Godly Leadership in Church • 09.25.22
Nick Lees   -   September 25, 2022

Godly Leadership in Church
1 Timothy 3:1-7

Thinking biblically about the office of overseer

  1. What is it?
  2. What do they do?
  3. Who can be one?
  4. Why does this matter?

Good morning, church family! Thank you, Pastor Brent, for leading us in prayer this morning. I’m thankful to serve alongside a team of godly men who love the Lord and lead us in the study of His Word and prayer. If there are any members of our pastor team that you’ve not interacted with, I’d encourage you to be on the lookout for them on Sundays to say hi. And, of course, they’re doing the same for you too 😊

I wanted to start with that today because it fits so well with our study of 1 Timothy 3 (sermon series graphic) today on Godly Leadership in Church. Today we’re going to be studying verses 1-7 and learning about the office of overseer and next week we’ll cover the rest of the chapter and learn about the office of deacon. These are the two offices of church leadership that we see in the New Testament.

Before we get into our study, why don’t I…

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

Everyone else grab your Bibles or smart devices and turn to 1 Timothy 3.

Ushers + Bibles (Page 1177 Black; Page 576 Blue)

Anyone who has spent any length of time in a church has been influenced by that church’s leadership. They’ve sat under the organized teaching, perhaps interacted personally with the pastors or teachers, and been able to observe a variety of things about what it means to be a leader in the church. But how do you know if what you heard and saw was biblical? What if the person(s) you were observing or sitting under were simply doing what was right in their own eyes? How does one determine whether a church is handling things God’s way?

These are important questions for which we must have answers! Just because there is a church every couple of blocks in most cities in the US does not mean that every church is an accurate representation of God’s will and ways. Our answers for these questions must come back to “What does God say?” the very question we brought up last week. And where do we find out what God says? In His Word. So, it is to the Scriptures we must turn to properly evaluate anything we are taught or participating in, including this service and my teaching today. With that in mind, let’s dig into God’s Word in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 today.

1 Timothy 3:1–7 (ESV)

3 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

As we dig into this passage today, you must remember the context in which it was written. Paul is writing to Timothy, who is in Ephesus. In Ephesus there are a number of false teachers who have risen up from within the church’s leadership and are now actively leading the church astray. They are promoting teaching that is not in line with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact these false leaders were also conducting themselves in ungodly ways which is why Paul is now writing a primer on the qualifications and character of godly leaders.

If a church fails to protect the office of overseer, then it will soon promote unsound doctrine that is out of line with God’s Word. The witness of the church will be undermined, and the Gospel will be distorted. Sooner rather than later, the church will no longer be accomplishing the purpose for which God created it – to represent and reflect Him through accurate teaching and application of the truth! This becomes an environment ripe for spiritual abuse and leading many astray.

So, the importance of our topic today is incredibly high. Humanly speaking, the future of the Gospel going forth depends on us protecting the church’s purity, including its appointed leadership. Do we want to be a church that leads people to hell? Or do we want to be a light on a hill that points people to the One who offers eternal life? I hope we would say unanimously that we want to be the latter… With that in mind, let’s start…

Thinking biblically about the office of overseer

That’s what this passage is about – the office of overseer. And we’re going to seek to answer 4 questions today to understand the teaching on it. Our first question is…

  1. What is it?

It is one of the two recognized offices for church leadership. The other is deacon, which we’ll discuss in more detail next week in verses 8-13.

When I’m teaching our membership class, I usually draw a super artistic circle like this to represent the church and the distinctions of the people within it. (Image) I’ll be giving out autographed copies of this amazing piece after the service…

In all seriousness, the New Testament reveals this structure for local churches. First, the church is made up of its members. Those who have a clarified commitment to one another and the leadership that this is their church home and they are going to live out the commands of Scripture with one another. The membership of the church is formal, and it includes the pastors and deacons. Anyone in leadership in the church is first and foremost a member of the church.

