Have we got the right people in Christian leadership?
The story goes that there was once a light aircraft carrying four people - the pilot, two teenage lads and an old Christian man. They were flying when suddenly the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom: 'We've got serious engine trouble, we are going to crash and there are only three parachutes. I have a wife and family who need me, so I'm taking one of the parachutes. Goodbye!' And he jumped out, leaving the others.
Immediately, one of the teenagers said: 'Actually, I have to tell you that I am the brightest, most clever young man in the world. The world needs me. I am already a great scientist and I may well invent the cure for cancer. So I'm taking a parachute. Goodbye!' And he jumped out.
At this point, the old Christian said to the remaining youngster: 'You take the last parachute. I'm old. I've enjoyed my life. I know that when I die I'm going to be with the Lord. So take the parachute. It's OK.' To which the youngster replied: 'Don't worry. There's no need for that. There are still two parachutes. The brightest boy in the world jumped out with my haversack!'
It is a humorous story which warns us against being overconfident know-it-alls. It reminds us that as Christians we need humility and to be teachable. But who is going to teach us? It is that question with which this section of Titus (1.5) is concerned: 'he 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.'
Churches had been planted in Crete but they were not in good shape. They needed leaders. The problem on Crete was the problem of the gap. It is the gap between what Christians say they believe and how they actually behave. At the beginning of his letter to Titus, Paul had defined Christianity as the truth that leads to godliness (1.1). But on Crete something was wrong; the truth was not leading to godliness as it should. This is a contemporary problem too with our post-modern Christianity.
Paul's answer, in part, is that of appointing Christian leaders for every church. For Paul, church leadership was a vital area. The quality of a church is often a reflection of the calibre of its leaders. Many of the ills of the churches can be cured by having the right people in leadership.
Blameless
Who are these men? As Paul describes the kind of men he is looking for in verses 6-9, one quality is repeated. They must be blameless (1.6-7). Immoral or dishonest men in Christian leadership are a shame to Christ. A leader must be someone to whom, since his conversion, no mud sticks. One thinks of the prophet Samuel in his farewell speech asking the people: Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord...whom have I cheated...from whose hand have I accepted a bribe...? No one could accuse him.
With this general qualification of blamelessness in mind, Paul takes time in these verses to explain explicitly what he means. Paul commands churches to examine three specific areas. They must test a potential leader's family life, his personal conduct and his doctrinal stance.
Family life (1.5-6)
As the church is a family, the way a man brings up his own family is, as it were, a test-bed for how he will get on in nurturing a church. Paul spells it out in 1 Timothy 3.5: If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?
Paul is emphasising the same point in our verses from Titus: 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. (Titus 1. 5, 6). The nub is that through his family life, a leader must be seen to be someone who is both faithful himself and inspires faithfulness in others.
One of the main reasons for the gap between belief and behaviour in Christians today is the prevalence of subjectivism. Psychologists tell us that often the reason for anxious preoccupation with self goes back to the way children are brought up. Preoccupation with self is often the root of rebellion. The topic of parenting is vast. But simply speaking, there are two opposites which make for bad parenting. One is neglect of a child. This may be physical or emotional. This leaves a child frustrated and feeling unimportant. Resentment and anger build up and will boil over into rebellion. The other extreme of bad parenting is to over-indulge the child. Some parents, because their husband-wife relationship is not good, place the child in the centre of the family. The welfare of the child is something they can agree on. But this can lead to parents being willing to do absolutely anything the child desires. Although the child may initially enjoy this power, he or she is actually too young to cope with it, and so begins to resent what his parents are doing in failing to set limits. Here again is a recipe for an angry, exasperated child.
If a man is not loving enough to care for his children, he will not have heart for the church. If he does not have enough firmness to set limits for his children, how will he have the backbone to discipline the church when it is required?
Elders can be single men. Paul was single. But again there needs to be some test of their faithfulness and their ability to inspire faithfulness. It also occurs that most of the single men we meet in the New Testament had a travelling missionary ministry rather than being permanently settled in one church.
Personal conduct (1.7-8)
In this section there are firstly five things forbidden:'...not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain..
An overbearing man is not able to listen to the needs of others. His dominance will cloud the prominence of Christ, which should characterise the church. A quick-tempered man is unfit to work in a team of leaders. His hot temper stirs up dissension, says Proverbs. Paul next turns to drunkenness. The wolf will have wreaked havoc before a drunken shepherd even realises what is going on. An elder must be a person who can control his appetites rather than letting his appetites control him. Paul rejects violent men from leadership. When our Lord Jesus Christ did not retaliate even when falsely accused, and gave the new commandment to love, violence has no place in church leadership. Lastly, the elder must not be someone who pursues dishonest gain. The Roman poet, Livy, said: 'The Cretans are as eager for riches as bees for honey.' The love of money is the mark of a false teacher (1.11). Such a man is open to bribery and will say anything for pay.
By contrast, Paul now describes six positive characteristics he is looking for: Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.'
Hospitality shows a generous heart. A leader must love what is good. He needs to be one devoted to promoting wholesome humanity and gracious godliness, even if others call him 'squeaky clean'. The word self-controlled can equally be translated 'sensible'. The church needs men with common sense. The remaining three qualities complete Paul's profile of the man who aspires to Christian leadership. Uprightness refers to straightness in relations with other people. Holiness refers to dedication in our relationship to God. Discipline speaks of a man's handling of his relationship with himself.
Here then, is the kind of well-rounded picture of the good leader. What I fear is that such men are out of fashion. They are of little account today. The secular world, with its blaring egotism and slavery to novelty, dismisses such men as 'boring'. And the modern church is no better. Subjective Christians, whose first unspoken question is: 'How does he make me feel?', are ill-fitted to appreciate the qualities required. They put more store on a man's entertainment value than his faithfulness. When we come to consider who should lead and teach us, do not ask: 'Is he amusing?' or 'Does he pull a crowd?' or 'Has he a great intellect?'. These questions are at best either secondary or totally irrelevant. Look at a man's moral and spiritual qualities. Blameless men may be out of fashion but, nevertheless, these are the men Paul would see in leadership.
Gospel stance (1.9)
Last, but by no means least, Paul tells us to investigate a man's doctrinal convictions. 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.
The trustworthy message is the gospel of Christ, the apostolic teaching which we have in the Scriptures. We are told how the man must hold it and how he must use it. He must hold it firmly. These days it is fashionable for Christians to hang loose to doctrine. Such folk are not for leadership. There have always been pressures on Christian leaders to let the Biblical gospel slip. It is tragic to recall the effects on the church down the centuries when the church and the Bible have drifted apart. The apostolic teaching we have in the Scriptures is a trustworthy message. The pressures of post-modern pluralism are to be rejected. Christian leaders must hold on to the message as it has been taught. We do live in a very different age from the apostles. Times have changed. But although we may need to change the language and be innovative and relevant in the way we present the gospel, we must not change the gospel. To tamper with the saving gospel, simply in order to gain popularity or to be thought intellectually respectable, is a heinous crime against lost humanity.
The Christian leader should hold the gospel, and he must use it to encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. The gospel is a message of hope and encouragement for sinners and should be taught as such. Commenting on the ministry of George Whitefield, J.C. Ryle remarks: 'No one who saw him could ever doubt he enjoyed his religion...a venerable lady of New York, after his death...used these remarkable words: 'Mr Whitefield was so cheerful that it tempted me to become a Christian!''
But there is a second aspect to the true leader's work. His sword must be double-edged. Not only must he use Scripture to cut down the sinner's fears and sever the bonds of darkness, he must also be able to slay sin and false teaching. This is not such a popular work as the ministry of encouragement. But the job of contending for the faith once and for all entrusted to the saints is of utmost importance, because it is the truth alone which sets people free and brings salvation.
How can we tell who is a true teacher? Whom should we listen to? Paul has given the answer. You can tell who should be a leader as you investigate his family life, his personal conduct and his gospel stance. If you find that as you look at these areas, although the man may not be perfect, yet there is real Christ-likeness about him, then that is the man. In the true teacher's life, the truth has already led to godliness (1.1), and that is the reason you can trust him to teach you.
This article is an edited version of a chapter from Straightening Out The Self-Centred Church, an Exposition of Titus, by John Benton, published by Evangelical Press (12 Wooler Street, Darlington, DL1 1RQ) in January and is used with permission.
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