“every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if
it be received with thanksgiving” (1 Ti. 4:4-5). Therefore,
there is liberty in the matter of diet. This is true of every issue
that is not contrary to the teaching of Scripture. The Bible’s
silence is a matter of liberty, not law. For example, the New

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Testament says nothing about the use of musical instruments
in the churches. Some see this as a matter of law, but in reality
it is a matter of liberty. Each church has the liberty to use or
not use instruments as it sees fit before the Lord, assuming
they are used in a sacred rather than a worldly manner.
10. Be a leader.
In the end, it is the pastor who must make the final
decisions.
He must be a leader. He must be wise enough to desire and
seek counsel and even to embrace “criticism” and correction,
but he must be strong enough to be a leader. He must be
ready to stand alone if necessary, even if his own wife and
best friends don’t agree with him.
He must know the Lord and His Word well enough to
make good decisions and then he must stand by them in the
strength and courage of Christ.
The bottom line is that the pastor must make sure that his
decisions are based on the clear teaching of God’s Word.
If you don’t have a “thus saith the Lord” for the things you
are doing, you are on dangerous ground. Your authority is
not your mind or what you learned at Bible college or what
you learned from your first pastor; your sole authority is
God’s Word. The pastor is not to be “self-willed” (Tit. 1:7).
11. Don’t give your authority to those who are not
pastors, such as deacons, and don’t allow strong men or
women or even your own wife to control things from
“behind the scenes.”
A wise pastor will work closely with his wife and will seek
her counsel in many things, because she will see things that
he doesn’t, but he must beware of giving her the leadership.
He must have the final say, and his wife’s perspective will not
always be right. She sees things through a feminine
perspective, but it is the masculine perspective that must lead
the church. A feminine perspective is important. God “made
them male and female” (Ge. 1:27). It was God’s good plan

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that Adam have an Eve. But the feminine perspective was not
created for leadership.
12. Don’t be afraid to allow the congregation to share in
decisions.
In the book of Acts, the congregations participated with
the pastors in two major decisions.
The first was in the selection of deacons (Ac. 6:5-6). The
pastors set the standards, and the congregation chose the
deacons based on those standards.
The second was in the sending of missionaries (Ac. 13:1-3).
The Holy Spirit called the missionaries and the church
leaders and the congregation recognized the call, laid hands
on them, and sent them forth.
We see a combination of congregational and pastoral rule
in Scripture. Pastoral authority is described plainly in
Hebrews 13:7, 17, and Paul says the pastors are “over you in
the Lord” (1 Th. 5:12). That speaks of authority.
Exactly how the pastors work with the congregation to
make decisions (e.g., which decisions are made entirely by
the leaders and which decisions are made by the leaders
working with the congregation) is not laid out specifically in
Scripture beyond the two examples previously mentioned.
Since these things are not laid out in an absolute manner,
there is liberty for each church to make its own decisions
before the Lord.

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 The Pastor’s Support
“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double
honour, especially they who labour in the word and
doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the
ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy
of his reward” (1 Timothy 5:17-18).
Elders who are diligent in the ministry should be
supported (1 Ti. 5:17).
This verse doesn’t mean that some pastors should labour in
God’s Word and some shouldn’t. The Pastoral Epistles teach
us that every church leader should be a zealous student and
teacher of God’s Word (1 Ti. 3:2; 4:6, 13; 2 Ti. 2:2, 15, 24).
What this verse means is that those who are the kind of
preachers they should be by labouring in God’s Word are
worthy of more support. It also means that the more a man
labours in God’s Word, the more worthy he is of support.
Hard-working elders should be supported well (1 Ti. 5:17).
This is the church’s responsibility before God. Churches are
not to be stingy in this matter. Elsewhere we are told that
laboring elders are to be esteemed very highly in love (1 Th.
5:12-13), but the “honor” of 1 Timothy 5:17 refers to financial
support. 1 Ti. 5:18 makes this clear. Paul quotes De. 25:4 and
Lu. 10:7. (By the quotation from the Gospel of Luke, we see
that the Gospels were already in circulation and were
received as Scripture. Compare 1 Co. 9:13-14; Ga. 6:6.)
Faithful elders should be supported as long as they need it.
It is the church’s responsibility to make sure that they have a
decent retirement when it is time for them to step back from
full-time ministry. I have seen a number of pastors who had
to retire because of health or age and were forced to live on a
very small income. B.H. Carroll testified of this same thing in
his day. “The cases are shamefully numerous of men who,
without thought of themselves, devote their lives unselfishly
to the work of God, and then in old age are laid on the shelf

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… Many churches are guilty, just here, to their shame. A
preacher of that kind has earned a living and it must be
accorded to him, not as charity, but as wages for his labor. …
There are some ‘freeze-out churches’ among the Baptists,
which take a man in and use up his life, and when their debt
to him for salary is large they begin to find fault with him and
finally rudely send him off to get another to be treated the
same way. It is a dishonorable method” (An Interpretation of
the English Bible).
Paul did not accept support from the church at Corinth,
but that was a special situation brought about by that church’s
carnality and the slander of false teachers against Paul in that
region (1 Co. 9:1-15). Paul did not want to give them
anything that they could use against him. In the same passage
(1 Co. 9:14), though, Paul taught that it is normal and proper
before God for preachers of the gospel to be supported by the
gospel. See also Ga. 6:6.

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 The Pastor’s Ordination
“And when they had ordained them elders in every church,
and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the
Lord, on whom they believed” (Acts 14:23).
“Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of
other men's sins: keep thyself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22).
Ordination is the church’s recognition of God’s call.
Ordination is done by the laying on of hands and prayer
and fasting (Ac. 13:3; 14:23). The exact method of how this is
done is not described in Scripture. Who lays hands on the
man? How many lay hands on him? Where do they lay their
hands on him? How long do they fast? Who prays? Each
church is at liberty to decide these things under the Lord’s
direction.
What about an ordination council that examines the man’s
doctrinal beliefs? This is a Baptist tradition, but it is not
something that is spelled out in Scripture. Therefore, there is
liberty to have a council or not to have a council, and there is
liberty as to who composes the council and what is asked. In
our church planting ministry we have not had ordination
councils, because we ordain men that we have personally
trained and have known for a long a time.
The most important thing in ordination is emphasized in 1
Timothy 5:22, which is to avoid haste. The man must be
proven (1 Ti. 3:10). He must be qualified according to God’s
standards in 1 Ti. 3 and Tit. 1.
Caution about ordination is one of the best ways to protect
the churches and to avoid scandal. After men are ordained to
any position, it is extremely difficult to remove them from
that position. It is not possible to be 100% sure of the
condition of a man’s heart and true character (e.g., the
hypocrite Judas), and it is not possible to know what
decisions a man will make in the future (e.g., Demas, who

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turned aside to the love of the world, 2 Ti. 4:10); but the
church must do the best it can to exercise godly wisdom and
must be very cautious about this matter. An example of a
hasty decision was Joshua’s decision to accept the men of
Gibeon without having sought the mind of God (Jos. 9:3-15).
To ordain the wrong men is to become partaker of their
sins (1 Ti. 5:22). God holds the church responsible for those it
ordains. If it ordains unqualified men hastily without proper
proving and without proper qualification, or if it refuses to
discipline them when they sin, it becomes partaker of their
sin.
Paul tells Timothy, “keep thyself pure” (1 Ti. 5:22). This is
the way to have wisdom and power in such difficult matters
as discipline and appointing leaders. The preacher that does
not walk in purity and holiness and separation will make
many serious mistakes, and the work of God will be harmed.

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 The Pastor’s Discipline
“Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two
or three witnesses.  Them that sin rebuke before all, that
others also may fear.  I charge thee before God, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe
these things without preferring one before another, doing
nothing by partiality” (1 Timothy 5:19-21).
Elders are not above discipline. If they sin, they should be
disciplined. Paul confronted Peter for his hypocrisy (Ga.
2:11-14).
The instruction of 1 Timothy 5:19-21 is very wise. On one
hand, it protects the church from sinning elders, and on the
other hand it protects elders from frivolous and false
accusations. An elder, as a leader in God’s house, is the devil’s
prime target. The devil will do anything to bring that man
down or to harm him. The elder is also in a position to cause
offense and create enemies for the truth’s sake by his rebuke
and discipline. So while he must not be allowed to sin with
impunity, he must be protected from false accusations.
“Moses was subjected to criticism throughout his career as
leader, shepherd, and teacher of God’s people. The Israelites
constantly murmured against him and Aaron. At times, God
had to intervene to vindicate and protect His faithful servants
(Ex. 14:11-12; 15:24; 16:2, 7, 9, 12; 17:3; 32:1; Nu. 11:1, 9-15;
12:1; 14:1-5; 16:11-32, 41-46; 21:4-5)” (John Phillips). “Stories
abound of leaders in the church whose ministries have been
undercut or destroyed by malicious rumors originated by one
person. The principle of multiple witnesses, along with the
right of the accused to be faced by his or her accuser, is
absolutely essential for the well-being of all concerned” (The
Preacher’s Commentary).
Care must be exercised in “receiving” accusations against
elders (1 Ti. 5:19). First, the accusation must pertain to
disciplinary types of sin as we see in verse 20. It is an

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accusation pertaining to a matter for which he would need to
be publicly rebuked. It is a matter pertaining to the types of
sin enumerated in 1 Co. 5:11. It is not just any accusation that
someone might want to make against an elder. To allow
frivolous accusations would be destructive to a man’s
ministry and mental wellbeing. Second, the accusation must
be a specific charge. It must be an accusation, not a rumor or a
vague suspicion. Third, there must be two or three witnesses
before the accusation can be received. This was required under
the law of Moses (De. 19:15). See also Mt. 18:16; 2 Co. 13:1. A
proper witness is an individual who has personal knowledge
of a matter, not just hearsay. This is why hearsay is not
allowed in a court of law. Fourth, upon receipt of an
accusation accompanied by proper witnesses, the church should
make its own investigation as to the truth of the matter. This is
necessary, because witnesses can be sincerely wrong, and
witnesses can also be evil. Under the law of Moses, the
testimony of the witnesses was to be tested (De. 19:17-20).
“The witnesses must be good and sufficient ones, who are
capable of well attesting the fact. A charge against a pastor of
a church is not to be easily received; it should not be listened
to privately, unless it clearly appears by such a number of
witnesses; nor should it be brought publicly before the
church, until it is privately and previously proved, by a
sufficient number of credible witnesses, that it is really
fact” (John Gill).
Church members must not listen to gossip and backbiting.
It is sin to tell gossip, and it is sin to listen to gossip. “The
north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance
a backbiting tongue” (Pr. 25:23). “A wicked doer giveth heed
to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue” (Pr.
17:4). Saul was rebuked for listening to slanders (1 Sa. 24:9).
“If that rule were followed strictly, many needless scandals
and troubles in churches would be avoided. It is such an easy
thing to call a man and whisper, ‘Don’t say anything about
this, but I want to tell you something about our pastor.’ We

