Qualifications for pastoral ministry

Must, Part 1

1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-11

Introductory Thoughts

Ø What do we call someone who holds this office?

o In over 20 instances, the office is called “elder”—presbuteros, or presbuteroi

o In six instances, the office is described as “overseer,” or bishop—episkopos

o Only once is this office is referred to as “pastor,” poimen, in Eph 4:11, though the verb form is used three more times.

(John 21:16) "He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep.""

(Acts 20:28) ""Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."

(1 Pet 5:2) "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;"

o This became the common usage through a series of historical events in Baptist history

o So as not to confuse anyone, I will use the term we are all most familiar with

Ø Several questions seldom asked, and even more seldom answered, are:

o “What are the Biblical qualifications for pastors?”
o “What is the Biblical job description of pastors?”
o “What particular spiritual gifts do pastors need to have?”

o Neither you nor I can really know if a man has been called by God, but the Bible gives us a list of qualifications that can give us a true indication.

o If a man says he has been called to the Gospel ministry and he does not have these qualifications, he is either deceived or he is lying.

o The Pastors’ Character
o The Pastors’ Families
o The Pastors’ Gifts

1. First, the concept of “must”

a. “Must” is a very important Biblical principle
b. Some examples

(Mat 24:6) ""And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass…”

(John 3:7) "" You must be born again.'"
(John 3:14) ""And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,"
(John 3:30) ""He must increase, but I must decrease."
(John 4:24) ""God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.""
(John 10:16) ""And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, …”

c. If this or any church would be pleasing to God, they MUST call a man with these qualifications.

2. The Character of the Pastors of the Church

a. A vital topic in this day

(1) Pastoral scandals

(a) Rev. Radic, that sold the church
(b)Rev. Haggard who visited the gay prostitute
(c) The associate pastor at Belleview Baptist in Memphis who had a previous conviction of molestation

(2) Lack of respect for the office

(3) Lack of respect for the men who hold the office and do it right.

b. “…Must…” —these are things that must be, not optional.

c. “…blameless…”

(1) This does not mean “sinless,” else no one would ever qualify.
(2) This means “no legitimate charges can be brought” of anything of a serious nature

d. “temperate” literally means “wineless.” And “not given to wine…” Why mention this twice? Because it is a vital requirement, that many want to overlook in this day

e. “…sober-minded…” A man to be taken seriously, who takes life seriously.

(1) If I was a physician, a surgeon, and I was doing to operate on you today, I believe that you would take this very seriously, and you would want me to be serious about the procedure

(2) What I do here from this pulpit is of far more importance—I am a soul surgeon, dealing with the eternal destinies of people who are going to exist forever.

"Biblical preaching must be soaked in the blood of Jesus and singed by the fires of hell." John Piper

I will one day stand before my Lord, and my ministry will be questioned on the basis of my faithfulness to the Truth in my preaching and teaching. I will not be questioned on my likeability, nor on my manner of dress, or any other such petty thing. I will be judged at the Bema Seat for how well I exercised my calling, which is to preach the Truth to men and women who are in danger at any moment of falling into an eternal abyss, a lake of fire.

(Acts 20:26-27) . 26 "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God."

(2 Cor 5:10-11) "… we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences…”

(James 3:1) "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

(2 Tim 4:1-2) "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. …”

f. “…of good behavior…” a man with an ordered life.

g. “…hospitable…” a man who loves people and being around people.

h. “…not violent…” Literally, not a striker

i. “…gentle, not quarrelsome…” Not someone spoiling for a fight. You can oppose false teachers or knuckleheads and still be peaceful.

j. “…not greedy for money, not covetous…” 1 Tim 6:6-10, Acts 20:23

(1) The church should adequately support the man of God—if he is a true man of God, he will labor over the Word, struggle with difficult passages, and carefully weigh the effects of what he is teaching and preaching—James 3:1-2

(2) The church should fix it so that he does not have to worry about his family’s well being

(3) But the ministry is not about becoming wealthy

3. The Pastor’s Family

a. Note that there is no job description for the wife of a pastor (but there is one for the wife of a deacon). The reason is that the wife of a man of God has plenty to do just being his wife.

b. “…must be…the husband of one wife…”

(1) Must…

(2) The Pastors must be males—the word “husband” is a word that can only refer to a male.

(3) The Pastors must each have only one wife—Literally, they must be “one-woman men…”

(4) Each pastor must be totally committed to one and only one woman.

c. The pastors’ home lives must be respectable; The Pastor must have a well-run household, with his children not being riotous or unruly, and who are submitted to his leadership—3:4b-5

4. The Pastors’ Spiritual Gifts

a. They must be apt to teach “…Titus 1:9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught…”

(1) Well taught—has this man been discipled in the faith, and who discipled this man?

(2) Timothy had been well taught, by example, experience, and doctrine:

(3) The Discipleship Principle—

2 Tim 1:13 "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

2 Tim 2: 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

b. Not a novice—amateur night in the pulpit is never an option

c. Exhorter—A Bible preacher is not to be a shrinking violet nor a dry teacher, but is gifted to stir the souls of all who listen and encourage them.

d. Convincer—A Bible preacher is a man gifted to convince and convict. “…, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”

e. Able to shut down false teachers

2 Tim 4:2 "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."

Titus 1:13 "This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,"

Titus 2:15 "Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."

f. Able to rule well—the administrative gift is often overlooked but is just as much a part of the package as any other.

(1) There is a problem here with this word “rule,” and it causes problems however one looks at it, especially for Americans, because we don’t have a king—our governors govern, our presidents preside

(2) First, we cannot ignore this word, pass it by, nor negate it, for it is integral to this subject, and it is repeated twice for emphasis

(3) The problem comes with the English word, “rule,” which is no longer a good communicator of the meaning of this Greek word, and this has caused problems

(4) The word, translated “rule,” προΐστημι, proistēmi, means to ; to stand before, or to preside, or to maintain. Let’s see how it is used


1 Thessalonians 5:12
Them that labour among you (tous kopiōntas en humin). Old word for toil even if weary.
And are over you in the Lord (kai proistamenous humōn en Kuriōi). Same article with this participle. Literally, those who stand in front of you, your leaders in the Lord, the presbyters or bishops and deacons. Get acquainted with them and follow them.
And admonish you (kai nouthetountas humas). Old verb from nouthetēs and this from nous (mind) and tithēmi, to put. Putting sense into the heads of people. A thankless, but a necessary, task. The same article connects all three participles, different functions of the same leaders in the church.


1 Tim 5:17 "Let the elders who preside well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine."

Heb 13:7 "Remember those who preside over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct."

Heb 13:17 "Obey those who preside over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."

Heb 13:24 "Greet all those who preside over you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you."


***Mat 20:17-28—servant leadership

***1 Pet 5:1-5

5. Application—how can we judge?

a. Brother, how do YOU know if a man is not really called?
(1) The same way I know that a woman is not called to pastor
(2) The Word settles all arguments—Is 8:19-20
b. By their fruits you shall know them—Mat 7:15-20