LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Assignment Title: 1Timothy 3: 1 -7 and the Characteristics of Prospective Church Leader
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Kristine Sage
Date: January 29, 2022
Professor: Dr. Joel Breidenbaugh
The Characteristics of Prospective Church Leader
The epistle to Timothy is one of the Pastoral Epistles, so called because they addressed
ecclesiastical issues – order and structure – in the body of Christ. Though the authorship of the epistle is
controversial, its content is not less relevant than any of the other canonical books. In fact, the content
of the Pastorals is more traditional, practical, set down didactically in fixed rules of conduct and morality
(Schrage, 1990:257). The Pastorals call on Christians to lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and
respectful in every way. They emphasise reverence, piety, conduct that is pleasing to God as
requirements that apply to all Christians. The ethical conduct urged on believers is an essential part of
their missionary witness to the world. The practical, day –to- day conduct of all believers is, for the
Pastoral Epistles, an integral part of their faith and worship (Freedman, 1992:567).
The ideal Church leader is described in 1Tim. 3: 1-7 with a catalogue of virtues, though all the
qualities listed in the text are expected in any serious Christian, they are more especially necessary in
the life of Christian leaders. Anyone whose moral and spiritual qualities do not commend them to their
contemporaries are not going to have much influence as Christian minister. A great deal of damage has
been done by those whose inconsistent living has been noticed and criticized by the non – Christian
world (Carson, France, Motyer &Wenham 1994:1299). Pastors are expected to serve as models of
unfailing perseverance in faith, love, and purity.
They are to maintain high moral and spiritual standards. The Overseer then must be blameless, the
husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach; not an excessive
drinker, not violent; but forbearing, not contentious, not covetous; one who manages well his own
household, having his children in subjection with all dignity. He must not be a new convert; he must
have a good report from those outside (1Timothy, 3:1 -7).
The minister here is expected to oversee the needs of his followers, the life of the flock. He is
required to be blameless – he must have a blameless reputation; a proven observable conduct which is
above reproach. “Above reproach” (anepilemptos means not only of good report but deservedly so) this
is indispensable to the Christian minister’s character (Guthrie, 1990). His Christian life and character
must reflect Christ. His steadfastness in the faith can be set before the congregation as pre-eminently
worthy of imitation. He is expected to be a married man who has only one wife.
He must have self-control, be able to control his passions; have a sound and sane mind that is
emotionally self-restrained. He must be a respectable and honourable man in the society; have a well-
ordered life and generous. He must have teaching skill to be able to teach the word of God effectively.
This quality involves mental skills. An overseer must have the propensity to pass on the advice and
doctrine to enquirers. The church has been at its weakest when this basic requirement has been absent
in its leaders (Guthrie, 1990). The Christian leader is not to indulge in excessive drinking. He must be a
gentle man, patient with the imperfections of his followers. He must not be covetous; the focus of his
life must not be for the purpose of accumulating wealth. He must have proved his ability to work with
people by his correct handling of the affairs of his own family. Any man unable to govern his children
graciously and gravely by maintaining good discipline, is not suitable for government in the church.
The parallel between the church and the home brings impressive dignity to Christian home-life, a
dignity as imperative in the twentieth century as in Paul’s day (Guthrie, 1990:93). He must not be a new
convert but someone who is knowledgeable in the word of God. All these qualities are expected in both
the men and women who aspire or claim to have been called to be Church leaders.
Societal Expectation from Gospel Ministers
Gospel ministers are mostly called by different, numerous titles in Nigeria. Some are called pastors,
reverends, apostles, bishops, General Overseers or Superintendents, prophets and so on. Generally they
occupy the position of a spiritual guide and community leader in the society. They are believed to be
God’s representatives on earth and ambassadors of God’s kingdom; hence they are respected and
treated with much honour. The status of the minister of the gospel in the society is a unique one and it
is the expectation of all and sundry that he or she is above board both in character and in the discharge
of his or her ministerial assignments.
He is seen not only as the representative of God among men, but also as a Priest who represents
the people before God. Consequently, there are high spiritual and moral expectations from him since he
is supposed to be a person of integrity in the human society. If the society expects members of the
community to exhibit integrity, then it expects the highest level of integrity from ministers of the gospel.
He is expected to be truthful in life and character and live the truth of the scripture he teaches
modelling Christ in a very sound and robust way that befits his calling.
One of the qualities expected of the gospel ministers is integrity. People will repose their trust in
those who are reliable and in many cases, it does not matter the title a man is carrying in the society,
once he is discovered to be a man whose character is questionable, his tendency to influence the world
around him is reduced. According to Roberts (1995: 65) character and integrity are associated word in
moral vocabulary; “a person has character if he or she is characterized by such traits as truthfulness,
courage, justice and compassion, especially if he or she is able to maintain virtuous action, emotion and
thought despite pressures to slacken his or her measure”. In other words, “a person is said to have
integrity if he or she is a complete and definite self and has the powers to resist ‘disintegration’ in the
face of temptation, suffering, peer pressure, and other adverse moral influences”. Integrity is essential
to every person who hopes to earn the trust and respect of those around him and more importantly is
very crucial to the gospel minister if he hopes to influence his followers positively.
Trull and Carter, (2004) cited Chaucer who asked “If gold rusts, then what shall poor iron do” (p 14).
If ministers whom the society looks up to fall for lack of integrity, what then should be expected of lay
persons? If any person is going to misbehave, the society does not expect it to be ministers of God who
are supposed to be custodians of morality and exemplary living. Ministers are expected to be people
who have given themselves to serve others, to serve the needs of others through the preaching and
teaching of the word of God. They must not be one against whom a just accusation can be made by any
man.
The Pastor, in addition to teaching and preaching, also visits, counsels, encourage, do some
administration and engage in social ministry in order to meet the holistic needs of his Parishioners. He is
also probably a family man who must take care of his family and see to it that they are built up in the
way of the Lord. The society does not want to know whether his wife and family receives ministerial
training or not, they expect them to be godly and behave well. His pastoral ministry is not confined to
the four corners of his Church. He is a public figure and consequently must make every effort to protect
his integrity in the discharge of his duties. The lifestyle of a minister is an important element in his or her
total witness. The lifestyle should confirm rather than contradict the gospel he or she proclaim