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should stop the whisperer at once: ‘Are you about to tell me
something against the pastor? If so, do you know it to be true,
or are you proposing to circulate a hearsay? If you know it to
be true, can you furnish the corroborative testimony of other
witnesses? And will you and the other witnesses go with me
now and tell what you know to the pastor himself, face to
face, giving him an opportunity to meet the accusation?’ The
whisperer will be apt to reply: ‘Oh, no! I don’t know anything
myself. I have heard so and so.’ Thus we not only silence the
whisperer, but we save ourselves from becoming a partaker of
his sin. The necessity for this rule, in all cases, is more
emphasized in the case of a preacher, whose reputation is a
large part of his capital. … It is shameful the way good, God-
fearing men are slandered by irresponsible reports against
them. Bring the accuser to task and make him come out in
the open and give his corroborative evidence, and allow the
accused a chance to answer.” (B.H. Carroll).
The discipline of an elder should be done by other pastors.
This instruction was written to the preacher Timothy rather
than to churches or church members in general. This reminds
us of the importance of teams of pastors. If there is only one
pastor, it is exceedingly difficult for the church to discipline
him, as he is the only one with pastoral authority. It can be
done, but it is much more difficult than if there is a plurality.
Deacons or other mature men can try to do this if absolutely
necessary, but it is better that it be done under the direction
of pastors, even if likeminded pastors outside the
congregation must be brought in for this purpose.
Elders that sin are to be disciplined. “That sin” is a present
participle, indicating an ongoing action. It is a habitual sin; it
is a sin that the elder has allowed himself to be captured by. It
is not the sin of being “overtaken in a fault” (Ga. 6:1), which
is dealt with by restoration.
Elders that sin are to be corrected publicly so that the
church will fear sin. Compare De. 13:11; Ac. 5:11. Paul
reproved Peter “before them all” (Ga. 2:14). Private matters

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are to be dealt with privately, but public matters are to be
dealt with publicly. If the pastor has sinned in such a way that
would bring reproach to the church, he must be disciplined
publicly. “Fear of the discipline of God, in this case
administered through the congregation, is a healthy thing in
a Christian, especially for those in places of leadership.
Modern congregations that ignore church discipline do so at
the peril of both the offender and themselves” (Bible
Knowledge Commentary). “When a church leader is
arraigned, accused, convicted, and sentenced publicly, the
effect on the other elders is bound to be salutary. Fear is
almost as strong as love as a motivating force” (John Phillips).
Elders should be treated impartially (1 Ti. 5:21). It is a
great temptation to treat church members with partiality,
being more lenient with some, giving preferential treatment
to some. This is a sin before God, who loves justice and
equity.
Paul solemnly exhorts Timothy in this matter, reminding
him that he is conducting his ministry before God, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels (1 Ti. 5:21). We are
reminded here that Christ is risen and exalted to the right
hand of God. He is Lord. We are reminded that the elect
angels are witnesses to the affairs of the churches. Angels are
interested in church revelation (1 Pe. 1:12). Female church
members are to have long hair as a symbol of their
submission to authority “because of the angels” (1 Co. 11:10).
The angels will accompany Christ in His glorious return (Lu.
9:26). The reverence of and fear of God is the only motive
that will keep a preacher straight in difficult matters like
discipline, the only motive that will cause him to overcome
his innate fear of man and the peer pressure that has resulted
in so much compromise through the centuries. Recently I
asked a Baptist pastor in Georgia how many churches he
knew of in his state that practice church discipline, and he
replied that, other than his church, he did not know of any
others. The pastors of those churches need to be rebuked

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sharply about their solemn obligation before God, and the
risen Christ, and the elect angels, to obey God’s Word in
these matters. “Why Paul punctuated his instructions with
this strong charge can only be guessed. Had Timothy
passively avoided unpleasant confrontations, or had he taken
a strong stand in some cases but not others? For whatever
reasons, Paul strongly adjured the young minister to follow
through” (Bible Knowledge Commentary).

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The Church Member’s Relationship
to Pastors
When churches are led by God-called, qualified men, and
when pastors and members exercise a right relationship one
to another, there is peace and blessing.
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for
their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves” (1
Thessalonians 5:12-13).
From my perspective of having preached in hundreds of
churches over the past 45 years and hearing from hundreds of
pastors and church members each year, I believe there is
widespread weakness in the pastoral ministry, considerable
abuse of pastoral authority, and a lack of biblical qualification
in a great many cases. It is very difficult for God’s people to
relate properly to pastors who aren’t qualified and aren’t
doing the work God instructed them to do. Such pastors
should be disciplined rather than honored.
At the same time, there is widespread rebellion toward and
resistance even to the godliest pastoral authority. This is the
product of the fallen nature and the result of the spirit of end-
time apostasy. I am convinced, too, that it is the result of the
Quick Prayerism program whereby a great many church
members have “prayed a sinner’s prayer” but have not been
born again. The “old man” will not have anyone rule over
him.
We need a revival on both sides: a revival on the side of
pastors and a revival on the side of church members.
We need to reject human tradition, whether Protestant or
Baptist, and get back to the Word of God in all things.

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 General Responsibilities
1. Respect and love them.
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for
their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves” (1
Th. 5:12-13).
This is the church member’s responsibility to pastors in a
nutshell.
In this context, Paul mentions a pastor’s work, because it is
for “their works’ sake” that the church members are to esteem
them.
They labor. They are hard-working men, not lazy men.
Hard work is required to build and maintain biblical
churches. There is the work of Bible study, praying, teaching,
preaching, overseeing, evangelism, discipling, and
disciplining.
They are overseers. They have the calling and gifting to
oversee the flock. This refers to pastoral authority. It refers to
edifying or building up the members, guiding and providing
vision and direction, and protecting from every danger. Note
that the pastors are over the church “in the Lord.” They have
authority only if they are leading in submission to God’s
authority and in accordance with God’s will.
They are admonishers. This encompasses teaching,
exhorting, and warning, but the emphasis of the word
“admonish” is on warning. The underlying Greek word,
“noutheteo,” is translated “warn” in Acts 20:31; 1 Co. 4:14;
Col. 1:28; 1 Th. 5:14. A man who cannot or does not exercise
a ministry of admonition, reproof, rebuke, and warning is not
qualified to be a pastor, and the fruit of such a man is a soft,
lukewarm, backsliding congregation.
Many pastors who want the high respect described in this
passage do not fit the calling that is described in the same

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passage. The people are to esteem them very highly in love
“for their work’s sake,” meaning because of their work,
because they do the work described here. The Bible nowhere
teaches blind obedience and “unquestioning loyalty” toward
spiritual leaders. That is cultic. It is popery.
For its part, the congregation is to know their leaders. This
means more than simply to know who the leaders are. That
should be obvious. It means to know them in the sense of
knowing that their calling and authority is from God and
knowing the value of such leaders. The people need to be
taught about the qualification and work of pastors so they can
exercise the right kind of respect toward them.
The congregation is to esteem the leaders very highly in love.
Note the words “very highly.” The word “perissos,” which is
translated “highly,” is a powerful term in itself. It is elsewhere
translated “beyond measure” (Mr. 6:51), “abundantly” (Joh.
10:10; Eph. 3:20), “superfluous” (2 Co. 9:1), and “exceedingly”
(1 Th. 3:10). But in 1 Thessalonians 5:13, “perissos” is
combined with “hooper,” a common preposition meaning
“very.” This is strong language. Biblical pastors should be
shown great esteem. Elsewhere Paul uses the term “double
honour” (1 Ti. 5:17). That is God’s express will in the matter,
and it is on this basis that churches will be judged at Christ’s
judgment seat. I wouldn’t want to stand there and give
account for not having had a proper biblical relationship with
my pastors.
Note that Christian love is the key to showing proper
honor to one’s spiritual leaders. It is the key to a wife’s honor
toward a husband and a child’s honor to a parent and a
church member’s honor to a pastor. This means that for a
church to treat its pastors as it should, the members must be
saved and walking in fellowship with Christ, because this is
the only way to have true love. This reminds us of the
importance of limiting church membership to those who are
qualified according to Acts 2:41-42. The pastor who is not
careful in this matter and hasty in receiving members should

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not be surprised if the people do not obey God’s Word and if
they cause him great heartache.
As with Christian love in general, the loving esteem of
church members toward pastors is something to be shown in
concrete actions. Godly love is not something merely to be
felt; it is something to be done. As with a husband toward a
wife, the church member should think of how he can show
loving esteem to his pastor. Some of the ways are as follows:
being faithful and dependable, being punctual, showing godly
attentiveness to the preaching and teaching, obeying the
teaching, communicating true words of encouragement (not
flattery and guile), always giving a pastor the benefit of the
doubt, and supporting him financially.
Pastors have so often been treated shabbily. I think of a
pastor who faithfully shepherded a church for about a decade
and had a tender love for an older deacon. But when the
deacon died, his widow chose to exclude their own pastor
from having a major role in the funeral. She called another
pastor to preach the main message, and she chose a woman
to sing a special who has a poor testimony in the church and
was out of fellowship with the pastor.
As a husband’s heart should safely trust in his wife (Pr.
31:11), so a pastor’s heart should safely trust in his
congregation. All too often, a pastor has to live in fear that he
is being attacked behind his back and that efforts are
underway to divide the church and to steal the people’s
affection. While a sinning pastor should be disciplined by the
church (1 Ti. 5:19-21), pastors who are faithful to God’s Word
should be given unceasing esteem in love.
Note that a biblical relationship between the pastor and the
people results in peace. It is a major part of maintaining
peace in the church.

