Titus 1:5-9

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.  For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.  He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

The stability and effectiveness of any church or organization will rise and fall with its leadership.  There are some professions where a person can be successful while neglecting family and lacking integrity if they are skilled in a certain area.  The ministry is not one of those professions.  A brain surgeon may be an unfaithful husband, absent father, and exhibit arrogance and anger; but if he can cut and knows how to fix brain problems; he will be considered a successful brain surgeon.  Ministers must have certain skills but they are only qualified to use them if the other areas of their lives align.

THE HELP OF LEADERS: Paul has just been released from prison and is on his way to Asia Minor with Titus and Timothy.  When they land in Crete, Paul decides to leave Titus there to help bring order to the churches on the island.  We don’t know how these churches were planted, but we do know that there were Jews from Crete at Pentecost and since it was an island with a harbor, many people traveled to and from the island so believers from other cities may have migrated there.  Somehow several churches have formed that need to be organized.  They key to order in a local church is the establishment of qualified local leaders.  Many natural leaders are not spiritually qualified to lead.  It is dangerous when these “worldly leaders” take charge of a church.  As a missionary, Titus has one basic priority: identify and install godly leaders who can establish the church and help it multiply to the glory of God.  

THE HOME OF LEADERS: The first area of qualification Paul requires for Titus to observe in his search for leaders is the family.  A minister of the Gospel must be on “one woman man.”  This not only means that he should not be divorced and remarried; it also means he must be faithfully devoted to his wife.  A flirt or a man who is known to be “involved” with other women emotionally or even visually through pornography are not biblically qualified to lead the church.  The leader’s children must also be well disciplined and discipled.  A man who has rebellious or unbelieving children in their home must give his full attention to his children and not be distracted from that priority by many responsibilities in the church.  Adult children of faithful parents may choose to walk away from the faith and the parents may continue to be qualified.  However, children under the authority of their parents must take a higher priority than church leadership.  It takes a special leader to be able to do both and that is what Titus is to look for.

THE HEART OF LEADERS: Paul moves from the home of the leader to the heart of the leader.  The reputation of the leader in the community is fundamental to the mission of the church.  In the world, many times pride can be seen as an asset for a leader as it can often been associated with confidence and boldness.  There is no place for such foolishness in the church.  Ministers must be dedicated to the glory of God, not their own.  They must be about serving others and not being served by others.  Anger is another issue that stems from a lack of trust in the Lord and a sense of entitlement that should never be present in church leadership.  Addictions and the love of money are also disqualifiers.  From a positive perspective, leaders must love people and have home that is open to serve and host those in need of refreshment and encouragement.  They must be pure and under the control of the Spirit of God.

THE HEAD OF LEADERS: Finally, leaders need to have certain qualifications in terms of knowledge and abilities.  They must know the Word of God.  They must be convicted about the truth of Scripture and stand on sound doctrine.  The authority and sufficiency of Scripture are two fundamental convictions for every church leader.  However, besides having that personal conviction, the minister of the Gospel must be gifted in communication so he can pass that conviction on to others.  Knowing God’s Word, living God’s Word, and teaching it to others is a fundamental part of the job description.  The Gospel has many enemies and will constantly be under attack.  The minister must be equipped to correct false doctrine and courageous enough to stand up to false teachers.     

APPLICATION: Always be on the lookout for leaders and work hard to produce leaders for the church.  Marriage and parenting are the first laboratory to test and form a leader, be faithful in the home.  Serve others and bring glory to the Lord.  Study and stand firm on the Word of God and call on others to do the same.