Surely, in the wisdom of God, he has ordained that churches would have clarity with regards to leadership and that leaders, though fellow sinners along with the sheep, would have credibility to lead. So ultimately, the question is: What would God put in place to ensure the equipping of the saints and the building up on the body of Christ would happen, as Paul describes it in Eph. 4?
If you’re familiar with that text, you know that v.11 states that Christ gave gifted men to the church to accomplish that task. Even still, how is the church to identify the pastor/teachers given to the church by Christ? In other words, how is the church to know whom the Holy Spirit has made overseers of the church, whom Christ purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28). In order to know for sure, maybe we should expect Christ to place a golden halo above the heads of those whom he has set apart for pastoral ministry? Or maybe Christ wants us to cast lots like the apostles did back in Acts 1 in order to fill Judas’ spot in the 12? Or perhaps it’s everyone who claims to have an intense desire to pursue the role? It’s actually none of those options.
Instead, God has given timeless qualifications that leaders must possess in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1, and the possession of these qualifications can only be assessed by the church.
A Primary Way God Cares for His Church