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 2. Obey their teaching as they follow the Bible and as
they seek to build up the church for the service of the Lord.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12).
If the teaching is not contrary to Scripture, obey it. Take it
to heart and put it into action.
During every sermon, attend with the attitude and mindset
that you are going to get everything you can from God’s
Word so that you can apply it to your daily life. Listen
carefully; write notes; capture something.
This is how I treated the preaching from the very
beginning of my Christian life at age 23. I searched for a
sound Bible church, and as soon as I found it, I treated every
sermon seriously. I wanted to understand the Bible. I wanted
to learn and grow. I wanted to please the Lord.
If the preacher preaches on the home, write down what
you need to change and what you need to improve, and then
do it.
If the preacher preaches about separation from the world,
thank the Lord for his willingness to preach on difficult
things and decide what you need to do to apply the preaching
to your personal life and family.
If the preacher preaches on modest dress, learn from it and
obey it.
Don’t spend your time criticizing the preacher and trying
to find fault and trying to figure out if he has the right motive
in his reproving, etc. Instead, put your effort into receiving
His teaching and benefiting from it. If he reproves and
rebukes, thank the Lord for such a man. That is a very
difficult ministry, and it is one that few preachers exercise, so
be thankful if you have a preacher who will do that. Don’t
worry about his motives. You can’t know his motives. That is
between him and God. He will give account to God for his

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motives and for the heart-attitude in his preaching, but for
your part, you need to receive the teaching and reproof and
take heed to it as from God and obey it (as long as it is
Scriptural).
The preacher is commanded by God to “speak as the
oracles of God” (1 Pe. 2:11). That is a powerful concept. The
oracles of God are the words of God. This does not mean that
a preacher today can speak divine prophecy; it means that as
he is preaching God’s Word he can speak with perfect
authority, as if God Himself were speaking. That is how we
need to receive the preaching and teaching--as the oracles of
God.
In preparing to write the book Keeping the Kids: How to
Keep the Children from Falling Prey to the World, I
interviewed many men and women who had successfully
raised children to know and serve Christ. One man said,
“As my family was growing up, we tried to take the things
that the preacher taught and warned about and apply them
to our home. When I got saved at age 24, I realized that
there was a lot missing from my childhood, since I grew up
in a weak church. The strong preaching was like honey to
me. Being in a church that preached the truth was just like
the Bible says; it was like honey. I just ate it up and tried to
apply it. As I matured in the Lord, the preaching just made
more and more sense and you could see that the truth
worked. So when I would hear the preaching about things
such as Santa Claus and clothing, I would apply them and
take them home and we would talk about them and my
wife and I would purpose in our hearts to apply them to
our family. When we learned that Santa Claus is not a good
thing, we cut that out. When we learned that Christian
education was a good thing and that secular education
system had many evil things, we took our kids out of the
public school and put them into a Christian school. We
basically purposed to follow the preaching that we heard
from the pulpit as well as what we learned and studied
on our own from Scripture. We started applying those

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 things. I believe that making the church a center and focal
point for our family was a major thing. We were at church
whenever the doors were open. That in itself will not win
the battle, but that was certainly a help. If children hear
something from the pulpit and the parents don’t
implement it, the children think that it is not important.
Whether it is clothes or discipline or whatever, if they hear
it and everyone is saying ‘amen’ but they don’t see it at
home then they don’t have that feeling that the church is
real.”
3. Follow their examples.
“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have
spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow,
considering the end of their conversation” (Heb. 13:7).
“Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock” (1 Pe. 5:3).
This shows the importance of God’s standards for pastors.
If the church leaders do not lead the right kind of lives and
have the right kind of homes, they cannot be an example to
the flock and God’s work becomes weak and even corrupted.
4. Submit to their oversight.
The Bible uses strong, clear language about pastoral
authority.
“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have
spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow,
considering the end of their conversation” (Heb. 13:7).
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves...” (Heb. 13:17).
The words here are plain. There are men appointed by God
to be overseers of the congregations, and they are to be
obeyed as they faithfully teach God’s Word. As we have seen,
this is the meaning of the term “bishop.”
In both verses (Hebrews 13:7, 17), the Greek word
translated “rule” (hegeomai) means to lead, to command. It is

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translated “governor” (Mt. 2:6) and “chief ” (Lu. 22:26). It
refers to the office of a bishop or overseer. It is not “absolute”
rule, of course, in the sense of a king. It is a shepherd’s rule. It
the rule of a man who speaks the Word of God to God’s
people, who has the type of Christian lifestyle and testimony
that can be imitated, who watches over souls. It is the rule of
a man who knows that he must give account to God for his
ministry in the church.
In Hebrews 13:17, the word translated “obey” (peitho) is
not the normal Greek word for obey. It is translated
“persuade” 22 times. The meaning therefore is “to be
persuadable.” It reminds us of the Bereans who “received the
word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures
daily, whether those things were so” (Ac. 17:11). They were
ready to obey Paul if they could see that he was teaching
according to Scripture. To obey the church leaders properly is
the “readiness” kind of obedience. Compare Titus 3:1, “to be
ready to every good work.” It is being ready to obey, eager to
obey, cheerful to obey. The Corinthians had this mindset in
regard to giving (2 Co. 8:19; 9:2). It is the mindset of
submission to God and His Word which makes one eager to
obey those He puts over me, so long as they are faithful to
God’s Word. It is the opposite of being stubborn and resistant
to the man’s teaching and leading. It is the opposite of a
hearer and not a doer. This is the mindset that brings spiritual
growth and blessing.
The word for “obey” (peitho) is also translated “trust” nine
times, so it has the idea of submitting in a trusting way. But
the trust is not in man; it is God. When I obey them that have
the rule over me, I am trusting God to lead them and give
them wisdom.
Therefore, unless the pastors are leading contrary to the Bible
in a very clear and obvious manner, it is God’s will that the
church member submit to them.
It is like a wife’s submission to a husband.

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 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as
unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:22).
Every wife knows that if she submits to her husband she is
submitting to an imperfect man. Sometimes she will disagree
with his decisions, but the godly wife is not merely
submitting to her husband, she is submitting to the Lord who
gave her that husband, the Lord who created the husband-
wife relationship and gave headship to the man. Her eyes are
on Christ, like Sarah of old who called her husband lord
because she trusted in God (1 Pe. 3:5).
Likewise, the church member does not submit merely to a
man; the church member submits to the Lord who has
established the office of the pastorate and who has put men
into that office and who has commanded obedience.
Too many church members think it is their duty to advise
and correct the pastor in all matters if they think he is not
doing his job properly, even in matters that do not pertain to
scriptural error. But it is wise and scriptural to let pastors be
pastors. If I am not a pastor, why would God lead me in
regard to how the church is operated instead of leading the
pastors?
As we have already noted, we are not saying that it is
wrong to give suggestions to pastors or to challenge their
decisions. God’s people are to prove all things (1 Th. 5:21),
and pastors are certainly not above correction, as we have
seen. Blind obedience is not scriptural or godly, but cultic.
What we are saying here is that after I have shared my
thoughts or concerns with those in authority over me and if
they decide against my counsel, I must leave the matter in the
Lord’s hands and submit with a right attitude.
The exception to obedience is if the pastor teaches contrary
to Scripture. If the pastor says, for example, “Let’s be filled
with the Spirit by falling on the floor and laughing,” he is not
to be obeyed. If he teaches, for example, that the world’s
sensual music can be used for the glory of a holy God, he is

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not to be obeyed. Rather he is to be disciplined for preaching
heresy or trying to lead the church away from God’s Word.
This also does not mean that a pastor has rule over the
people in everything. It means he rules in the matter of
spiritual and doctrine issues. He is not a lord; he is a pastor.
He is to watch for people’s souls.
A pastor should give good counsel to the people, but he
cannot make decisions for them. He can advise about what
job to take or what school to attend or whom to marry, but he
doesn’t have the authority to take control of the people’s life
decisions.
He has the authority to forbid the people to follow heresy
and to warn them about sinful decisions, such as marrying an
unbeliever or going into business partnership with an
unbeliever (2 Co. 6:14).
He also has the authority to discipline members who make
sinful decisions.
5. Pray for them.
One of the most important things the church members can
do for their pastors and their churches is to pray for them.
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much” (Jas. 5:16).
Prayer can change any situation, even the most hopeless,
because effectual prayer is entering into intimate communion
with God and taking hold of His infinite power and
omniscient wisdom. “To pray is to enter the treasure house of
God and to enrich oneself out of an inexhaustible storehouse
of riches.”
When praying for a church, we must focus our attention
on the power of God, not the weakness of the situation. To
Abraham and Jeremiah, God said, “Is any thing too hard for
the LORD?” (Ge. 18:14; Jer. 32:27). God was challenging their
faith. Many times Jesus reproved the disciples for their lack of
faith (Mt. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Lu. 12:28).

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 I have witnessed situations in which pastors became
concerned for issues about which they had previously been
unconcerned, and I have no doubt that this was an answer to
the prayers of, and a product of the effort of, concerned
church members.
Instead of merely criticizing pastors, pray for them! Pray
believing (Mr. 11:24); pray earnestly (Ro. 15:30; Jas. 5:16);
pray persistently (Mt. 7:7; Lu. 18:1); pray with fasting (Mt.
17:21). Pray with prayer partners. Paul taught the importance
of this by his frequent, earnest requests for prayer (Ro. 15:30;
Eph. 6:19; Col. 4:3; 1 Th. 5:25; 2 Th. 3:1). Agree with
likeminded brethren to pray for specific things in the church.
6. Challenge them.
Another important way to relate to pastors biblically is to
challenge them in a gracious and wise way.
This is never wrong. It’s not wrong to talk to a pastor or
teacher about any issue. It is not wrong to encourage a pastor
or teacher to read something that could help them. I have
often been helped in this way by well-meaning people.
I must understand that the pastor is not obligated to do
what I ask, to change something that I would like him to
change, to read something I would like him to read, but it is
not wrong to approach a pastor in such a way.
I know of many churches that have been strengthened by
members who have challenged the preachers on a variety of
issues.
Of course, this requires that a preacher receive challenges,
even instruction, from the “people.”
No man naturally likes to be challenged or corrected, but a
pastor or teacher who does not receive exhortation properly
misunderstands his position and authority. The church is a
body in which the leaders have a unique teaching role but not
the only teaching role (Eph. 4:11-16). Every member of the
body is to contribute to the edification of the whole.

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 “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and
compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to
the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph.
4:16).
The brethren are instructed to “exhort one another” (Heb.
10:25).
This is not to say that a church member is to be a “loose
cannon” and operate independently of or in defiance to the
leaders.
The pastor does have very real authority. We believe in that
and we teach God’s people how to submit to that authority,
but a pastor’s authority is not the authority to demand blind,
unquestioning loyalty. The people are commanded by God to
“prove all things” (1 Th. 5:21), so it cannot be wrong when
they do so. Paul did not reprove the Bereans for testing him
by Scripture (Ac. 17:11). The wisdom from above is “easy to
be intreated” (Jas. 3:17).
7. Provide for their physical needs.
“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double
honour, especially they who labour in the word and
doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the
ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy
of his reward” (1 Ti. 5:17-18).
A church needs to do its best to take good care of its
leaders. If the church is to minister to traveling preachers
“diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them” (Tit. 3:13),
how much more should it minister to the men of God who
live among them year in and year out and devote themselves
to shepherding and watching for their souls?
“A church that is penurious with a pastor violates the
Scripture. Rarely does such a church manifest spiritual power
or progress. The principles revealed in 2 Corinthians 9:6-10
are worthy of consideration” (Paul Jackson, The Doctrine and
Administration of the Church).

