Qualifications for Elders/ Teachers

[ChristisGod]

Paul outlines the qualifications for church leadership.


Acts 14:23
When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

1 Timithy 3:1-7
It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Titus 1:5-9
5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.


1 Timothy 5:17-19

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." 19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.


1 Peter 5:1-5
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble

Any other scriptures/ thoughts on the topic of elders/teachers in the church ?

hope this helps !!!

 

[ChristisGod]

I found this from got questions that is helpful

The spiritual gift of teaching is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:1–12). It is a gift given by the Holy Spirit, enabling one to effectively communicate the truths of the Bible to others. It is most often, but not always, used in the context of the local church. The gift of teaching involves the analysis and proclamation of the Word of God, explaining the meaning, context, and application to the hearer’s life. The gifted teacher is one who has the unique ability to clearly instruct and communicate knowledge, specifically the doctrines of the faith and truths of the Bible.

God gave spiritual gifts to edify His church. Paul instructed the church at Corinth to seek to edify and build up Christ’s church, telling them that since they were “eager” to have spiritual gifts, they should “try to excel in gifts that build up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12). A spiritual gift (charismata in Greek) is a supernatural, God-given ability to perform a ministry for the building up of the body of Christ. It is given graciously by God and cannot be earned. While a spiritual gift can be developed, it does require a supernatural ability to exercise it. One of these gifts is teaching.

The Greek word for “teach” is didaskalos, which means “to instruct.” We see examples all through the Bible of teaching. Jesus Himself was the Great Teacher, and Jesus commanded His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). Jesus commanded His disciples to teach new disciples everything He had commanded, instructing them in both doctrine and holy living. Christ’s ministers are not to teach the commandments of men or anything that is of their own or other men’s devising, but only that which is ordered by Christ.

There are several contexts in which the gift of teaching can be used: Sunday school classes, Bible schools, colleges, seminaries, and home Bible studies. The one with the gift can teach either individuals or groups. A person with the natural talent to teach can teach just about anything, but a person with the spiritual gift of teaching teaches the content of the Bible. He can teach the message of a book as a whole book or break it down to individual paragraphs or verses. No new material originates from one with the gift of teaching. The teacher simply explains or expounds the meaning of the Bible’s text.

Teaching is a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit. One without this gift can understand the Bible as he hears or reads it, but he cannot explain it as one with the gift can. Although it can be developed, the spiritual gift of teaching is not something that can be learned or acquired, as with a college degree. A person with a Ph.D. but without the gift of teaching will not be able to expound the Bible as one without a degree but having the gift of teaching.

In Ephesians 4:11–12, Paul lists foundational gifts for the building up of the local church. The gifts are given for the building up of the body of Christ. In verse 11 teachers are linked with pastors. This does not necessarily suggest one gift, but it does seem to imply that the pastor is also a teacher. The Greek word for pastor is poimen which means “shepherd.” A pastor is one who cares for his people in the same way a shepherd cares for his sheep. Just as a shepherd feeds his sheep, the pastor also has the responsibility to teach his people the spiritual food of the Word of God.

The church is edified through use of the gift of teaching as people listen to the Word of God and hear what it means and how to apply it to their own lives. God has raised up many with this gift to build people up in their faith and enable them to grow in all wisdom and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18).

How can Christians know if they have the gift of teaching? They should begin by asking God for opportunities to teach a Sunday school class or Bible study, under the authority and guidance of a gifted teacher. If they find they can explain the meaning of the Bible and others respond favorably, they probably have the gift and should ask God for further opportunities to use and develop their gift.

hope this helps !!!

 

[ChristisGod]

continued :

The biblical qualifications of pastor are outlined in two primary New Testament passages, 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus1:5–9. There are three terms used interchangeably in the New Testament to refer the highest office in a church: elder, overseer, and pastor (which means “shepherd”) all refer to the same office.

