Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one 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 with proper 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. 1 Timothy 3:1-7

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. 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. 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. Titus 1:6-9

The Qualifications of an Elder:

In these passages we are given the qualifications for eldership in the early Church as presented by the Apostle Paul, church-planter, rebel, poet, and martyr. Paul, with gravity and gentleness in his words (like a grandfather with a child on his knee), outlines the must-haves of a pastor for two young shepherds. Having traveled that same path for years, Paul begins to add clarity with specifics and hopes to make transparent the murky waters of church government in building a framework within which we must all begin when considering candidates for eldership in our churches today. And he offers just that: a framework within which to begin; this list is not comprehensive, only a starting point.

“An overseer must be…”

• Above reproach (committed to living in the light of the Gospel)
• The husband of but one wife (a one-woman man)
• Not overbearing
• Not easily angered
• Temperate (cool and collected)
• Self-controlled
• Respectable
• Hospitable
• Able to teach (able to proclaim faithfully the sovereign story of God with his people)
• Not given to drunkenness
• Not violent but gentle
• Not quarrelsome
• Not pursuing dishonest gain
• A lover of good things
• Not a lover of money
• A disciplined person
• Able to manage his own family well
• A father respected and obeyed by his children
• Not be a recent convert (not new to the faith and Scripture)
• Respected by outsiders