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 8. Be charitable and merciful to them.
“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath
shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against
judgment” (Jas. 2:13).
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy
and good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy” (Jas. 3:17).
“And above all things have fervent charity among
yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1
Pe. 4:8).
We need to be very charitable and merciful toward church
leaders. I am convinced that church leadership is the most
difficult job on earth. No man is up to it. On his best day, he
has no perfection in any matter whatsoever.
Don’t be a hypocrite, demanding of the preacher that
which you don’t live up to yourself. You know your own
terrible lack of perfection. You know how often you do things
that are wrong. You know how often you fail to do things that
are right. You know that you have lots of “blind sides.” You
know that you have personality issues.
Too many people are busy criticizing the pastor when they
should be loving and merciful. They say, “He isn’t very
friendly to me; he is friendlier to other people; he wasn’t very
talkative when I tried to converse with him; he wasn’t very
helpful when I asked him a question; he shouldn’t have joked
about that matter; he shouldn’t have been so severe in his
rebuke; he didn’t shake my hand; he looked at me and didn’t
greet me; I believe he gave me an angry look when he was
preaching; he doesn’t spend enough time visiting; he studies
too much; he never laughs; he jokes too much……..”
I know a man who split a church because he became
offended that the preacher’s wife gave someone a cough drop
but didn’t give him one! He never discussed the matter with
the pastor and his wife. Instead, he held that and other

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offenses in his heart, one added to another over the years, and
he discussed such things with others and poisoned their
minds, until the root of bitterness sprang up and defiled
many.
Charitableness and mercy is so absolutely essential in all
Christian relationships and even more so in one’s relationship
with pastors.

Miscellaneous Suggestions to Church Members

1. Guard your heart and attitude.
We are to esteem the church leaders highly in love for their
work’s sake.
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for
their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves” (1
Th. 5:12-13).
When we attempt to correct others, we must guard our
own hearts and do so in the spirit of meekness (Gal. 6:1). We
need to have a cool head and a warm heart, not a cool heart
and a warm head!
2 Timothy 2:24-25 describes the spirit in which we are to
seek to correct others:
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle
unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves.”
The late evangelist Mel Rutter would say, “Be as firm as the
rock in your position but as sweet as the honey from the rock
in your disposition.”
The difference between leaving a church over legitimate
doctrinal concerns and leaving in rebellion toward pastoral
authority will be evidenced in two ways, according to James
3:14-18.

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 “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts,
glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom
descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and
every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full
of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
of them that make peace.”
First, the difference will be evident in one’s attitude.
Contrast the “bitter envying and strife” of verse 14 with the
godly attitude described in verse 17: “peaceable, gentle, and
easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
Second, the difference will be evident in the fruit that
issues from the situation. Contrast the fruit of verse 16
(“envying and strife ... confusion and every evil work”) with
the fruit of verse 18 (“the fruit of righteousness is sown in
peace of them that make peace”).
The long-term consequences will demonstrate the motives
of the heart. On the one hand, those who are seeking to
strengthen the church and are opposed to things that are
truly unscriptural and who leave a church on that basis alone
and not because of their own self-will, will go on to serve
Christ fruitfully in stronger churches.
On the other hand, those who are merely striving for their
own self-will and who are causing trouble in a carnal manner
usually hop from church to church, causing trouble
everywhere they go, losing their testimony and usually their
children, leaving a church over alleged biblical issues but
moving to a weaker one. The fact that they move to a church
that is weaker doctrinally and spiritually demonstrates that
the issue was not actually about truth and righteousness, but
was a personality conflict or a personal issue of some sort.

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 2. Give pastors the benefit of the doubt and do
everything you can to be an obedient church member.
As we have seen, the Bible uses strong, clear language
about pastoral authority.
“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have
spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow,
considering the end of their conversation” (Heb. 13:7).
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves...” (Heb. 13:17).
We have seen that this is not a kingly authority; it is a
shepherd’s authority; but it is real authority. Pastors are
overseers and rulers.
Giving pastors the benefit of the doubt is an important
principle. It means that when the pastor’s interpretation or
application of Scripture is contrary to mine, I should submit
to his unless it is clear that his cannot be supported by
Scripture rightly divided.
Giving the pastor the benefit of the doubt means that as far
as possible scripturally I should support him.
Giving pastors the benefit of the doubt means to not judge
him about his motives for reproving. In fact, you cannot
possibly know a preacher’s motives for anything. That is
between him and God. Reproving and rebuking and warning
is the most difficult ministry that a pastor must exercise, and
he will not do it perfectly. We don’t do anything perfectly. But
if your pastor is a reprover, thank the Lord for it and be very
merciful to him. Fewer and fewer pastors are willing to
exercise the God-commanded ministry of reproving and
rebuking (2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 2:15).
I recall a situation in which I reproved some people in the
congregation about not being good workers and that they
were thereby stealing from their employer by wasting time
and other such things. I was preaching from Titus 2:10,
which indicates that if I do not serve my master in “all good
fidelity,” I am “purloining.” I mentioned a particular ministry
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and its employees by name, and those employees took offense
that I would say such a thing publicly. But what I said was
true and needed to be heard by the entire congregation, and I
believe I was following the Lord’s leadership in it. It was a
hard call, but I was speaking as the oracles of God, as God
has commanded me to do (1 Pe. 4:11). This is not without
biblical precedent. Paul corrected two women by name in the
church at Philippi in a public epistle (Php. 4:2). In fact, all of
Paul’s epistles in which he reproved men by name were public
epistles. Even the epistles of Timothy were meant to be read
by all the churches, and in those epistles Paul mentioned the
sins and errors of Alexander, Demas, and many others.
In such cases, it is the preacher who must make the
decision about what to preach and how to preach it and how
to apply it. He will give account to God. For the listeners’
part, they should take the reproof to heart and guard
themselves from being offended at the preacher and attacking
him and holding grudges against him instead of heeded the
warning of God’s Word. You cannot take the Word of God
and say that it is wrong for a preacher to mention specific
people and situations in his message. And you cannot say that
he needs to be more “kind” in such things. You cannot know
the preacher’s heart and motives, and that therefore is not
your business. It is God’s business to judge the preacher’s
motives and to correct him if he needs correction in such
matters, and He is very adept at that, let me tell you!
But the people’s part is to receive the preaching as the
oracles of God (1 Pe. 2:11) and to let God’s Word do its work
in their lives.
I can understand how that someone would be offended in
such a situation, but that is a natural response rather than a
right one before God. If I were in that situation, I should say
to God, “Lord, the preacher has said hard things and made an
example of me publicly, but he is right in what he said. I have
not been as faithful in my work as I should be and I have
wasted time and have misspent time for my own affairs like

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talking on the phone or looking at Facebook, and I can see
from your Word that this is stealing and I repent of it. Help
me to keep a right heart before you and not be offended at
godly reproof. Help me to grow, Lord!”
Let me give another example of giving benefit of the doubt
to a church leader. Oftentimes it is possible to apply different
Scriptures to a situation, and in such a situation the leader’s
application should stand. For example, A few years ago I told
one of our Bible college students that since it was common
knowledge that he had cheated on a test to gain a tenth grade
certificate in the national educational system, he should not
try to build on that foundation to get his 11th-12th grade
certificate. My thinking was based on the fact that he had
gotten the certificate unlawfully, and the law of restitution
says that we should try to make things right when we have
sinned against men (Lev. 6). Plus I cited Philippians 2:15 and
Psalm 15:4 and noted that believers need to demonstrate
honesty in a corrupt generation, even to their own hurt.
The other teachers disagreed with that decision, quoting
Scriptures that say the past is under Christ’s blood and
claiming that “everyone cheats before he is saved.”
All of these Scriptures could be applied, but which one
should stand in that particular situation? I believe the Lord
will give the senior leader the best wisdom in such matters. It
would be confusion to think that God would give a man
authority and not give him the necessary wisdom to exercise
that authority if he is truly walking with God, living in the
Scripture, and seeking God’s mind. In such a situation, the
other men should feel at liberty to express their disagreement
with the senior leader, but if he remains steadfast in his
position, they should accept the matter as from the Lord.
Also, in that situation I was looking at things that others
could not see or were not considering, such as this young
man’s particular situation, his need to focus on his Bible
studies rather than looking back, and the overall work of the
Lord in the churches we are building and the future of that
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work. This is a reminder that a church leader often knows
things and sees things that the average church member
doesn’t. This is why the Lord’s people should let the Lord lead
their pastors and not try to force the pastors to be under the
authority of the people.
3. Be sure that you are contending for scriptural truths
and not for your own preferences and opinions.
If I think that something is wrong in the church, I must ask
myself, “Does the Bible plainly say that this is wrong or is this
merely something that I personally do not like or agree
with?” Many church problems arise because of personality
conflicts and self-will and the attempt to exalt personal
preference and tradition to the place of Scripture.
Romans 14 speaks to this issue. Here Paul is addressing
those things about which the Bible does not speak in this
dispensation. The two examples that he gives are dietary rules
and holy days. These are matters about which the New
Testament faith is silent.
Unlike during the Mosaic dispensation, there are no laws
in the New Testament about what we are to eat. See 1 Ti.
4:4-5. Likewise, there are no laws in the New Testament about
keeping the sabbath and maintaining holy festivals.
Since the New Testament does not contain laws on these
things, they are areas of Christian liberty. In such things, each
believer is free to do as he pleases before the Lord, but he
cannot push his preferences on others and judge others
according to these things.
The church member who has a problem with something in
the church and disagrees with something the leaders are
doing needs to ask himself if his position on the issue is based
on clear Scripture or if it is based merely on his personal
preference and human thinking.

