As we continue to look, in-depth, at the biblical qualifications for Christian leadership, we have already discussed the spiritual qualifications, as well as the calling qualifications of a person’s life. We now turn our attention to the “capability qualifications” for leadership.
As we have noted before, when the Bible discusses the capability requirements, it doesn’t look at your level of formal education or prior work experience, which are often needed for your earthly career. Instead, the Bible lays out a framework for how the Bible is held at a central place in your own life, and your ability to impart that biblical truth to the lives of others.
As we look at this list, notice that each one flows together with the others, and builds a picture of someone who is capable of being a senior disciple-maker. After all, the work of making disciples of nations is at the core of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Capability Qualification 1: Holds to the Word of God (Titus 1:9)
When Paul writes to Titus, he specifically says, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught…” The implication is, before a person seeks to lead others in the word of God, they have first submitted themselves to the process of learning the Word of God for themselves.
This learning must come with the heart of the Bereans, whom the book of Acts says, “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). It is not simply that we have heard the Bible stories and know the general truths of scripture. It means we have invested our time and effort to learn as much as we can of God’s Word. We have to ensure we have learned the “trustworthy word,” despite living in a world where there are many false teachers, misusing scripture for their own selfish gain.
This also implies that a leader cannot “graduate” from the Word of God. It is not a textbook to be studied until we can pass an exam. Rather, it is the written, authoritative revelation of God, which requires us to come back daily. We never move past the Word of God. We hold to it at all times and in all circumstances of life.
Capability Qualification 2: Holds the Mystery of Faith with a Clear Conscience (1 Timothy 3:9)
As we live in the Word of God, Paul adds instruction to Timothy, that our lives must be visibly measured against the scriptures. As we submit ourselves to learn the word of God and discover the depths of the faith, we also live out the process of repentance and sanctification, so that our conscience is clear.
If I can state this simply, a Christian leader who allows hypocrisy to become their way of life is disqualified from being a Christian leader. That is not to say that leaders never sin or fail. We are still human. It is simply to say that as a leader of others, we must lead ourselves first! This leads to the next point.
Capability Qualification 3: Sets the Example (1 Peter 5:3)
The goal of Christian leadership is to be a living embodiment of the church and the world of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If this sounds like a big responsibility, it should! This is the reason God places a calling on people to lead and then requires them to meet all the qualifications we are discussing in this series.
Paul writes to the Corinthians,
I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
1 Corinthians 4:9
He is extremely aware that his life is under the scrutiny of all who see him, and therefore he strives to be an example to all. When he later writes to them, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means, I might save some.” He says, “I do it all for the sake of the gospel…” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). This means that Paul did not just live among people, trying to fit in. He lived among people, taking on their way of life so that he could demonstrate how to live that kind of life in light of the gospel!
This is why he repeatedly tells those he leads to imitate him, as he seeks to imitate Christ (see 1 Corinthians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 3:17).
If people do not see in you a public display of the Christian life, then you have no right to lead them spiritually.
Capability Qualification 4: Exercises Oversight (1 Peter 5:2)
Once you have learned the Word of God, measured your life by the Gospel, and are a living display of Christ, then you can step into the place of leading others (Matthew 7:2-5). Once you are able to clearly see the Gospel and guide yourself, you will also be able to rightly judge the state of the church, and give guidance as necessary.
The Greek word used by Peter for “oversight” is “episkopeo.” This is the same word used by the author of Hebrews,
See to it [episkopeo] that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
Hebrews 12:15-16
As we have said before, the statement “only God can judge me,” is not found in the Bible. Exercising oversight as a leader, by nature, involves making judgment according to the scriptures, so that we are able to guide and direct people into the Gospel, and toward Jesus as King.
Capability Qualification 5: Not Domineering Over the Flock (1 Peter 5:3)
When Peter writes that we are to “exercise oversight,” this is held in contrast to being “domineering over the flock.” This word, domineering, means “to master” or “to be lord over.”
As we seek to exercise oversight in the church, we must remember that we are not the lord. Jesus is Lord. We are simply intermediaries, guiding people to live in submission to Him.
I believe it is the sin of domineering leaders that have given much of the world a bad taste for “organized religion” and spiritual leadership. As we live in an age primarily guided by democratic principles and individualism, people are unwilling to submit to leadership if there is a notion of control. This is a good hesitancy.
No matter your biblical title — pastor, prophet, apostle, etc — the Bible never gives you control of people’s lives. You are a guide; not a dictator. You do your best to press people toward Jesus and correct them when they go astray, but they must be allowed to make their own choice. At the end of the day, you will be judged on how you led God’s people; but they will be accountable for how they followed God, not you.
Capability Qualification 6: Able or “Apt” to teach (1 Timothy 3:2)
In order to lead people well, one of the highest priorities for Christian leadership is that you are able to teach. The Greek word here, “didaktikos,” means both “teachable” and “able to teach others.” The King James version says, “apt to teach,” which means you not only have a willingness to teach but are skilled in the art of teaching the Gospel.
