Titus 1:6-9 NLT

[6] An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. [7] A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money. [8] Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. [9] He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.

            Part of the reason Paul had left Titus on the island of Crete was to select leaders for the churches the missionary team had established while ministering there.  In our passage for this part of Lesson 1, Paul list some basic requirements Titus was to use to decide who would lead each of the small congregations in the towns they had visited.

            Qualification number one was to live a blameless life.  That covers a great deal of  territory, doesn’t it? 

            Paul goes on to give examples of being blameless and adds to his description.  A leader should be faithful to his wife.  The Greek here indicates he should have one wife, without having involvement with other women.  And his children should believe in Christ and have good reputations, too.  So a leader’s household should be in proper order as much as the leader’s own life.

            Paul then lists some characteristics a church leader should not possess.  He should not be arrogant, which would cause him to look down on others, or hot-headed, which would create unnecessary quarrels.  He should not be a drunk, which would impair his judgement, nor should he be abusive, which would impair his relationship with others.  And he should be honest and not a cheat when it came to money. 

            A church elder should display hospitality to others and be considered as an individual who is good and wise and deals in a just and impartial manner with others.  He should live a disciplined life of devotion to God.  If he possesses these qualities, an elder would be able to encourage and teach others how to live in a right relationship with God and with each other.

            This description of a church elder, or leader, is a good set of qualifications we can use even today to help us determine who should be guiding a local congregation.  People who do not fit this description should not be placed in positions of responsibility and authority in a local church.  We’ll look at why these characteristics for leaders are so important in the next video.

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