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 4. Look at the overall situation rather than focus on one
thing.
It is important to keep the big picture in focus. Every
pastor and every church has strengths and weaknesses. To
focus exclusively on the weaknesses can cause us to forget the
strengths. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to prove all things, but it
also says to hold fast that which is good. We must not “throw
the baby out with the bath water”!
There simply is no perfect situation in this present life.
If you leave a church, you should move to a stronger one,
not a weaker one.
It is a good practice to count your blessings. What are the
things that attracted you to the church in the first place?
Only one time in 45 years have I wrongly caused a problem
in a church, to my knowledge, and it was a situation when I
was young and inexperienced. My pastor at the time was not
a great student, and I became focused on that particular issue
and began to think that he might not be qualified to be a
pastor because of this lack. I talked to him about it, which
was the right thing to do. But I also talked about it to a couple
of people in the congregation and caused them to be
discouraged with the church. The pastor got quite upset as
could be expected.
What happened was that I became hyper focused on one
issue and lost sight of the overall picture. The pastor had
many gifts and strengths and God had blessed his ministry in
raising up a church from scratch, a church that won people to
Christ, stood for the truth and sound doctrine, a missionary
giving church, a church that built its own building. That is no
small fruit. He had a good Christian testimony. He was a soul
winner. He loved people. He was a man of faith. It’s true that
he wasn’t a great student, and there is no doubt in my mind
that he should have been a more serious Bible student so that
he could more effectively feed his people, but he did study the
Bible and he did teach and preach God’s Word. I was judging

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him on the basis of my strength, which is studiousness,
instead of weighing all factors.
5. Guard against allowing a church problem to poison
your attitude toward the church as a divine institution.
It is not uncommon for someone who discovers a serious
and legitimate church problem, especially a sin or error on
the part of the pastors, to become embittered against the
church as a divine institution. Eventually he or she sees
nothing but problems and errors in churches. Everything is
wrong. When a person falls into this condition, it is easy for
him to quit church altogether or to be content with being on
the periphery of a church rather than a faithful, fruitful,
contributing member. We must be careful not to allow the
devil to do this in our lives, and we resist this by counting the
good things and by not forgetting that Christ is the one who
established the church and made it the pillar and ground of
the truth for this age (Matthew 1618; 1 Timothy 3:15).
Consider Paul’s attitude toward the church at Corinth. In
spite of its carnality and errors, he thanked the Lord for them
on many points (1 Co. 1:4-9; 2 Co. 1:11, 14).
6. Women, especially, must be cautious in dealing with
pastors.
Nowhere do we see that it is a woman’s job to correct
pastors. In fact, they are forbidden to teach men.
“But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority
over the man, but to be in silence” (1 Ti. 2:12).
The only exception to this is when we see a woman
working together with her husband in the informal context of
the home.
“And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an
eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to
Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord;
and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught
diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism

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 of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue:
whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him
unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more
perfectly” (Acts 18:24-26).
Aquila and his wife Priscilla brought Apollos into their
home and helped him come to a sound doctrinal stance. The
Bible says “they took him unto them, and expounded unto
him the way of God.” The pronoun “they” refers both to
Aquila and Priscilla. This is an example of a wife involved in
informal teaching of the things of God in the home under her
husband’s headship. As a newly saved 23-year-old Christian, I
was helped like this by a godly woman in the first church I
joined. She had no authority in the church and had no official
teaching ministry as such, but she and her husband opened
their home to young people and created a godly atmosphere
for spiritual healing and discipleship. In that context, in
casual conversation, she was able to help me and other young
men by sharing favorite verses, describing her own
experiences with the Lord, and recommending good reading
material.
We hasten to add that the case of Priscilla is not an
example of a woman trying to correct a church leader.
Apollos was a new Christian. He was not a church leader.
It is a man’s job to approach church leaders about matters
that seem to be wrong.
On numerous occasions, women have written to me about
spiritual matters and have tried to correct me about
something they perceive to be wrong, and they will include
their husband’s name on the email, but it is the husband who
should deal with a preacher about such matters rather than
the wife. If the husband is not willing to do this, the wife
should keep silent.
“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not
permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to
be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will
learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it
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 is a shame for women to speak in the church” (1 Co.
14:34-35).

I don’t think it is wrong for a woman to recommend to a

pastor or a preacher that he read some report or book or
check out some web site, but that is as far as it should go
since God’s Word does not give her permission to teach and
correct leaders.
7. Keep your eyes focused on Christ rather than on men.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in
God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall
ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).
Some believers are said to carry permanent “spiritual
scars” because of being in churches that are led by pastors
that abuse their authority. Others leave church altogether and
use this as their excuse. The problem in such cases is that
these folk have their eyes focused on men rather than on
Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus will never disappoint us, but men
will always disappoint us in some way. Pastors are only
imperfect men at their best. They make mistakes. They sin.
They can be selfish and partial and shortsighted. Knowing the
flesh as I do, I am not surprised when pastors fail; I am more
surprised when they don’t!
8. Don’t forget that there is no perfect church.
Even the first churches established by the apostles were
very imperfect. The church at Corinth was carnal and was
characterized by division, fornication, lawsuits, drunkenness
during the Lord’s supper, misuse of spiritual gifts, and

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countenancing of false teachers. Most of the seven churches
mentioned in Revelation 2-3 had serious problems. In the
church at Philippi, two women were at odds with each other
and had to be corrected (Phil. 4:2). Peter’s hypocrisy had to
be rebuked publicly by Paul (Gal. 2:11-14).
This is not an excuse to ignore problems and errors. Each
of these matters was rebuked and corrected. I mention these
things only to remind us that churches are not perfect,
because they are composed (at best) of sinners saved by
grace; and we must keep this in mind as we deal with church
problems.
If you leave a church over doctrinal or moral issues, you
should have a better church to move to, or you will only be
moving “from the frying pan into the fire.”
9. Learn to exercise keen spiritual discernment,
distinguishing between the important and the less
important.
One Sunday morning I was talking with a man who
attended one of my Bible conferences. He had driven 100
miles, he said, because he reads my material and wanted to
hear me speak. I asked him about his home church, and he
said that he attended a church that was “formerly Assemblies
of God.” I inquired further about that, and he admitted that it
is still Pentecostal “to some degree,” that it uses Christian
rock music, and that it is engaged in other seriously
unscriptural things. When I challenged him as to why he
would be in such a church, he argued that “every church has
its issues.”
I answered him that while every church does have some
“issues,” those issues aren’t of the same weight. I told him, for
example, that Christian rock is of the world, the flesh, and the
devil, and it is a major element of the building of the “one
world apostate church,” and I would have nothing to do with
a church that uses it. And I would never attend a church that
teaches false Pentecostal doctrine. Those are serious issues.

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 In Matthew 23:23, the Lord Jesus Christ taught that not all
things in the Bible are of equal importance.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted
the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and
faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the
other undone.”
Some biblical teachings are “weightier” than others.
Everything in the Bible has some importance, but everything
is not of equal importance. Not every issue is an issue of
separation and not every issue is important enough to leave a
church over. Knowing the difference between the two
requires a good knowledge of God’s Word and keen spiritual
discernment. This is the lesson of the following verses:
“And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that
ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able
also to admonish one another” (Romans 15:14).
“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have
need that one teach you again which be the first principles
of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk
is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even
those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:12-14).
Such discernment requires spiritual maturity, which comes
only through diligent study of Scripture and through exercise
of the senses to discern good and evil. Paul told the church at
Rome that the reason they were able to admonish one
another was because they were filled with goodness and
knowledge (Ro. 15:14). As we mature in Christ and in our
knowledge of the Bible and in godly living, we are able to
help others and to be a blessing to the church. Some who
attempt to “straighten out” perceived problems are weak in

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Bible knowledge and carnal in their Christian living, and as a
result they cause more harm than good.
10. If you have a problem or question or disagreement,
go directly to the leaders.
Christ taught us to go directly to a brother when we think
he has trespassed against us (Mt. 18:15). This is an essential
element of keeping peace in the church. This way, the issue
can be dealt with openly between the parties concerned.
Oftentimes I have discovered that my perception of a
matter was wrong or that the information I had received was
wrong or that I did not have all of the necessary information.
By discussing a matter directly with those concerned right
from the beginning, we can avoid many problems.
11. Don’t forget that pastors have greater authority and
greater responsibility in the church.
This bears repeating. It is something that has often helped
me personally in my relationship with pastors.
The fact that the pastor has greater authority and
responsibility means that pastors must make decisions that
the average church member does not make and that they will
answer to God for those decisions.
There is a time to leave a church over things that are
seriously wrong, but we must also learn to put many things
into the hands of the Lord and do what He has told us to do,
which is to submit to the church leadership and be a blessing
and be fruitful and seek to glorify Christ.
Don’t confuse your job with that of the pastor. As a non-
pastor, you don’t have the work of the pastor (visiting the
sick, burying the dead, being on call for any need, watching
for souls, the care of the church, bearing the brunt of the
devil’s attack against the church).
As a non-pastor, you also do not have the responsibility of
the pastor. He will give account for more. “My brethren, be

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not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater
condemnation” (Jas. 3:1).
This has helped me many times when I have not agreed
with some decision that the pastors have made. I have laid the
matter before the Lord and told Him that though I do not
agree with this decision, it is not my decision to make and I
will leave the matter in His hands and do my part to be a
blessing to His church.
When I am tempted to criticize a pastor, I need to ask
myself if I could do a better job than he is doing. Pastoring is
probably the most difficult job on earth, and no man is going
to do it with any perfection. We aren’t capable of that. At best
we basically stumble along in God’s will! You know that to be
true, if you are honest before God about your own life and
ministry. So we must exercise a lot of mercy and patience
with our leaders and be a blessing and encouragement and
help to them as best we can.
12. Understand that you will not have the pastor you
want; you will have the pastor that God calls.
You will not have exactly the pastor that you want. Think
about it. If you had 100 church members, each one would
have a different idea of what he or she wanted in a pastor.
God is the one who calls men to the ministry and to a
certain church, and you have to accept the pastor that God
gives you and be patient with him and try your very best not
to compare him to other pastors. (Of course, I am not talking
about unqualified pastors or pastors who are leading contrary
to God’s Word.)
You can say, “I wish my pastor would spend more time
personally discipling his people like that other pastor does,”
or, “I wish my pastor would spend more time with the youth
like that other pastor,” or, “I wish my pastor would pay more
attention to the children like that other pastor,” but he is not
that other pastor.