But, as we see in Scripture, there are two formal offices of leadership in every local church. The one we’re focused on today is the office of overseer, which has interchangeable titles of shepherd/pastor/elder/overseer. Let me show you some of the places we see these other titles in reference to the same office within the church. The first is from Acts when Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders. Listen for the interchangeable titles. They will also be underlined for you on the screen:

Acts 20:17, 28 (ESV)

17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him…

 

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

They are elders, who are overseers of the church, and they care for the church. The second is from another pastoral epistle from Paul to Titus:

 

Titus 1:5–7 (ESV)

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

Titus is appointing elders to lead the church. They have the same character requirements as the overseer in 1 Timothy 3 and are even called overseers in verse 7. The final example is from Peter’s letter to the churches:

1 Peter 5:1–2 (ESV)

5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;

Peter writes to the elders, calling them to shepherd (aka pastor) the flock, which includes exercising oversight (the role of overseer). There are more references we could use, but I hope this makes the point.

This office is an official leadership role in every local church. It was expected that every local church in the 1st century would have overseers/elders/pastors/shepherds. Which brings us to our next question…

  1. What do they do?

The titles give us a hint at their role. An overseer is one who provides oversight or leadership. As we heard in this list of requirements in 1 Timothy 3, they provide care and management for God’s church. They are teachers of the Word, and it is important that they are able to teach it well! In Acts 20, we heard Paul charge the elders to watch themselves and the flock, to care for the church of God.

This is similar to the warning Paul will give Timothy later in this letter:

1 Timothy 4:16 (ESV)

16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

A good pastor/overseer/shepherd is first making sure they themselves know and are obedient to God’s Word and then they are helping others to know and obey God’s Word. They are looking out for the spiritual well-being of the flock/church – which primarily comes as they teach God’s Word in a variety of settings – from public venues like preaching in corporate gatherings, to leading small groups or classes, or ministering the Word 1-on-1 in discipleship or counseling scenarios.

All of this is done in order to protect the flock. “From what?” you may ask. From their own propensity to go astray and pursue idols AND from the wolves who would seek to prey on them. The false teachers who want to lead you astray to follow after them. Just like we see happening in Ephesus! These are teachers who seek your time, attention, and, usually, finances to promote their ministry and goals, rather than the Lord’s goal of saving sinners! And it is the job of an overseer/pastor/shepherd to protect the church from such false teachers!

Paul would say to Titus of this role:

Titus 1:9 (ESV)

9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

A pastor’s job is to teach the truth and refute falsehood when they hear it and rebuke those who teach it. But that is not all they are to do! As we heard in 1 Peter 5, a pastor is to exercise this leadership willingly, eagerly, and not for shameful gain or as a domineering personality, but rather an example to the flock. A godly pastor wants to care for God’s people, and they aren’t in it for the money or the authority it might gain them. A godly pastor avoids the abuse of power, and instead seeks to live as a servant-leader with the church.

This is how a biblical pastor/overseer/elder/shepherd acts and ministers! Included in that is a priority in prayer. We heard a lot about prioritizing prayer last week. That was especially true for those in leadership. In Acts 6, in the early church, when a physical need arose to make sure bread was getting distributed adequately to all of the widows, the apostles, who functioned as overseers, had the church appoint 7 deacons so the apostles could devote themselves to preaching the Word of God and prayer. Prayer is a powerful way for leaders to protect and lead the flock!

I’m super thankful for the example of Pastor Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church on this account. In many of his resources, he emphasizes the importance of prayer for pastors. He shares the value of praying for each member of your church by name and specific requests. This is a practice I’ve sought to bring into our pastor team. Every time we meet, there is a segment of our meeting devoted to praying for members of our church. In a given year, we pray through the membership of the church 3-4 times. It is a sweet way for us to seek to protect and lead you!

Now, how many of you noticed that I was not speaking about this role in the singular? Anyone? This is a role that is meant to be done in plurality. The New Testament demonstrates a pattern of a plurality of elders/pastors/overseers/shepherds in the local churches. Pay attention to the underlined parts of the following verses:

1 Timothy 4:14 (ESV)

14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Acts 20:17 (ESV)

17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

Titus 1:5 (ESV)

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

James 5:14 (ESV)

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

1 Peter 5:1 (ESV)

5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:

A biblical understanding of the office of overseer must lead us to conclude that it is best to have a plurality in this role. This is for the health of the church, they can better care for the flock, as well as the protection of the flock if one or more of the overseers turns to sin or false teaching. There is much greater potential for harm when there is only a single overseer/elder – they could easily become domineering or fall prey to a variety of other temptations, like people-pleasing or greediness. It is good and sweet to work together as a team to shepherd the flock of God among us, as Peter exhorts. I’m very thankful for the men who are on our pastor team. (PASTOR TEAM PHOTOS AGAIN) It has been a blessing to see God at work in them over the past 5 years. Our church is healthier because there is a plurality of godly pastors leading it.

