The Qualifications of an Elder

It is imperative that one differentiates a pastor from elder. Pastor is a Spiritual gift. Elder is an office in the church that one aspires to.

Ephesians 4:11 is the only reference to the gift of pastor. It is shepherding. A pastor can aspire to the office of an elder (overseer) and elder can have a gift of pastor but the two are not synonymous and they should not be viewed as the same gift/office.

I will write more on the gift of pastor following the qualifications of an elder.

Paul lists the qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Each portion of the list is of utmost importance.

1. Paul begins with “an overseer then must be…” As he lists the qualifications, he starts with the most important point, he must be. The word must means that he has to have reached the point and moved on. It is not, “he is working toward or, it is his goal”; rather, he must have reached these points.

Living in Nevada one casino has on its entrance a plaque that reads: One must be 21 to gamble. This sign reveals the minimum age, 21. It does not say, you must aspire to this age nor does it say that it is one’s intended goal. He “must be”, having reached it and gone beyond.

So too, an elder “must be”. These markers are the minimum, not the intended goal for one taking this office.

2. Above reproach is living a life with no blame laid to his name. If he has past errors, he must have cleared his name by seeking forgiveness and making restitution, “having a clear conscience and pure heart…”

3. The husband of one wife is one of the most argued portions of this text. Some say, they can not practice polygamy, having more than one wife at the same time; others, not divorced; and some, they must be married. The polygamist argument can be easily eliminated as the same text is used in 5:9 of the widow, “having been the wife of one man”. History tells us that women never had more than one husband at the same time. This refers to: not divorced. We will delve further into the “must be married” further on.

We have heard, “but what if he was married and divorced before becoming a Christian, can he qualify? The answer is, no. It does not disqualify him as a Believer but it does as an elder. It references his character, not his eternal position. But, aren’t we “new creatures in Christ”? Yes, we are however, can we claim that in our new nature we don’t hold on to our old characteristics?

Next: More qualifications.