1

CHURCH LEADER CHARACTERISTICS

Theology of Ministry 2
2PT530
Dr. Steve Childers

Matt Marino
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Church Leader Characteristics 1

1. ENGLISH WORDS: aspires to desires a noble task

2. GREEK WORDS: .

3. GREEK MEANING: The word for aspires here derives from the verb to reach or
stretch out (BDAG), while desire is to eagerly desire (BDAG). It can be both of good
things and bad things throughout its NT usage. Etymologically, the word really means
hyper desire. There is another word to express good (), but is used of
moral goodness in other places. It is not merely aesthetic goodness, or beauty. The word
is the genitive for a work or deed or action (BDAG), so a kind of work is being
described.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: What does this look like in practical terms? Many
people think that it is unspiritual to approach church leadership about ones own calling.
But 1 Timothy 3:1 seems to contradict this. There is such a godly desire. Sanders
distinguishes between godly and ungodly ambitions (10-11) the latter being marked by
private interest and promotion in this world. In other words, the trouble with our ambitions
is not that they are too strong, but too weak. To paraphrase Lewis we fool about with
titles and prestigue and money and followers and the appearance of spirituality when an
unfading crown of glory is oered us. We are far too easily promoted. But godly ambition
aspires the labor which produces eternal fruit. Now can this be concretely tested out? I
believe it can, over time.

In the first few years of our church plant, I succumbed to a little false humility in what some
regarded to be the rigorous requirement of a minimum one-year testing period and an 8-
class track at what we called our Shepherds College. While I dont know that I would make
that part more demanding, certainly there should have been more heart-probing
conversations about idolatry in the position. All in all the nature of the aspiration, or desire,
or ambition, went untested. Now I have to ask about my own desire to get back into an
elder position. What is it that I truly desire? I know that I desire to see others brought to
Christ, and to feed his sheep. I believe that is why God has given me the specific gifts that
he has, and that I receive the most joy in using those gifts when other people are most
served by them.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (notmerely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristics 2

1. ENGLISH WORDS: above reproach

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: This word is rendered as not apprehended, that cannot be laid
hold of; hence that cannot be reprehended, not open to censure, irreproachable (Thayers).
Hendriksen suggests its best wooden translation is not to be laid hold of,1 as in being
thrown out. Stott adds that, This cannot mean faultless, or no child of Adam would ever
qualify for a share in the oversight.2 But one who cannot be attacked because of moral
conduct. Above reproach is also comprehensive of all of the traits that follow. It is also
comprehensive of who is judging: not only others, but those closest to us.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Ministry must bring suering, much of it at the hand of

weeds sown into the Lords field by the enemy. Consequenly this is not meant to disqualify
anyone who the devils servants accuse. The focus is on righteous charges verses unrighteous.
Much like in the case of ambition, so here with reproach: there is a true and a false. I have
been falsely accused by vicious people for the purpose of taking me out. On the other hand,
there is so much evil in my heart, that my worst critics only wish they could gain access to
that kind of dirt. So I think the key is to rise above the one and take the challenge of the
other, allowing even our adversaries to push us over the line called above reproach.

As Getz suggests, the testimonies, for or against us, that count the most are of those who
know us the best (23-30). Taking his challenge and applying it to future ordination, it may be
very profitable for me to make a chart with the biblically defined character requirements,
asking my family members to fill it out for areas of improvement.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (notmerely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___

1 William Hendriksen, Thessalonians, the Pastorals, and Hebrews, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2002. 120
2 John Stott, The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996. 92
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Church Leader Characteristic 3

1. ENGLISH WORDS: the husband of one wife

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: Though the word order does not matter, the construction could
suggest something like one-woman man. The word can be used about either
wife or woman. It is used of any adult female virgins are included (BDAG, 168);
univ. a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow (Thayers, 123). Likewise
can mean either man or husband.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Getz draws attention to the fact that being the husband
of one wife is listed right after the blanket quality above reproach. What, if anything, is
the significance of this? Perhaps it is because sexual temptation may be the most common
potential for disqualification. But that is speculation. I think one way to hear Getz on this
subject is that we should interpret husband of one wife in light of Jesus words in Matthew
5:27-28. Although Getz draws an appropriate line between merely tempting thoughts as
opposed to thinking in terms of how to cause it to happen (36), still there is a progression,
from the one to the other, that a one-woman man must resist.