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 Every pastor has strengths and weaknesses. The old deacon
prayed for his pastor, “Lord, prop him up on the leaning
side.” Every pastor has a leaning side. In fact, he will have
multiple leaning sides, meaning weaknesses. And instead of
criticizing his “leaning side,” we should follow the old
deacon’s example and rather pray for him to be propped up
on that side and do everything we can to help him.
Every pastor has certain things that he will emphasize and
pay more attention to and be more gifted at. Every pastor
must try to do everything that needs to be done, but no
pastor has the time to do everything that could be done, and
no pastor has every gift in perfection. Some will study more
than others; some will be friendlier and more outgoing than
others; some will evangelize more than others; some will
personally disciple more than others; some will pray more
than others; some will be more oriented than others toward
building the families or working with children; some will be
more oriented toward training preachers.
This is another reason why team ministries are so
important and beneficial when God calls men to work
together, as He did Paul and Barnabas (Acts 11:25-26), and
when men can work together in harmony and humbly share
the authority of leadership in a church. This is what we see in
that great church at Antioch, the first missionary church
(Acts 13:1).
But the bottom line is this, church member: You cannot,
and you will not, have exactly the pastor that you want. You
will have the pastor that God gives you, and it is your
business to benefit from that pastor’s ministry as much as you
possibly can and to grow under that pastor’s ministry so that
you walk in the perfect and acceptable will of God (Ro. 12).
That is your business, and it is a full-time business.
The same is true for marriage. You will not have exactly the
wife or husband that you want. You will have the one that you
have! Any individual that gets married with the idea of
making one’s partner into what he or she wants that person to
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be will be sorely disappointed. The wife’s business is not to
conform her husband into the image of what she wants in a
husband. Her business before God is to love and honor and
obey him and serve him as his help meet. The husband’s
business is not to conform his wife into the image of what he
wants in a wife. His business before God is to love her as
Christ loved the church. This is emphasized in Ephesians
5:33. “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love
his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence
her husband.”
Likewise, the church member’s job is not to try to conform
his pastor into the image of what he wants in a pastor. His or
her job before God is to love and honor that pastor (1 Th.
5:112-13) and obey him (Heb. 13:17) and prosper spiritually
as much as possible under his ministry.
13. Be busy building the church.
Every member of the church should serve Christ with all of
his heart and strength, doing everything he can to make the
church prosper. As we have seen in Ephesians 4, the church is
a body and the ministry of the church is the work of the
entire body, with each member diligently contributing his or
her part.
We see the same thing in 1 Corinthians 3. The warning
about the judgment seat of Christ is given in the context of
the work of the church.
“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's
husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of
God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have
laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let
every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's
work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try
every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide

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 which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If
any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye
are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God
destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye
are” (1 Co. 3:9-17).
The church is the temple of God; the foundation is Christ;
and each member is to build on this foundation by the
unction of the Holy Spirit. Paul, as an apostle, was a master
builder. He didn’t choose that function; it was assigned by
God. Paul was used by God to write a large portion of the
blueprint for the church in the canon of the New Testament.
Every member has his or her assigned part in this great
business, and each member will be judged as to how he
builds.
If you want to make the church stronger, be faithful to all
of the services, to every prayer meeting, to visitation
programs. Get involved in every ministry opportunity that is
open to you. Ask the pastors what you might be able to do in
particular.
Those who are faithful and are busy serving are much
more likely to get a hearing from the leaders as opposed to
those who are on the sidelines. A team member can
“criticize” more effectively than a bystander.
And a team member tends to care for the team a lot more
than those who merely watch from the sidelines.
14. Don’t let anything drive you away from church.
There are occasions when a child of God is forced to leave
a certain church over serious doctrinal or moral issues, but he
must not allow anything to keep him out of church
altogether. I have known of a great many examples of people
who claim to be saved and to love the Lord, yet they got
offended at something that happened in a church and they

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dropped out of church for years on end. This is never God’s
will.
Jesus Christ established the church (Mt. 16:18), and there
are more than 100 references to the church in the New
Testament. It is the house of God, the pillar and ground of the
truth (1 Ti. 3:15). Most of the New Testament was written
directly to churches, such as the church at Ephesus and the
church at Philippi. The book of Revelation is written to seven
churches in Asia Minor (Re. 2-3). The book of Acts is the
account of the planting and multiplication of the first
churches. The Pastoral Epistles are about church work. Even
those epistles which are not written directly to churches, the
General Epistles, always have the assembly in mind. The book
of Hebrews, for example, contains strong statements about
the church (Heb. 10:25; 13:7, 17). The book of James
mentions the church elders (Jas. 5:14). Peter’s first epistle
addresses the elders (1 Pe. 5:1-4).
This demonstrates the importance of the church in the eyes
of God, and each believer must be diligent to have the same
zeal for the New Testament assembly.
It is easy to criticize any church, but I need to ask, “What
am I doing to make the church successful and fruitful for my
Saviour’s glory?” I should also ask, “If the whole church were
like me, what would the church be?”
Some people are quick to criticize but they do not add
anything of significance on the positive side. That is wrong
and destructive to the work of the Lord, and such people will
doubtless have loss at the judgment seat of Christ. As we have
seen, the very context of Paul’s teaching on the judgment seat
of Christ in 1 Corinthians 3 is the believer’s service in the
church. Paul uses the metaphor of laboring on a farm and
constructing a building (1 Co. 3:6-12). He then says that
“every man’s work shall be manifest,” referring to Christ’s
judgment seat (1 Co. 3:13-15). He concludes the passage with
a reference to the temple of God, (“ye” is plural) which is the
church, and warns that “if any man defile the temple of God,
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him shall God defile” (1 Co. 3:16-17). The believer’s
relationship with the church is a very serious matter of
eternal consequence.

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 The Office of a Deacon
The office of a deacon in the New Testament church is an
honorable and important position, but like everything else, it
has been abused in many ways throughout history.
In this study we examine what the Bible says about the
deacon’s office, work, authority, qualification, and
appointment.

Meaning of the Word “Deacon”

The New Testament Greek for deacon—diakonos—simply

means “servant.” Consider the following definition by W.E.
Vine: “Diakonos ... primarily denotes a servant, whether as
doing servile work, or as an attendant rendering free service,
without particular reference to its character. The word is
probably connected with the verb ‘dioko,’ to hasten after,
pursue (perhaps originally said of a runner).”
The term “deacon” is used in the New Testament primarily
in two ways:
First, deacon refers to Christian workers in general.
In the following verses diakonos is translated “minister”
and “servant”:
“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but MINISTERS by
whom ye believed...” (1 Co. 3:5).
“I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a
SERVANT of the church which is at Cenchrea” (Ro. 16:1).
“Who also hath made us able MINISTERS of the new
testament...” (2 Co. 3:6).
“But in all things approving ourselves as the MINISTERS
of God...” (2 Co. 6:4).
“Are they MINISTERS of Christ? ... I am more...” (2 Co.
11:23).

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 “Whereof I was made a MINISTER...” (Eph. 3:7).
“ ... the gospel ... whereof I Paul am made a
MINISTER” (Col. 1:23).
“Epaphras, who is one of you, a SERVANT of Christ,
saluteth you...” (Col. 4:12).
“... Timotheus, our brother, and MINISTER of God...” (1
Th. 3:2).
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things,
thou shalt be a good MINISTER of Jesus Christ...” (1 Ti.
4:6).
In the above passages, the Greek word “diakonos” is used,
and in each case the reference is to gospel preachers and
Christian workers in general. In this sense, the apostle Paul,
Timothy, Epaphras, and other preachers were called
“deacons.” Yea, every Christian is to be a deacon in this
general sense—a servant of Christ, a minister of the gospel to
a lost world, a humble worker in the church.
Second, deacon refers to a certain office in the church.
The work of a deacon, in the general sense of being a
servant to Christ and the church, is the work of every
Christian; but there is also the office of a deacon—an office
with definite and high standards, an office which only
properly qualified and chosen Christians are to hold (Php.
1:1; 1 Ti. 3:13).
It is in this sense that the word “deacon” is most commonly
used today.

Women Deacons?

Women can be deacons in a general sense. An example is

Phebe in Romans 16:1, who was “a servant of the church at
Cenchrea.”

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 Only men, though, can hold the office of deacon. The
qualifications require that the deacon “be the husbands of
one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well” (1
Ti. 3:12).
While women cannot hold the office of a deacon, they are
very important to the ministry of the Word of God and the
work of the church. Paul refers to the women who labored
with him in the gospel (Php. 4:3). The elder women are to
teach the younger women (Tit. 2:3-4). The aforementioned
Phebe assisted Paul and represented the Cenchrean assembly
in a ministry to the church at Rome (Ro. 16:1-2). The church
was instructed to “assist her in whatsoever business she hath
need of you.” This exemplifies Paul’s high regard for women
in the work of God.

The Deacon’s Work

The deacon is a servant of the church and of the pastor in a
special sense beyond that which is expected of every member.
Though the actual term “deacon” is not used in Acts 6:1-4,
we can see here a biblical pattern for the work of deacons.
Notice that certain qualified men were chosen when a
definite need arose, and their primary function was to allow
the pastors to be free to carry on the spiritual ministry of the
Word of God and prayer.
Of course, the deacons can do any work assigned by the
pastor and the church, but they especially look after things
like finances, property, and social projects (such as care for
widows), thus freeing the pastors to dedicate their full
attention, strength, and time to the pastoral ministry—
oversight of the church, study, teaching, preaching, visitation,
counseling, prayer.
By this example in Acts chapter six, we see the following
definition of the term deacon: Deacons are men who are
appointed to be in a special position of servitude to the pastor

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and to the church, helpful in any way necessary to free the
pastors for their God-given duties.

The Deacon’s Authority

Nowhere in Scripture are deacons referred to as rulers, and
nowhere are they seen ruling over pastors. They are table
waiters, not rulers. “Then the twelve called the multitude of
the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we
should leave the word of God, and serve tables” (Ac. 6:2).
In the absence of a pastor, the deacons or other mature
men must assume control. But as soon as the church has a
qualified pastor, leadership must be relinquished.
The terms “pastor,” “elder,” and “bishop” are used
interchangeably in the New Testament and refer to the office
of the same man. The different words are used to describe the
three aspects of his office—shepherding, instructing, and
leading. A pastor is the only officer in the church who has
Bible authority to exercise oversight. The title bishop means
overseer. The elders in the church at Ephesus were called the
overseers (compare Ac. 20:17 with 20:28). Elders are called
rulers (1 Ti. 5:17). Deacons are never referred to as overseers,
rulers, or leaders. A church must not set up overseers over
the overseers!
Consider the following comment by Baptist historian
Thomas Armitage:
“This election created a new office in the Church, but not a
new order in the ministry, as that term is now technically
used. ... The reason given for the creation of their office
was, that the Apostles might be relieved from those duties
which interfered with their full ‘ministry of the Word.’ One
set of ministers was not created to help another to do the
same work, but duties that were not ministerial or pastoral
were separated from those that were, and given into other
hands. So that the deaconship was not probationary to the

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 eldership, nor have we any evidence that in the first
century any deacon became an elder. … The instructions
given to the deacon in the Epistles, show the functions of
his office to have been the same in the latter period of the
Apostolic Age that they were when the office was created;
and it nowhere appears that they exercised the pastoral or
ministerial office. Even in matters relating to the relief of
the poor they were not supreme. When Paul and Barnabas
brought relief to the poor saints at Jerusalem, they
delivered the gift to the ‘elders’ and not to the deacons: and
no deacons assisted in the call, deliberations, or decisions
of the advisory Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15). Paul’s
associations there were all with the elders and not the
deacons of the Church, showing that the deacons held no
rank in the pastoral office” (Thomas Armitage, A History of
the Baptists, 1890).
Anytime a board of deacons or committee of other men set
themselves up over pastors, or try to operate apart from the
pastor’s oversight, they are sinning against God’s Word.
I think of a church in which the pastor announced that he
was called to another congregation after about ten years of
ministry. He informed the church that he would assist them
over the next few months in finding a new pastor or an
interim pastor who would help them find a new pastor. The
three deacons immediately had a series of conferences
without counseling with the pastor or even informing him of
the meetings. They discussed the possibility of calling a
former associate pastor. This is disorderly and unwise
conduct. When the pastor confronted them about the matter,
they argued that they needed to form a pastor search
committee, but that was not their job. Their job was to work
with the existing pastor and under his direction to call
another pastor. He knew things about the former associate
pastor that disqualified the man from the pastorate, and had
the deacons continued on their self-willed path apart from
proper pastoral oversight, they could have made a terrible
decision that would have potentially destroyed the church.

