To desire to be a leader of God’s people is a noble task so Paul writes to Timothy in his first letter to Timothy, but it is not for everybody, in fact Paul and Peter make very clear in their letters (1 Timothy, Titus and 1 Peter 5) that much is expected of those who would take on the role of Elder or Deacon in the church.  These letters and some passages in the Acts of the Apostle give us some idea of what is required for someone to qualify for these roles. 

There has been much discussion over the years of the three C’s (Character, Competency and Conviction)  and which is most important.  I suspect that we as a Church are in danger of practically favoring Competency over the other two, especially given the number of ‘successful church leaders’ who have spectacularly failed in Character in recent years.  The bible passages however encourage us to consider Character far more than we do the other two. 

What are the aspects of Character that the letters I listed above talk about?

• Husband of one wife
• Self-Controlled
• Sensible
• Respectable
• Hospitable
• Not addicted to wine
• Not a bully (But Gentle)
• Not quarrelsome
• Not greedy
• Able to manage his own household completely
  • Having his children under control with all dignity.
    • If you can’t manage your house how can you manage the church? 
• Not a new convert
  • Or he may become conceited
• A Good reputation among outsiders
• Loving what is good
• Righteous
• Holy
• Holding to the faithful message as taught. 
• Humble

While there is a call for someone who will be a Christian leader to be able to teach from Paul to Timothy and clearly to teach the faithful message that you have been taught that you are holding fast to, with the goal of equipping the saints for works of Service.  However what is apparent is that Character must be seen before Competency can be tested. 

I don’t want to make out that Conviction isn’t also important, Peter makes clear in his letter (1 Peter 5) that Shepherd’s must not serve out of compulsion but freely according to God’s will, not for money but eagerly. 

Each of the 3 C’s matters but I think the most recent set of spectacular failures in the Church remind us that Character matters when encouraging people to consider a path towards Church leadership.  We need to remember that the biblical qualification for leadership, aren’t what is required when you start and can be left behind from their.  These are qualities that need to be fostered and  encouraged, trained and practiced.  We as Churches need to give time to church leaders to give time to their marriage, to give time to their families.  If we allow them to lead in their families well, that will enhance their ability to lead in the church, if we see their time spent with family as a detraction to the ministry we are more likely to end up with some of the spectacular failures seen recently in the church (If you are not sure what these spectacular failures you could check out Christianity Today’s Podcast on Mars Hill Church or I refer to others in this post: Posts ‹ Ministry Professional Supervision Australia — WordPress.com)  from Feb 2021). 

To be involved in Christian leadership is a noble task, but a difficult one, it will push you hard, and push your family in many cases even harder.  We want people who are competent and are convicted to do this well, but most importantly have the character and are able to maintain the character required to be used by God for his glory.  Character requires support from someone you can be honest with, without fear of getting it wrong or messing things up, A Professional Supervisor has the goal of helping the leader, to be the leader that God needs them to be . 

Simon Elliott