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Introduction
It has been known since the days of Christ that Satan has few limits on his methods of
attack against the church. While the relentless onslaughts throughout history have been easily
noticed, he has taken a joy in the fact that the destructive work he has accomplished within the
church has gone unnoticed by many. A simple drive around one’s neighborhood will reveal too
many churches that tout a gospel different than the true gospel of Christ, and unfortunately many
of these church movements are spearheaded by false teachers. The true character of a biblical
pastor should be known by every Christian so that they might find themselves in a God-honoring
church who preaches truth over lies and life over death.
Biblical Considerations
Every argument in which the goal is to convince one of biblical truth must be rooted in
Scripture. One aspect to note is that the character of God’s chosen leaders in the Old Testament
and the New Testament is not identical, but their responsibilities differs little. In the Old
Testament, qualifications did not matter as much as they later would. If God personally chose
someone, that was qualification enough for that point in time, and there would be no further
consideration or questioning needed. Although there were earlier patriarchs chosen by God,
Moses was the first true leader appointed by God over Israel. He visited Moses through the
burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6), and He charged Moses with the task of physically leading His
people out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10-12). This sort of responsibility of assisting in the delivery of
God’s people out of bondage and towards God is prescribed to the pastor.
In the New Testament, Christ initially chooses the leaders of the church. It is written
“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit,
and that your fruit would abide, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give
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to you” (John 15:16, Legacy Standard Bible). Furthermore, “Acts 9:1-19 details the events of
Christ personally choosing Paul, and it was Paul who would write most of the material found on
the qualifications for the pastoral office. According to Paul, “An overseer, then, must be above
reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not
addicted to wine or pugnacious, but considerate, peaceable, free from the love of money; leading
his own household well … and not be a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and
fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:2-6).
Theological Considerations
One view of the qualifications for a pastor comes from a conservative point of view that
focuses on biblical literalism. This view stands firm that the Bible means what it says, and the
qualification laid forth by God in His word are to be followed exactly how they are written. It is
written, “A woman must learn in quietness, in all submission. But I do not allow a woman to
teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet” (1 Timothy 2:11-12). A biblical
literalist recognizes the meaning of this text in the context with the rest of Scripture. It is only
limited to the position of leadership in the church over men. An egalitarian view would believe
passages such as this must mean something other than what it plainly states. This is not
completely unwarranted, as many passages of Scripture require insight and proper cultural
context before rendering a verdict on their true meaning, but this passage’s meaning does not
change from the literal take once those contexts are understood.
A biblical literalist believes there are very specific qualifications for a pastor, while
others would argue that everyone is called to serve God. Based off of these qualifications found
in the New Testament, many Old Testament leaders would be disqualified from holding office in
the current church including Moses and David. Some would argue in favor of forgiveness, but
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forgiveness does not mean proper action ought to take place regarding a disqualified individual.
Some denominations hold that pastors must adhere to a specific confession or doctrinal set or
they face disqualification, while others argue biblical character is more important than holding to
the correct biblical doctrine. A sound pastor will have both.
Historical Considerations
Christ stated what the focus of the pastor was to be, and every faithful pastor throughout
history has kept to this saying: “Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house” (Luke
2:49). What Jesus is saying here is that He was about the Father’s business. MacArthur adds, “As
Jesus engaged in His Father’s work, so must we.”1 On the nature of the pastor, the 17th century
vicar of Kidderminster Richard Baxter writes, “methinks a minister should take some special
pains with his heart, before he is to go to the congregation: if it be then cold, how is he likely to
warm the hearts of his hearers? Therefore, go then specially to God for life … Maintain, in this
manner, the life of grace in yourselves, that it may appear in all your sermons from the pulpit.”2
There is also a sense of humility that a pastor must contain. It may seem easy to be overrun with
authority, but the fact is that the pastor has no authority. Rather, he is the medium of which God
uses to display the authority of the Bible to the congregation. Baxter adds, “It would make a
man’s heart ache, to see a company of dead, drowsy sinners sitting under a minister, and not hear
a word that is likely to quicken or awaken them.”3 A predenominational church holds to the
biblical principles presented literally in the New Testament regarding the qualifications of a
pastor, and it would be in full agreement with Baxter on this issue.
1 John MacArthur, Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry (Waco, TX: Word, Inc., 1995), 17.
2 Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2020), 29.
3 Baxter, The Reformed Pastor, 137.
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Summary and Application
A pastor is to be disqualified if he is festering in ongoing sin. This would include those
who claim to be part of the LGBTQ culture, those who have either public or private marriage
conflicts due to sin within the marriage, those who have immense greed or drunkenness, those
who lack control or discipline, those who preach false teachings, those who are violent or
quarrelsome without cause, those of recent conversion, those who seek to glorify themselves, and
those who are not growing in prayer and their knowledge of the Scriptures. He is to serve as the
lead pastor, and his position should be unique within the church; although, there may be multiple
pastors who take on submissive and subordinate roles with individual authorities and
responsibilities. This is especially encouraged in larger congregations. Washer writes, “A church
that is fed only on principles and commands will languish from malnutrition. Its heart will
wither, its hope will fade, and its vitality will be drained. But a church fed on Christ and His
gospel will go from strength to strength and form glory to glory, for ‘the people who know their
God shall be strong’ (Daniel 11:32).”4 It is the qualified pastor’s job to ensure the church is
nourished on the word of God, and he must perform this task while maintaining his character.
4 Paul Washer, The Preeminent Christ: God’s Beautiful and Unchanging Gospel (Grand Rapids, MI:
Reformation Heritage Books, 2023), 59.
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Bibliography
Baxter, Richard. The Reformed Pastor. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2020.
MacArthur, John. Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry. Waco, TX: Word, Inc., 1995.
Washer, Paul. The Preeminent Christ: God’s Beautiful and Unchanging Gospel. Grand Rapids,
MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2023.
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