A famous quote, often attributed to Francis of Assisi, says, “Preach the gospel always. When necessary, use words.” While this sentiment of living out the gospel for others to see is commendable, the idea that you can successfully preach the gospel without using words is not found in scripture. As you “hold to the word of God,” you must also be able to impart gospel truth to others as well.
Capability Qualification 7: Able to instruct in doctrine (Titus 1:9)
When Paul writes to Titus, he takes the “able to teach” statement a little further. He implies that you are not just teaching verse by verse through books of the Bible (which is the way you should be preaching), but that as you lead people in the study of scripture, you are able to explain the larger themes and doctrines of the Bible in each verse.
Yes, we should be able to teach expositionally, but we must be able to explain how each narrative works together to explain the larger truths of our faith.
For those who say, “I just read the Bible, I don’t believe in ‘doctrine,’” I am sorry to say, you are wrong. It is impossible. From the earliest days of the Christian church, those faithful to the gospel have written down their creeds or statements of faith. Many years before we got the “apostles creed” at Nicea or the “Westminster catechism of faith,” we had the early church leaders teaching biblical doctrine and reciting their apologetic in song and letter. The Bible says of Paul and Timothy,
As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
Acts 16:4-5
Paul shares with the Corinthian church an early version of a “creed” or statement of faith.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5
Even Stephen’s final discourse before being stoned demonstrates a strong sense of doctrine which the early church held to, pulled from the larger biblical narrative. You can read this speech in Acts 7.
Capability Qualification 8: Able to rebuke unfaithful believers (Titus 1:9)
The ability to teach is more than imparting a belief in a set of doctrines. It is intended to guide the believers in their own growth and sanctification. This is why Paul writes to Titus that a leader must, “be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
Although spiritual leadership cannot be domineering or controlling, it is also not passive in bringing correction for sin and faithlessness. The scriptures give very specific guidelines for how to bring a wayward believer back to faith and right living (see Matthew 18:15-17). It also gives the provision that if someone refuses to repent and seek to live a godly life, they should be put out of the regular fellowship of believers, until there is a heart change. Their influence should be avoided (see Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14, among others.)
The point is, spiritual leaders must be strong in their faith and act with conviction to lead people toward Christ and truth. Although you cannot control it, you must be willing to speak the truth, even when people don’t want to hear it. We are not passive, and we do not preach “happy thoughts” to attract people to ourselves. Remember, there were times when even Jesus needed to throw over some tables to get his point across.
We speak the truth about sin, hell, the devil, and Kingdom warfare, so that people will desire repentance, salvation, and reconciliation with God. However, when people refuse to follow the way of truth, we turn them over to the path they are choosing (see Romans 1:18-24 and 1 Corinthians 5:1-5).
This is one of the most difficult parts of the job, but if you cannot rebuke when necessary, you are not qualified to lead.
Capability Qualification 9: Hospitable (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8)
The final qualification I put in the “capability qualifications” is that a leader must be hospitable. The Greek word used in both Timothy and Titus is “philoxenos” which comes from two words: philos, meaning “friendly love” and “xenos” meaning stranger or foreigner.
The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible explains, saying:
Hospitality: Biblical concept often used with the terms “guest,” “stranger,” and “sojourner.” It is useful to limit the meaning of “hospitality” to benevolence done to those outside one’s normal circle of friends, as is implied in the literal meaning of the Greek word (“love of strangers”).
David K. Huttar, “Hospitality,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1006.
Although a Christian leader’s primary job is to exercise oversight to the body of Christ and ensure care for those inside the church first (Galatians 6:10), it is also a requirement that they show love and care for those outside the faith at every opportunity.
Like Jesus, we are called to live “in the world” even though we are not “of the world” (John 18:36-37). Unfortunately, what I see too often in church leadership is an absolute hatred of the lost. There is a desire to separate from all unbelievers until they repent. However, the Bible is clear that there will be no repentance until someone steps out to show them the way.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Romans 10:13-14
In order to qualify for spiritual leadership, you must have a love for those in the church, as well as an affection for the lost which is welcoming to them.
In Summary
Though the “capabilities” necessary to be a leader in the body of Christ are not based on secular criteria, we would be foolish to think they are easy. If we are going to lead God’s people, the demand on us is to be “gospel literate” in how we live, teach, guide, mentor, disciple, and reach out to others. This requires a high level of self-awareness, as well as the capacity to give oversight to others in our care.
As we have said before, these gifts do not come naturally for most people. For instance, I myself am an introvert, so being hospitable is not a natural ability for me. However, God will give grace, and develop these things in you if He has truly called you to lead.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Anthony Scott Ingram.
Featured Image by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash
