Pastoral Qualifications in the Early Church
If I had to sum up the Bible’s qualifications for church leadership in just a few words, I would say it boils down to character, integrity, and faithfulness to God. Competence in our work matters, and it’s good to improve our skills and hone our craft, but these must take a backseat to submitting to the Holy Spirit first.
At face value, any Christian in leadership would agree with this. The problem is that we can easily confuse our own vision of what we think the Holy Spirit wants over what the actual will of the Holy Spirit is. It can be easy to get caught up in the stresses of attendance, conversions/baptisms, finances, and church growth.
If these factors are at a high rate, it can be tempting to overlook the questionable character of a church leader and assume that regardless of their flaws the Spirit must be working through them. If these factors are low, desperation for growth and success can tempt churches to put the wrong people in authority.
But the Bible tells a different story. The ends don’t justify the means.
For this blog, we’ll look over the New Testament passages that discuss leadership qualifications, followed by the Apostolic Fathers’ (from the 1st century) instructions for church leadership. There are plenty of great writings the Church have given us over the years on this subject, but for now we’ll stick with the first century.
The Gospels
It’s interesting how much Jesus discusses leadership, and almost never discusses the things often discussed in ministry circles. There is no passage in the Gospels that give strategy for sermon prep. There is no goal given to fill the church with high attendance for a Christmas program. Instead, the qualifications Jesus sets for leaders (and generally all Christians) are based on living a humble, sacrificial life.
Towards the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus equips the audience to know who can be trusted as true followers of the Kingdom. In referencing leaders, Jesus acknowledges there will be many false prophets who claim to follow him, and we will know them by the fruit they bear. (Matthew 7:15-23) While this passage has no shortage of debated interpretation, I believe the fruit Jesus is referring to are the commandments given from the sermon.
In context for today, this means a true prophet/leader does not get to say or do whatever they want with no criticism. “But look at the miracles and success they have” is not satisfying in the eyes of Christ. “Who are you to question God’s anointed?” is a cheap deflection from accountability. A true prophet, pastor, deacon, elder, or any leader will love their enemy, apologize when wrong, not engage in lust, not seek personal status, and be completely transparent.
Before his heavy criticism of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus tells the disciples not to imitate their behavior. He specifically calls out their apathy, hypocrisy, vanity, and selectively choosing what commandments to obey. “The greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12)
This teaching is also given in Mark and Luke. (Mark 9:35; Luke 14:11) In Mark’s account, Jesus compares Kingdom leadership to be opposite of Gentile leadership:
“Jesus called them over and said to them, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”
In both the Jewish and Gentile context, Jesus called the disciples to put others in front of them, faithfully obey God’s commands, and humbly love others first.
The Apostles
When appointing leaders to oversee daily distribution to the Hellenist widows, the Apostles choose “men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom…” (Acts 6:3) The Apostles certainly wanted men who could competently do the task, but choosing respected men who followed the Lord was of first importance.
In his famous passage on love in 1st Corinthians 13, Paul imitates Jesus’ point in Matthew 7:15-23. Miracles, powerful preaching, and self sacrifice are in vain if love is absent. We should not be seeking miracles over the Miracle Worker. Miracles, while great, are only temporary. Love is stored for eternity.
The so-called “Pastoral Epistles” give the most information on the subject. When looking over the epistles, we see similar criteria from the previously mentioned Scriptures.
“This saying is reliable: if anyone has a goal to be a supervisor in the church, they want a good thing. So the church’s supervisor must be without fault. They should be faithful to their spouse, sober, modest, and honest. They should show hospitality and be skilled at teaching. They shouldn’t be addicted to alcohol or be a bully. Instead, they should be gentle, peaceable, and not greedy. They should manage their own household well—they should see that their children are obedient with complete respect, because if they don’t know how to manage their own household, how can they take care of God’s church? They shouldn’t be new believers so that they won’t become proud and fall under the devil’s spell. They should also have a good reputation with those outside the church so that they won’t be embarrassed and fall into the devil’s trap.
In the same way, servants (or deacons) in the church should be dignified, not two-faced, heavy drinkers, or greedy for money. They should hold on to the faith that has been revealed with a clear conscience. They should also be tested and then serve if they are without fault. In the same way, women who are servants in the church should be dignified and not gossip. They should be sober and faithful in everything they do. Servants must be faithful to their spouse and manage their children and their own households well. Those who have served well gain a good standing and considerable confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”
Paul gives similar qualifications in Titus: self-controlled, sober, respectable, and consistent in faith and love. (Titus 2:1-8) “Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching.” (Titus 2:7b CSB)
James gives multiple warnings throughout his epistle to be careful of what we say. The most attention he gives to the subject is in chapter 3, where he warns that Christians who become leaders will be judged with a higher standard. (James 3:1) Peter’s first epistle also gives similar criteria for the elders, instructing to lead out of humility, and not seeking money. (1st Peter 5:1-5)
To summarize, the Apostles followed what Jesus instructed from the beginning: leaders of the Church are to be in integrity with the Lord and seek love first and foremost. We discern leaders by their character, not their “results”.
The Didache
We’ve previously discussed the instructions given in The Didache to discern true prophets and apostles from false ones. The prophets/apostles are assumed to be visitors in The Didache’s context, whereas the church leaders are assumed to be local:
“Therefore appoint for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, men who are humble and not avaricious and true and approved, for they too carry out for you the ministry of the prophets and teachers. You must not, therefore, despise them, for they are your honored men, along with the prophets and teachers.”
While the instruction for pastoral qualifications in The Didache is short, it gives us interesting insight to how a 1st century church functioned. The congregation is given the responsibility to appoint their bishops and deacons. While the bishops and deacons are given the same honor as the prophets, they are also held to the same high standard of conduct given to true prophets. They are expected to live out the Lord’s commandments, which in the case of The Didache, heavily reflects the teachings from The Sermon on the Mount. They are to be humble and respected individuals who do not seek money or status.
1st Clement
The epistle of Clement could have its own blog series in regards to church leadership and qualifications, considering the purpose of the letter was regarding conflict between church leaders in Corinth.
We don’t know much of the story, but it seems some of the Corinthian elders were removed from leadership, but Clement and the Roman Church rebukes the members who called for the removal. For this blog, we’ll focus on chapter 44, where Clement discusses the origin on church leadership:
“Our apostles likewise knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that there would be strife over the bishop’s office. For this reason, therefore, having received complete foreknowledge, they appointed the leaders mentioned earlier and afterwards they gave the offices a permanent character; that is, if they should die, other approved men should succeed in their ministry.
These, therefore, who were appointed by them or, later on, by other reputable men with the consent of the whole church, and who have ministered to the flock of Christ blamelessly, humbly, peaceably, and unselfishly, and for a long time have been well-spoken of by all—these we consider to be unjustly removed from their ministry.”
This passage has gained a lot of attention over the years, especially in regards to the topic of church structure and apostolic succession. While there is debate over it, Clement seems to be referring to the bishop and elders interchangeably, suggesting the elders who were removed held the position of bishop in Corinth. (Downs, 2021, Pg. 158)
For our purpose, what matters in this passage is that the Apostles and the future generations cared that their leaders were humble, selfless, and well-spoken of.
Conclusion
The New Testament and Apostolic Fathers are in agreement that the first and most important qualification for church leadership is character. Jesus said we would know them by their fruit, not their preaching skills or administrative talent. Narcissism and bullying is rampant in churches. People are getting hurt and the Gospel is being blasphemed. This can’t change if excuses are made to cover for these abuses of power. Integrity must come first.
True success in ministry is faithfulness to King Jesus, and that faithfulness is checked by asking ourselves everyday if we are loving God and our neighbor.
Bibliography
Holmes, M. (2006). The Apostolic Fathers in English (3rd Edition). Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Academic.
Downs, D. (2021). Church, Church Ministry, and Church Order. In M. Bird and S. Harrower, The Cambridge Companion to the Apostolic Fathers. University Printing House, Cambridge, United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations from the COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE. © Copyright 2011 COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE. All rights reserved. Used by permission (www.CommonEnglishBible.com).