The Qualifications of a Bishop

1 Timothy 3:1–7

Take your Bibles with me and turn to First Timothy 3. We're going to be looking at the first seven verses of this chapter tonight. This is kind of a famous chapter because it's probably the number one chapter in all the Bible that explains the qualifications of church offices. In this chapter it's going to talk about bishops and deacons, two different things. If you were to turn to the parallel passage in the book of Titus 1, it uses the terms elders and bishops interchangeably.

So I believe in the New Testament we have three terms for the same office:

1. The term bishop, which means overseer and speaks to the leadership aspect of being a pastor.
2. The term elder, which speaks to the maturity aspect of being a pastor.
3. The term pastor, which speaks to the shepherding aspect of being a pastor and is actually the least used of the three.

Tonight we're going to look at the qualifications of a bishop in 1 Timothy 3.

Now you might ask, "Why does this matter? Why is it something that we need to study?" I mean, it's not like we would study the qualifications for an air traffic controller or the job description for a submariner. So why do we have to study the job description and qualifications of a pastor, of a bishop?

Remember why this book is written? Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to take care of business there in the churches that he'd started. The problem that Timothy was dealing with head-on was that there were elders, there were leaders, there were bishops in this church that were teaching false doctrine. One of the most important things — if not the most important thing — for a church to get right is having the right kind of people in leadership.

One of the most heartbreaking things for me is learning about other pastors who have fallen into sin. Last year a man named Steven Lawson, whose writing I had read quite a bit of, was found to have been having an affair for a long period of time. Here he is touring the country and preaching, putting himself out as a leader of pastors, and he hadn't been faithful to his wife. I used to be a big fan of a radio preacher named Ravi Zacharias. I listened to him almost every day when I was in college. It came out that Ravi Zacharias had abused women all over the place.

Growing up I used to hear about a pastor in Florida named Bob Gray. A friend of mine from college — one of my best friends — served with this pastor. What came out later was that he had been abusing children in his ministry. Rather than the church dealing with it publicly, they sent him away. Unfortunately there are hundreds of stories like this. Some of them are well known, but far more of them are local.

My pastor in middle school was a man named Guy Finch. Guy Finch had started the Mass Baptist Temple in Lowell, Massachusetts, then moved to North Chelmsford right out of Bible college and pastored that church for 30 years. He was well regarded among the pastors of New England. He had a big conference at our little church regularly. He had grown children in the ministry. And one day I found out that Guy Finch wasn't our pastor anymore — because he had run away with the young wife of another couple in our church. He was in his late 50s at the time. That woman's husband got on a motorcycle after he found out and ended up in a wreck that left him paralyzed. It was an absolutely horrendous situation, and it tore our church apart.

It really matters who the leaders are. It doesn't matter that they're great leaders in the eyes of the world. It doesn't matter that they'd be a CEO if they were in the business world. It doesn't matter that they have fantastic speaking ability. What matters is that their character is right.

Far more than any sermon that I preach as your pastor is the sermon of my life — the sermon of my character. If my character isn't right, then it doesn't matter what I say to you. It doesn't matter if I'm the best expository preacher that's ever lived in Mattoon, Illinois. Character of leadership matters.

And that's what this chapter is about.

Let's go ahead and read verses 1–7.

[1] This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
**[2] A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
**[3] Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
**[4] One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
**[5] (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
**[6] Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
**[7] Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

— 1 Timothy 3:1–7 (KJV)

There are seven different groups of qualifications that I want us to look at tonight — seven things that have to be in place if somebody is going to be a bishop, if somebody is going to be the leader of a church.

It's good for you to know this because it's good to know what is required of a pastor. But it's also good even if you're never going to become a pastor, because these qualifications are all things that every Christian man should aim for. The old phrase "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" rings true here. If something is prescribed for leadership, then generally it's something that's good for every man to aspire to. These things would make you a better husband, a better father, a better co-worker. They just happen to be required if you want to become a pastor.

1. Qualifications of Desire

[1] This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
— 1 Timothy 3:1 (KJV)

If somebody wants to be an overseer, if somebody wants to be a pastor, they need to be told that that is a good thing — a good occupation that they are aspiring to.

When God calls people to pastoral ministry, He gives them a desire to want to be a bishop. I don't fully understand this. It doesn't make sense on a human level, but I know in my heart that I could not not be a pastor. It's who I am. It's a desire that God gave me very clearly when I was a younger person, and it has never left me. If I ever left Bible Baptist, it would not be for a better programming job or to work at a nonprofit. I know that God has given me a desire for the work of pastoral ministry.

Sometimes that work is difficult. Sometimes it's heartbreaking. People disappoint you. People betray you. There is the never-ending slog of sermons to write, things to study for, meetings to prepare for. But I would rather be a pastor than anything else — and I know that's because God has given me that desire.

If God gives you that desire, young man, then embrace it. Pastor Sexton used to tell us in college, "The call to ministry is the call to prepare." If the Lord has given you a desire to preach, a desire to pastor, then spend time in preparation. Come to me. I will give you books to read. I will point you toward things to study. If the Lord needs to move you to a Bible college, I will help you with that. If God is calling you to be a pastor, set wholeheartedly down that path.

On the other hand, if you could be happy doing something else — if you could be content selling insurance, delivering the mail, working at a factory — there is nothing wrong with that. Not one thing. This is not a calling God gives to everybody, and you probably shouldn't be a pastor if you could be satisfied doing something else.

One more thing before I move on. Notice the verse says to desire the work of a bishop. A lot of people desire what they perceive as the prestige of being a pastor — the idea of leading people, of being the one who speaks week in and week out. But they don't necessarily desire the work. What you see on Sunday morning is just the tip of the iceberg. There are hours and hours of study, reading, preparation, relationships, and problem-solving that nobody ever sees. If you don't love that work, do something else.

2. Qualifications of Reputation

[2] A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife...
— 1 Timothy 3:2 (KJV)

This list starts and ends with the would-be pastor's reputation. The first thing it says is that a pastor must be blameless — above reproach. If people throw accusations at him, those accusations cannot stick.

This doesn't mean a pastor is perfect. I guarantee if you dug enough, you could find things about me that you wouldn't like. But there should be no major red flags in a pastor's reputation. No major scandals. No major unresolved problems. A pastor has to be blameless.

The phrase "husband of one wife" is also about reputation. Literally in the Greek this means a one-woman man. This is not primarily about whether a pastor has ever been divorced or was widowed and remarried. It's not about the quantity of his marriages but the quality. A bishop must be wholly devoted to his spouse — not someone who flirts, not someone who has a wandering eye. His wife must completely trust him. It is absolutely essential that a bishop lead the church in this area by having a good marriage.

Unfortunately, one of the most common ways pastors fall is by not being faithful to their spouse. If there is any hint of that pattern, I believe it is disqualifying.

3. Qualifications of Temperament

[2] ...vigilant, sober, of good behaviour...
— 1 Timothy 3:2b (KJV)

These three words cover similar ground. When I worked through these in my paraphrase, I came up with self-controlled, clear-headed, and well-behaved.

A pastor has to have control over his own spirit. He has to think clearly, stay even-tempered, and know how to conduct himself. Before you can lead a church, you have to be able to lead yourself. Before you can lead your family, you have to be able to lead yourself. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who never learn to do that — they're blown around by the winds of their emotions or their desires. That is not a leader.

If you're constantly changing your opinions, bouncing from position to position with every new wind of influence — that's not being sober. If you don't know how to act in public — that's not good behaviour. The pastor has to have the right temperament.

4. Qualifications of Ability

[2] ...given to hospitality, apt to teach;
— 1 Timothy 3:2c (KJV)

The first ability qualification is being given to hospitality. A pastor has to be someone who enjoys being around people, who opens his home to others, who shares his table. You may know the word xenophobia — fear of others. Well, this word for hospitality is essentially the opposite: love of others.

I've been reading a wonderful book called The Ministry of Small Things, and its thesis is that it is just as important for a pastor to spend time with people in specific personal ways as it is for him to preach sermons. It's a convicting book.

The second ability qualification is being apt to teach — the ability to preach and teach. Notice it's only one item in a long list. But if a man cannot preach and cannot teach, he has no business being a pastor. It's a gift God gives, and people either have it or they don't. If the church doesn't recognize that gift in a man, he shouldn't be a pastor.

5. Qualifications of Character

[3] Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
— 1 Timothy 3:3 (KJV)

Not given to wine. This means he is not a drunkard. A pastor needs to stay away from alcohol. Even in Bible times, drunkenness was a serious problem — even in the church at Corinth there were people getting drunk during the Lord's Supper.

No striker / not a brawler. Together these mean a pastor cannot have a contentious personality. He can't be violent — not with his fists, and not with his words. The word translated patient there means gentle.

Not greedy of filthy lucre. That phrase "filthy lucre" translates a single Greek word meaning dishonorable gain. Let me read what Kent Hughes had to say about this:

Some ministers pay more attention to the fleece than to the flock. This doesn't mean it is wrong to have money, but it is wrong to love money. Some of the richest men I know are not lovers of money — but the truth is, it's hard to have a lot of money and not love it. It's also hard to be poor and not love money. Whatever the case, one cannot love money and be qualified for church leadership.

If most pastors who fail do so morally, many others fail financially. They get greedy. It's best to identify that before someone is ever called a pastor.

Not covetous. He can't live wanting what other people have. He needs to be content with what God has given him.

Character matters. It is more important to be a person of character than a person of ability. Anybody, if they tried hard enough, could stand up and deliver a sermon. Some people can even get a couple of good ones. But it is very hard to maintain consistent, godly character over decades — and that is exactly what we are called to as pastors.

6. Qualifications of Experience

There are two types of experience required for a bishop.

The first is familial experience:

[4] One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
**[5] (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
— 1 Timothy 3:4–5 (KJV)

A pastor has to have his own house under control, and he has to take that seriously. If he can't lead his own children, how is he going to lead a church?

Imagine someone comes into the church and asks, "How is a Christian supposed to treat his wife?" People ought to be able to say, "Look at the pastor — see how he treats his wife." If someone asks, "How should a Christian raise his kids?" People ought to be able to say, "Look at the pastor — see how he raises his." He is to be an example.

I don't think this means that if a pastor has grown children who eventually go astray, he is disqualified. But while they are in his household, they should be under his leadership.

The second is simply time as a Christian:

[6] Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
— 1 Timothy 3:6 (KJV)

The word novice simply means a new Christian, someone recently saved. It is not a good idea to find someone who just got saved — no matter how talented they seem — and make them a pastor right away. What can happen is that person becomes filled with pride.

The phrase "fall into the condemnation of the devil" doesn't mean the devil is going to condemn him. It means he will fall into the same kind of condemnation that came upon the devil. Remember, the devil was an angel in heaven until he was filled with pride and fell. A novice put into leadership too quickly is at risk of the very same kind of fall.

Before a person can be a bishop, he has to live as a Christian for a while. He has to prove his Christian life.

7. Qualifications of Reputation — Again

[7] Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
— 1 Timothy 3:7 (KJV)

Paul ends this list where he began it. He started in verse 2 with the pastor's reputation — that he be blameless. He ends with the pastor's reputation — that he have a good report from those outside the church.

The phrase "good report" could be translated beautiful testimony. And I want you to understand something: if a man does all the things on this list — if he has the right desire, the right reputation, the right temperament, the right abilities, the right character, the right experience — then he is going to have a beautiful testimony with the watching world. That's not an accident. It's the natural result of a life shaped by God.

But if he falls short, that failure becomes a reproach for the whole church, and a trap that the devil will gladly use.

Conclusion

Seven qualifications. Seven areas of a man's life that must be in order before he takes on the office of a bishop. Desire. Reputation. Temperament. Ability. Character. Experience. And reputation again.

Here is what I want you to walk away with tonight. This list is not primarily a checklist for hiring a pastor. It is a portrait of what a godly man looks like. And God is calling every man in this room — pastor or not — toward that portrait.

Are you the kind of husband your wife can completely trust? Are you the kind of father your children can look to as an example? Do you have control over your temper, your tongue, your desires? Are you content with what God has given you, or are you always grasping for more?

The world is watching. Your family is watching. Your church is watching. And the question Paul is pressing on every one of us tonight is simple: does your life preach the same sermon as your words?

Let's pray.