So far, we’ve answered, “What is the office?” and “What do they do?” both from God’s Word. Now let’s return to our primary text, 1 Timothy 3, to answer our third question:

  1. Who can be one?

Look again at verse 1.

1 Timothy 3:1 (ESV)

3 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

This ties right into the argument he was previously making in 1 Timothy 2, that we unpacked last week. God does not permit a woman to be in the office of overseer/pastor/shepherd/elder. If you noticed in all of the other references I’ve shared this morning the pronouns are always masculine. In fact, as we get into the qualifications outlined in the rest of the chapter, you’ll notice in verse 2 that one of them is to be the “husband of one wife”, which again indicates this is a role limited to men. But not just any man, this isn’t about simply being male… it’s limited to qualified men.

Let’s talk about the qualifications required for the role of overseer as shown by God’s Word. It starts with a man having a desire for this role. Paul says, “if anyone aspires… he desires a noble task.” The word for aspire is not speaking of a weak, half-hearted interest but a desire that you strive to attain. A man has to want this office, with good reason, it is demanding, and you will burn out quickly if you don’t aspire to it. Peter, in his letter, had said that an elder must exercise oversight not under compulsion, but willingly. No one had better be forcing you to fulfill this role; you need to have an internal commitment and fire for it! This is a good or noble thing to desire.

Once you have the desire, there are a number of other qualifications that you need to meet! Desire alone is not enough; your character must be above reproach. That is the summary term that starts both this list and the similar list in Titus 1. To be above reproach does not mean that a man is perfect, without sin – as we know that only one man met that standard – Jesus – and none of us are him. So, if it doesn’t mean perfection, what does it mean? Well, it is shown to us in the qualifications that come next. Overall, it means that you are known for conducting yourself in a holy manner, that your pattern of living is consistently godly and upright.

I really appreciate how Jeramie Rinne puts it in his book Church Elders:

You might assume that the most important characteristic for an elder would be skill in running an organization. While management ability is a part of being a church overseer, the New Testament writers put far greater emphasis on holy character. Jesus’ under-shepherds must reflect Jesus’ character. Better a godly elder with mediocre leadership gifts than a charismatic leader with glaring moral flaws.

So, what does a godly elder look like? We see Paul share a variety of qualities in verses 2-7. These especially make sense when you consider them in light of the situation in Ephesus. Remember, Paul is responding to a particular situation in his writing.

  • Husband of one wife – a “one woman man”; the false teachers were teaching marriage as ‘less-than’… Paul says it is good to be married, but he also guards against sexual immorality or infidelity. It is not permissible to be a polygamist or an adulterer! You must be faithful to your wife. This is also not a prohibition from a divorced man serving in this office.
  • Sober-minded – “clear-thinking”; most clearly seen in the later provision – not a drunkard; ties well into the next one…
  • Self-controlled – the picture is of a man who is composed and disciplined; he is not out of control or ruled by his passions/desires; remember that the false teachers were greedy, and Paul warned that in the last days people would be without self-control… an overseer must not be so. Their desires must be rightly ordered, and their priority must be pleasing Jesus.
  • Respectable – the man has a good reputation and has not done things to bring disrepute on himself. He lives in a way that others find honorable.
  • Hospitable – The man has a love for people that brings them into his home/sphere of influence. In those days, traveling Christians would have needed lodging and it was expected that an overseer would be willing to host such guests.
  • Able to teach – also “skillful in teaching”; the man has the ability to accurately divide the Word of truth and help others understand and apply it; a man who desires to be a pastor ought to have some fruit like this in his life. Have you opened up God’s Word with others to notable effect? Have their lives been changed by your teaching of God’s Word?
  • Not a drunkard – this particular qualification is repeated for deacons and in Titus’ list for elders. It apparently was a big problem! Drunkenness was viewed as an evil in both the Old and New Testaments. This is a specific form of lack of self-control.
  • Not violent, but gentle – These are two terms but they go together. Rather than being known for fighting, literally a bully/brawler, a man who desires to be a pastor must be gentle/kind. They aren’t quick to demand their rights/way.
  • Not quarrelsome – aka “peaceable” – not out looking to start fights but rather resolve them; They aren’t prone to arguing with others but bring wisdom and unity to bear. Remember the context of false teachers – this isn’t meaning they don’t speak the truth and challenge falsehood. They’re not a doormat when it comes to God’s standard. They stand for truth but aren’t going to engage in fights over lesser things.
  • Not a lover of money – This is a slap in the face of the Ephesian false teachers. We’ll hear later in 1 Timothy 6 that they were teaching in order to profit. Imagining godliness was a means of personal gain. They were greedy. A man of God who wants to be a pastor must be content and not be chasing after wealth. This is challenging in our world that so heavily promotes possessions and just acquiring one more thing…
  • Manages their household – Notice the qualifiers…
    • Well – they are good managers
    • With all dignity – they are godly in their management; their conduct is pure
    • Keeping his children submissive – his kids respond well to his leadership and respect it