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 TO USURP AUTHORITY IS EVIL.
1. It is the sin of Korah (Num. 16).
2. It is the sin of Aaron and Miriam (Num. 12).
3. It is the sin of a rebellious wife (1 Pe. 3:1-5).
4. It is the sin of a rebellious child (Pr. 30:17).
5. It is the sin of a rebellious servant (1 Pe. 2:18).
Usurpation of authority is a very serious matter before
God.
1 Timothy 5:24-25 reminds us that judgment does not
always come in this life. Some sins follow the Christian
beyond the grave before they are settled. A group of deacons,
for example, might rule over pastors for many years without
any obvious judgment, but they will no doubt face this matter
at the judgment seat of Christ, unless repented of.
I think of a man who was a deacon in denominational
Baptist churches for 30 years and was guilty of getting rid of
good pastors. Eventually he saw the error of his ways and
rejected that type of church polity. When the book Thirty
Years a Watchtower Slave was published, about a former
member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, he joked that he should
write a book, Thirty Years a Deacon.

The Deacon’s Number

The Bible nowhere says a church must have deacons. In the
church at Jerusalem, deacons were not chosen until a distinct
need arose (Ac. 6). When Paul instructed Titus about how to
set in order the things that were lacking in the churches of
Crete, he required the ordination of pastors, but he did not
mention deacons (Tit. 1:5-9).
Only, therefore, when a church has a definite need for
deacons should they be appointed, and then only when
qualified men are available according to the high standards of
1 Timothy 3. Better no deacons than the wrong deacons!

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 The size and particular needs of a church determine how
many deacons are selected.

The Deacon’s Qualification

“grave” (1 Ti. 3:8)
This is the Greek word “semnos,” which means
“venerable, honorable, respectable” It “combines the
thoughts both of gravity and dignity” (Vine). It speaks
of “both seriousness of purpose and self-respect in
conduct” (Moule).
“not doubletongued” (1 Ti. 3:8)
This speaks of honesty, integrity, trustworthiness. The
qualified deacon is a man of his word. He isn’t a liar. He
doesn’t say one thing but mean another. He does not say
one thing to one person and a different thing to another
person. He is able to keep confidences and not spread
things that should be private. I think of two men who
participated in a church’s weekly leadership meetings
and heard things about various members in the context
of pastoral ministry and deciding on disciplinary
matters. Unknown to the pastor at the time, they went
directly to the people involved and told them what the
pastor had said. They did this to hurt his ministry and
to poison the people’s minds against him, and it worked
very well and would have destroyed the church had God
not intervened. “A man who earns the reputation of
being conversationally unreliable is rendered useless in
his office, for no one really wants to confide in a loose-
tongued deacon” (John Phillips).
“Not doubletongued” speaks of candor and courage. It
means not telling people what they want to hear, not
being “all things to all men” because you are afraid to
take your stand for the truth.

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 “Not doubletongued” speaks of Christian love. The Bible
warns that a lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted
by it” (Pr. 26:28). The doubletongued are selfish, caring
only about themselves and their agendas. An example is
David’s wife, Michal. She helped David escape from
Saul, but fearing her father, she lied about the matter,
claiming that David had threatened to kill her (1 Sa.
19:10-17). This doubletongued statement was a slander
against the good character of her own husband, but she
cared only about her own wellbeing.
The devil is the chief of the doubletongued (e.g., Ge.
3:1-4; Joh. 8:44), and those who practice this sin are
following his wicked example.
The doubletongued are extremely destructive to
churches, and this is even more so if they are in some
ministry position.
“not given to much wine” (1 Ti. 3:8)
This means that the deacon must not be under the
influence of alcoholic beverages. The term “‘given to” is
the Greek prosecho, often translated “give heed to” (1 Ti.
1:4; 4:1, 13). “Not holding the mind on much
wine” (Robertson’s Word Pictures). “The words ‘not given
to’ mean not only not paying attention to but not giving
assent to” (Everyman’s Bible Commentary). Compare 1
Pe. 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant…”
“not greedy of filthy lucre” (1 Ti. 3:8)
“Greedy of filthy lucre” is the Greek aischrokerdes, which
is a compound of three Greek terms--a (not) aischros
(filthy) kerdos (lucre or gain). It means one who is
greedy of improper gain, one who is desirous of base
gain.
There are at least three ways that a man can be greedy of
filthy lucre: First, a man is greedy of filthy lucre when he
loves money and personal gain. This is the man who is

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 not content with godliness (1 Ti. 6:6-10). The greedy
man should not be in the ministry. Second, a man is
greedy of filthy lucre when he is willing to use unlawful
or unjust means to obtain money and possessions. In
this sense it refers to “gain obtained by base arts and
employments” (Family Bible Notes). Third, a man is
greedy of filthy lucre when his motive for Christian
service is personal gain. Compare Tit. 1:11; 2 Pe. 2:3.
Many men are in the ministry for what they can get out
of it by the way of money and prestige.
“holding the myster y of the faith in a pure
conscience” (1 Ti. 3:9)
This means the deacon is a genuine believer and not a
hypocrite. To “hold the mystery of the faith in a pure
conscience” refers to having genuine faith in Christ. The
opposite of this is the “faith” of Judas, which was a
hypocritical faith. He pretended to be like the other
disciples, but in reality he was a deceiver and a thief.
There are multitudes like Judas who profess to believe
the gospel, but they do not hold this profession with a
pure conscience. Profession is not necessarily possession
(Tit. 1:16).
This means the deacon is sound in doctrine. The
“mystery of the faith” refers to the doctrines of the New
Testament. Compare Jude 3, where “the faith” describes
the doctrines of the faith. The term “mystery” refers to
those things that were hidden in the Old Testament but
revealed in the New (Col. 1:26-27). While it isn’t
required that a deacon be trained in doctrine to the level
of a pastor or that he be apt to teach, he must have a
good understanding of fundamental Bible doctrines
such as law and grace, repentance and faith, atonement,
propit i at i on , re d e mpt i on , ju s t i fi c at i on , an d
sanctification.

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“And let these also first be proved” (1 Ti.3:10)
Before a deacon is ordained to hold office, it must be
shown that he is the type of man described in these
standards and that he has the faithfulness and the
commitment to Jesus Christ and to the church that is
required.
This qualification is an important principle for
appointing people to any position of church ministry.
They should first demonstrate that they have the
Christian character and ability to do that particular job.
When churches are careful to abide by this principle and
avoid being hasty in appointing people to ministries,
they are protected to a large degree.
“being found blameless” (1 Ti. 3:10)
The word “blameless” is the Greek anegkletos, meaning
“that which cannot be called to account, i.e., with
nothing laid to one’s charge as the result of public
i n v e s t i g a t i o n” ( V i n e ) . I t i s t r a n s l a t e d
“unreproveable” (Col. 1:22). Blameless does not mean
sinless or perfect according to man’s standards. It means
blameless according to God’s standards.
“honest report” (Ac. 6:3)
The first deacons are mentioned in Acts 6, and the
qualifications that were given by the apostles in that
circumstance should be included with those that Paul
gave in 1 Timothy 3.
An honest report speaks of the man’s reputation in the
church and the community. A man who steals or lies or
does not pay his debts in a timely fashion or is not
faithful to his employer (e.g., stealing time), and does
not otherwise have an honest reputation, is not qualified
to be a deacon.

