As Paul continues his letter to Timothy combatting false teaching in the church, he turns to the qualifications of church leadership. If you were asked to make a list of qualifications for a church leader, what would you include and why? It would make sense that we would choose things such as “Christ-likeness,” “self-sacrificing,” “generous,” but when we look at Paul’s list we see that he focuses on outward visible qualities that are not distinctively Christian. In fact, the qualities listed represent the highest ideals of Hellenistic (Greek) moral philosophy and were not necessarily attributes that would have described Jesus! So why this list and who does it apply to? How is it useful to us for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that we might be equipped for every good work?
In life, character matters. In leadership, character matters even more. As representatives of Christ, charged with proclaiming the kingdom of God to the entire world, our character is essential as it reflects what we truly believe about God, his word, and his mission.