Just as the husband of one wife doesn’t mean a man must be married, so this does not mean a man must have kids. However, if he does have kids, then this ought to be true of him. Management of the home is a great proving ground for a man’s character and abilities. If he can’t manage the home, he has no business managing God’s church.

  • Not a recent convert – Because of the danger of pride! He may follow the same path as the devil, who proudly rose up against God. Give time for their spiritual maturity to have developed and been proven through a variety of seasons and trials.
  • Well thought of by outsiders – Similar to “above reproach” or “respectable”; the man has a good reputation in the public square and has not brought unnecessary reproach upon himself or the name of Christ. Satan is trying to entice as many Christian leaders as possible to fall into disgrace. This is the most effective way to disillusion God’s people, to see their leaders’ fall into sin, as it impacts many. This qualification is not speaking of hatred that may come from preaching the truth of God’s Word.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Paul is giving this ad-hoc to Timothy as he writes his letter. In his letter to Titus there are many similarities and a few differences. Both lists are useful tools for us to evaluate the character and calling of any man who aspires to the office.

This is the way I was evaluated for the office of pastor. This is the way we’ve evaluated everyone who has come onto the team since I’ve arrived. We are currently evaluating Jordan Bray through this lens, as he desires the office of overseer. I would encourage every man to aspire to this type of character, even if you don’t currently desire the office of overseer. This is what a godly man ought to look like!

Men, is it your desire to have this kind of character and management of your life and home? Have you ever considered it this way before? Is 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 a framework for how you want to live? If not, I would highly recommend it to you. Go home and dig into this passage further for your own benefit. Ask another godly man to come alongside of you, either in small group or perhaps through the men’s ministry, to help you develop a plan to take tangible steps of growth in these areas. This will be good for your own life, for your marriage, home, our church, and the community. I truly believe that if more godly men would rise up, it would transform our community! Which brings us to our last question for today:

  1. Why does this matter?

Why do we need to think biblically about the office of overseer? Well, how about because it directly correlates to fulfilling our calling as Christians? Allow me to remind you of the primary reason Paul was writing to Timothy.

1 Timothy 3:14–15 (ESV)

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

God cares about how his people behave in church. We are supposed to be the pillar and buttress of the truth, upholding the truth and boldly preaching the Gospel week in and week out. But what happens if the leadership of the church is compromised by ungodly people who promote false teaching?

You don’t have to look any further than the situation that precipitated Paul’s letter to Timothy! The false teachers in Ephesus are a prime example of what happens when we fail to protect the pastorate and allow unqualified people to get into leadership roles in the church! Listen to this apt summary by commentator William Mounce:

The major problem in the Ephesian church was its leadership. From within the ranks of the church, a group of false teachers had sprung up who were perverting the gospel and teaching a message that ultimately stemmed from Satan. Not only was their theology erroneous, but their behavior was reprehensible. They were sexually promiscuous, lacked reserve and dignity, were teaching for financial gain, were drunkards, and looked down upon marriage. Those who were married were not managing their own households, much less the church. As a result, they were bringing reproach upon themselves, the church, and the cause of Christ. (Word Biblical Commentary)

Unfortunately, in Ephesus, and in churches today, we have false teachers rising up and profaning this calling. Rather than teaching the Word accurately, shepherding the sheep, and protecting the flock they are actively leading folks astray from the Word into all kinds of lies. They are fleecing the flock by taking their resources – time, finances, and talents – to build their own kingdoms rather than the Lord’s. They seek to draw crowds with gimmicks, personality, and appeals to the flesh rather than focusing on the teaching of the Word of God and its application to daily life.