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“wisdom ... faith” (Ac. 6:3, 5)
The deacons must have godly wisdom and faith. Many
financial decisions and other practical matters handled
by the deacons must be made before God through much
prayer and BY FAITH rather than sight. The deacons,
then, must be more than good businessmen. They must
have faith in God and understand the spiritual aspects
of God’s financial and church program. Churches have
often been hindered from supporting missionaries or
doing other things God was directing them to do simply
because some men involved were not men of faith.
We witnessed something in the early 1980s that
illustrates the importance of this. At a preacher’s
fellowship, I was introduced to a pastor in North
Carolina who was interested in our missionary work.
His church was only a couple of years old and had just
moved into a new building and they had a large debt.
He was working a regular secular job and was not
supported by the church. In fact, he had placed a
mortgage on his own house to help finance the church
building. He told me that he would like to have me visit
his church and speak, but under the circumstances, they
could not possibly support us financially. I decided to go
anyway and I arrived the next Sunday morning to
preach and tell about the Lord’s work in South Asia.
Before the service, the pastor took me aside and said,
“Brother, God has spoken to me this week that we
should support you. I don’t know how we will do it, but
I believe we must. For now, we want to promise you $25
monthly support, and we will trust the Lord for that
amount.” That was forty years ago, and they have never
missed a month. In fact, they quadrupled the original
amount. They obeyed God by faith, and He enabled
them beyond their visible means. The congregation
doubled and doubled again in size. The church was able
to support its pastor full time as well as several
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assistants. They have given hundreds of thousands of
dollars to missions. This isn’t surprising, as the Lord
promised, “Give, and it shall be given unto you”? (Luke
6:38). But it requires faith to believe and act on this
promise.
In the early 1990s, Bethel Baptist Church of London,
Ontario, was meeting in a storefront building and
though they had a growing building fund, they saw no
reasonable possibility of purchasing their own property
because of the high price of real estate in the area. Pastor
Wilbert Unger had a burden to start a printing ministry
to send out the Word of God and sound Bible teaching
via the printed page across this needy world. He
approached the congregation about using a large
portion of the building fund to establish a print shop
and to hire a printer. The people agreed, and the project
was completed. From the Bethel Baptist print shop,
hundreds of thousands of books and Scriptures and
magazines in many languages have since been
distributed to the glory of God. Within one year of their
decision to use part of the building fund to print the
Word of God, the Lord opened the door for them to get
into their own building and that building has long been
debt free.
When Tri-County Baptist Church in Katy, Texas, was
starting out in the late ‘70s, they were meeting in a
storefront building and were saving toward the purchase
of their own property. Eventually they obtained some
acreage north of town and had $10,000 in the bank
toward a building fund. At that time they received a
letter from a missionary they supported, requesting help
to put the roof on a missionary church. The missionary
congregation had poured the foundation and put up the
walls of their building, but they needed help to finish
the roof before the rainy season began. It did not seem
reasonable for Tri-County Baptist to use their money to
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 help this missionary church with its building when Tri-
County did not have its own building; yet this is exactly
what the Lord led Pastor Rick Shrader to do. His men
agreed, and the church sent its entire building fund to
the mission field! God richly blessed this sacrificial step
of faith, and within one year, Tri-County had its own
building debt free!
What if there had been men involved in the above
decisions who were not men of faith and evangelistic
burden--worldly-minded deacons, for example? They
would no doubt have discouraged the idea of helping
missionaries by faith, arguing that it would not be
reasonable “under their circumstances.” Rather than
praying and ascertaining the will of God in the matter,
they would have complained and resisted. If men who
lack faith and spiritual vision are appointed as church
officers, the people will be discouraged about following
God by faith, just as the children of Israel were
discouraged by the ten faithless spies (Nu. 13-14).
“Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers,
sober, faithful in all things” (1 Ti. 3:11)
The same qualifications are given for the wives of both
pastors and deacons.
The man’s wife is a very important part of his life and
ministry, and her spiritual condition and thinking will
greatly affect his personal life and ministry. If church
officers have unspiritual wives, the entire congregation
will be injured. I have known of many cases in which
the wife of a pastor or deacon weakened his hands and
undermined his ministry. I think of wives who aren’t
kind, gracious, compassionate. I think of wives who
have no great love for God’s Word and aren’t Bible
students. I think of wives who lack spiritual wisdom and
discernment. I think of wives who are not modest in
attitude and dress. I think of wives who are worldly-

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minded, who want their children to excel in worldly
education rather than surrender to finding their part in
Christ’s Great Commission, who would rather that their
sons be engineers and doctors than preachers, who
would rather that their daughters be fashionable and
popular with the worldly crowd than modest pilgrims. I
think of wives who have critical spirits and are gossips
and spend their time tearing down the flock rather than
building it up. I think of wives who form cliques and
show favoritism and cause division rather than spiritual
unity. I think of wives who are petty in their judgments,
criticizing something like a little makeup or jewelry
while overlooking a heart that loves Christ. I think of
wives who are hasty in judgment and do not allow the
saints space to grow.
These qualifications are also important because the older
women in the church are to instruct the younger women
(Tit. 2:3-5). If the wives of church officers are not godly
women who are an example to others and who can
instruct the younger women in the practical aspects of
Christian discipleship and godly family life, the work of
God will be greatly weakened. This does not mean, of
course, that the work of teaching the younger women is
limited to the wives of church officers.
The deacon’s wife is “grave.” This “speaks of that
combination of gravity and dignity which invites the
reverence of others” (W.E. Vine). The wife of the pastor
and deacon is the type of Christian lady who lives her
life with a godly seriousness of purpose. Her life is the
kind that causes others to respect her spiritually and
morally. She is spiritually minded. She loves God and is
serious about serving God. The “gravity” of the qualified
pastor’s or deacon’s wife causes other women to accept
her teaching (Tit. 2:3-4) and to seek her counsel. This
does not mean, of course, that she has no sense of
humor. It is referring to a dignified manner of life, not a
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humorless personality. Spirit-filled women have many
types of personalities, but one thing they all have in
common is a spiritual dignity that causes others to look
upon them with respect.
The deacon’s wife is not a “slanderer.” The Greek word
used for “slander” (diabolos) is used elsewhere of the
devil. The word means “accuser.” In Revelation 12:10 the
devil is said to be the accuser of the brethren. He loves
to say evil things about people with a malicious goal of
hurting them. He slandered God to Eve (Ge. 3:4-5). The
wife of the pastor or deacon must be a woman who is
especially careful about her conversation and attitude.
Otherwise she can easily hurt the church and spoil her
husband’s ministry with her tongue. Slander refers to
lying, gossiping, backbiting, and other hurtful
conversation, especially that which is untruthful and
mean-spirited and spoken with the object of hurting
people or getting back at them for some perceived
injury. Gossip and slander involve deception, untruth,
and an injurious attitude and purpose. It is the fruit of a
mean-spirited person rather than a Christ-like person
who loves people. Lying comes from a heart of hate (Pr.
26:28). Jezebel slandered Naboth to steal his property (1
Ki. 21:9-13). God hates lying lips (Pr. 12:22), and the
righteous also hate lying (Pr. 13:5). We must emphasize
that it is not wrong for the wives of pastors and deacons
to discuss the spiritual condition of people in a godly
manner so that help can be given to them and so that
others can be protected from possible harm. To “speak
the truth in love” is not slander (Eph. 4:15). To
admonish or reprove is not slander (Ro. 15:14; Eph.
5:11). To discuss and report spiritual and moral
problems in a godly manner is not slander (1 Co. 1:11;
5:1). For Paul to warn Timothy about Alexander and
other false teachers and evil workers was not slander (1
Ti. 1:20; 2 Ti. 2:16-18; 4:14).

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 The deacon’s wife is “sober.” This is the Greek
“nephalios,” which is also translated “vigilant” (1 Ti.
3:2). To be “sober” means to be in control of one’s mind
and life with the goal of pleasing God and fulfilling His
will. The wife of the qualified pastor or deacon is
spiritually and morally circumspect. She meditates on
God’s Word and tests everything by God’s Word. She is
on guard against spiritual dangers, watching over her
own life and her family and those to whom she
ministers. To be “sober” is the opposite of being under
the control of wine or anything that would destroy one’s
spiritual vigilance. Consider some examples of things
that can take control of one’s mind in an unwholesome
manner: Alcohol and drugs; sensual music such as rock
and roll, country/western, pop, rap, CCM, and
contemporary Southern Gospel; unwholesome
television programs; filthy literature; worldly social
media; the vast majority of Hollywood movies;
television “soap operas:”; romance novels; sensual
beauty magazines; gossip magazines; or any other
influence which would draw one’s mind away from
fellowship with Christ.
The deacon’s wife is “faithful in all things.” In a word,
this is God’s standard for the wife of a church officer.
She must be a faithful Christian woman in all aspects of
her life: in her home, in the church, and in society. She
has a good testimony before her family, the church, and
the community. She is dependable. When it comes to
any service of God, she gets the job done and she gets it
done right.
“Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling
their children and their own houses well” (1 Ti. 3:12)
Notice that God requires that the deacon be a man who
rules his household “well.” He must be a godly father

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 and husband with a good family life. He must be doing a
good job in his home.
Any serious problems in the home should be worked out
before a man is considered for a church office. It is not
uncommon for a man to have problems in his life and
family which must be worked out by the Spirit of God
before he can be the kind of church officer God
describes in the Scriptures. In Christ, any spiritual and
moral problem can be healed. Indeed, we read that “his
divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him
that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Pe. 1:3). Thus,
there is always the possibility of working out problems
in the home and developing the kind of family life
required by God. The Bible makes it plain, though, that
until the man has the right home he is not qualified for
church office. He must rule his family “well.”

The Deacon’s Appointment

The Scripture does not give an absolute method which
every church is bound to follow in selecting deacons. The
standards God requires for deacons are clear, but the actual
method of selection can vary from church to church.
Following are some methods that are used:
1. Some churches have the congregation (after being taught
God’s standards for deacons and the biblical view of the
deacon’s work) put forth names of possible deacons. The
pastors modify the list as they see fit. The church then votes
on the deacons from the approved list. This is similar to the
example of Acts 6:1-4, which is a good biblical guideline.
2. In some churches the pastor directly selects the deacons
as the need arises.

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 3. In some churches the pastor selects a list of names of
men he would approve as deacons, then submits this list to
the church for a vote.
4. In some cases the first deacons are selected by the pastor
and the church. Thereafter, new deacons are chosen by the
pastor and the deacons without further church vote.

The Deacon’s Term of Service

Since the Bible does not say how long deacons should
serve, each church must decide that for itself. Some churches
have definite terms for deacons, such as two or three years.
Others ordain deacons for life-long terms. There are
advantages in both customs. The limited period allows the
ordination of better men when such become available and
allows opportunity to prove the men who are chosen. The
unlimited term “tends to secure a higher regard for the office
itself and greater usefulness on the part of those who fill
it.” (Edward T. Hiscox, Principles and Practices for Baptist
Churches, 1980 edition, p. 113).

The Deacon’s Reward

“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” (1 Ti. 3:13).
1. The first reward mentioned is “a good degree.” The word
“degree” is the Greek bathmos, which is “a step, i.e.
(figuratively) grade (of dignity)” (Strong). It is “a grade of
dignity, degree, rank, standing” (Mounce). The good degree
or a good standing refers to two things, at least. It refers to a
good standing before men in this life, and it refers to a good
standing at the judgment seat of Christ in the next.
2. The second reward mentioned is “great boldness in the
faith which is in Christ Jesus.” A good deacon makes special

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progress in spiritual growth, power, and zeal. This is God’s
blessing upon his life for his faithful work in the church.

The Deacon’s Discipline

“Who ever heard of a deacon being deposed, or even
impeached, for lack of fidelity in his office? I never did! Why
is this? Has none of them never materially erred? This cannot
be supposed. Does it not go far to prove that there is some
thing on this point exceedingly wrong, and singularly
unguarded? The church, I answer, has the same remedy here
that she has in all other cases. ... Does the unfaithfulness of
these officers result from slothful indifference? Then they
must be admonished. If it is voluntary and continued, and
neither instruction from the pastor nor admonition from the
church can procure reformation, they must be impeached,
and, by a regular vote, removed. The same power that makes
an officer, is always competent, when he proves himself
unworthy or unfaithful, to displace him” (R.B.C. Howell,
cited from Davis W. Huckabee, The Constitution of the
Church, Challenge Press).

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