First Timothy 3:1–7 contains the biblical qualifications for a pastor: “Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”

We also find the biblical qualifications for a pastor in Titus 1:5–9: “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

Putting the two lists together, we get the following qualifications of a pastor:

He must be a person of integrity and worthy of the respect of those both inside and outside the church (above reproach, respectable, blameless, upright, holy, loves what is good, have a good reputation with outsiders).

He must have self-control (be temperate, disciplined). This encompasses many of the things that come later in the list.

He must not misuse alcohol by getting drunk (not given to drunkenness).

He must be hospitable. He must be able to welcome people into his home and his life. He is not “stand- offish.”

He must be able to deal with people in a respectful way (not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not overbearing, not quick-tempered).

He must be a good husband (faithful to his wife) and a good father (a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) In some circles this is interpreted to mean that a pastor must be married and have more than one child, but most interpret this to mean that, if a man is married or has children, then he must be a good husband and father. At the time Paul wrote, it would have been rare for an adult man to be single or childless. Elsewhere, Paul extolls the value of being single in serving the Lord, and he himself was single, so it is doubtful that being married with children is a qualification for church leadership (see 1 Corinthians 7).

Likewise, does this mean that a pastor’s children must be believers and, if one of them does not profess faith in Christ, then the father is disqualified as a pastor? The focus seems to be on children in the home and on their outward actions. Most children will adopt the beliefs of their parents, although they may reject those beliefs later in life. If a child living in the home rejects the faith of his father, then his father must not have done a very good job of fathering. He would do well to give up church leadership and focus all of his leadership efforts on his home. God can raise someone else to lead the church, but the father is the only one who can lead his home.

Furthermore, both passages assume that only men will be pastors. Paul addressed this directly in 1 Timothy 2:12, where women are not allowed to teach or have authority over men in the church. The pastor of a church, by definition, is called to teach men and exercise authority over them.

A pastor must believe and be able to communicate God’s Word (able to teach, holding firmly to the trustworthy message to encourage others by sound doctrine).

A pastor must not be “in it for the money” (not a lover of money, not pursuing dishonest gain). Money must not be the driving force behind a man’s desire to enter the ministry nor his guiding principle while in ministry. A pastor can use his position to unduly influence people to give him things and is often in a unique position to help himself to church funds and resources. Therefore, a pastor must be able to resist these urges.

Finally, in 1 Timothy, Paul says that a pastor should not be a new convert or he may become conceited with his quick “rise to power.” This qualification is not specifically mentioned in Titus. Some have pointed out that Crete was a much newer church, so anyone elevated to the position of pastor would perforce have been a relatively new convert. However, in the vast majority of situations today, there are men with a proven track record to choose from. Elevating a person to leadership too quickly is a trap for the man and the church he serves.

Other biblical qualifications for a pastor come from other passages of Scripture. Christ taught that leaders in the church must be servants (Luke 22:25–27). Peter highlights this in 1 Peter 5:3, mentioning that a shepherd must not “lord it over” the flock. A pastor who is power-hungry disqualifies himself.

No one is perfect, and no pastor perfectly embodies all of these character traits, but a pastor should be a man with a consistent track record. If an honest evaluation reveals an obvious shortcoming, then the man in question is not qualified to be a pastor.

Simply put, the elders should be peacemakers, prayer warriors, teachers, leaders by example, and decision makers. They are the preaching and teaching leaders of the church. It is a position to be sought but not taken lightly—read this warning: "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness" (James 3:1). The role of elder is not a position to be taken lightly.

hope this helps !!!

 

[VictoryinJesus]

Paul outlines the qualifications for church leadership.


Acts 14:23
When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

1 Timithy 3:1-7
It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Titus 1:5-9
5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.


1 Timothy 5:17-19

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." 19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.


1 Peter 5:1-5
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble

Any other scriptures/ thoughts on the topic of elders/teachers in the church ?

hope this helps !!!

why 1 Corinthians 4:15? For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.