Remember the overarching plan of God is to create a people for himself who represent and reflect Him and to be in relationship with those people. False teachers hinder rather than help that plan! They lead people astray, presenting them with a false image of God and false understanding of faith in Christ. They do not promote the gospel but their own self-worship.

If we get leadership wrong, we jeopardize so much! We fail to protect the truth and promote incorrect teaching. Wrong teaching leads us to wrong behavior. The witness of God’s people to the Gospel becomes confused, muddied, and undermined. And generations begin to walk away from the truth and abandon God. This is not an attempt to create a false reality and stress everyone out, we really see this happening all around us! People are walking away from their faith in alarming numbers.

When God’s Word is not taught, people do not hear truth, and they eventually tire of the show and walk away from “Christianity” because they don’t believe it has anything to offer them. The problem is that they never really heard about the real Christ or his Gospel message. They have been deceived by a lie.

Unfortunately, the American church has really struggled not to view pastors as CEOs who treat the church like a business with people as the bottom line. The seeker sensitive movement is a great example of this. Prioritizing getting people through the door of the church rather than fidelity to the Word of God has produced mega-churches full of men and women, boys and girls who know little to nothing about the God they are called to worship. To speak of the cost of following Christ and the suffering and persecution that Jesus promises in this life would knock them over backwards. And guess what will happen when suffering and persecution inevitably come? Like Demas or Hymenaeus or Alexander, or so many others in the Scriptures, their world will be rocked, and they will either depart from what they have known, or they will be in for a VERY rough season of growth because they were not prepared with the truth.

And if you knowingly allow such false teachers into the pastorate or, even worse, celebrate their ministries, then you are partnering with their deception. You are furthering a ministry that is actively leading people away from the hope of eternal life. And that is a HUGE deal to God. Every Christian must take seriously the call to protect the pastorate!

How can you do that? By recognizing and encouraging godly men in your church to aspire to the office! The church needs godly men to pursue the pastorate. If you know such men, encourage them to consider it. This doesn’t have to be a full-time vocational role. Out of the 5 men on our pastor team, 2 are employed vocationally by the church and 3 are working in another full-time job and pastoring in the hours outside of work. Frankly, those 3 men have the tougher calling! I hope you’re often giving thanks to God for these men who sacrifice so much to care for you. In fact, that’s a second way to protect the pastorate. Regularly encourage the men who are serving well! There are a lot of opportunities for discouragement in this role. We face a lot of tough situations where sin must be addressed and rooted out. It truly is a blessing when we are able to hear from you of something God has been teaching you or a way he is changing you. It is our delight to rejoice with you in God’s work! A third way to protect the pastorate is to be involved in the process of bringing new men onto the team. For both pastors and deacons, as the final part of the evaluation process before calling them to the office we have a 30-day window where we ask the members of the church to make sure they speak up if there are any disqualifying characteristics present in the man. This is a way to protect the church from unqualified men entering the office! *Pause*

You know, at the end of the day, Jesus died for the church. The church is his bride, the assembly of forgiven, blood-bought sinners. The good news of the Gospel is that the Son of God willingly came to earth and lived a perfect life in our place. Then he went to his death on the cross and endured the wrath of God so that we could be saved from our sin. He offers forgiveness through faith in him. If creating this group of redeemed sinners was that important to God, then protecting it ought to be important to you and me.

Having godly, qualified men in the pastorate protects and strengthens the church. It allows the Gospel to be proclaimed and people to be discipled. It results in the flock being well-cared for and protected. It produces peace rather than disunity. It allows the church to be a light on a hill, shining the hope of the Gospel to a lost and hurting world. This is what the church is meant to be! Where you find a church doing these things, you’ll find the best possible community to be a part of in this world. *Pause*

Godly leadership in the church matters.

Let’s pray.