I think that cultivating integrity in this area means more than making a covenant with my
eyes (Job 31:1)though that is important. Includes various applications of the Modesto
Manifesto. Not only should I not meet with women alone, but I should be careful not to put
them in positions where they are emotionally involved with me through counseling or even
in certain communications serving in church. If my wife would not be comfortable with the
conversation developing the way it is then I should probably not engage in it.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 4

1. ENGLISH WORDS: sober-minded

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: Most literally: sober, temperate; abstaining from wine, either entirely
(Joseph. antt. 3, 12, 2) or at least from its immoderate use: 1 Tim. iii. 2, 11; Tit. ii. 2. (Thayers,
425). It is derived from which also carries the more general to be calm and collected
in spirit (Thayers 425). It is to be free fr. every form of mental and spiritual drunkenness,
fr. excess, passion, rashness, confusion, etc. or to be self-possessed under all
circumstances (BDAG, 538).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: There seems to be a lot hinging on whether this refers

merely to sobriety when it comes to strong drink or else a more complete sober-mindedness.
The opposite of being sober-minded is being a reed shaken by the wind: whether those
winds are personal trauma, false teachings, or trends in culture. Previously I would have
thought myself immune to this. But various pressures at the end of my tenure brought out
some of my own insobrieties. Anger and the anxiety to produce can wind up acting just as
erratically as a man who feeds on the political and economic winds [or literal alcohol].

As to our liberty to consume alcoholic beverages, although I am not a Baptist, nevertheless I

have seen quite a few unwise blurrings between fellowship and drunkeness; or at the very
least the appearance of evil. My personal conviction is that there should never be alcohol at
an ocial church function. Those of us who know our freedom here need to know that
everyone else we share a drink with has the same conviction.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (notmerely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 5

1. ENGLISH WORDS: self-controlled

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: The meaning is prudent, thoughtful, self-controlled (BDAG,

802); or else, of sound mind, sane, in ones senses curbing ones desires and impulses. Of
the adverbial form used in Titus 2:12, it is described as with sound mind, soberly,
temperately, discreetly (Thayers, 613).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: This seems like the opposite guard rail to the good
desire that Paul previously listed. That reminds me that my self is not the ultimate judge
of the dierence between a good desire and a bad desire. I may have a good desire for the
church that is intermingled with a host of evil desires.

As I was doing the cumulative reading for this section an obvious fact occurred to me. The
key to prudence is praying specifically about everything. I have to admit that in ministry I
had run more by will-power than by Gods will. We prayed all the time as a ministry team.
And I prayed for the ministry. But as much as I would have laughed at the bumper sticker,
God is my co-pilot, the fact is that this was my reality. When push came to shove, every
time something pushed me, my decisions shoved right back with a quick fleshly solution.
My self was not controlled by a comfortable sense of being led by God. Maybe because I
was highly organized and disciplined in my particular teaching skill sets, I deceived myself
into thinking that I had self-control across the board.

One particular area that this aected me in a way that I am ashamed of is in hyperbolic,
cutting speech. In the midst of controversy or criticism, I have often said things that either
exaggerated the vices of others or inflated how right we are, or how important we are in
that conflict. Whatever else this was, it was certainly a turno for some. This was nothing
but a lack of self-control on my mouth. If I had an action item from this particular
character trait it would be simple. Start being disciplined to pray specifically and especially
about those things that most tempt you to lash out in will-power solutions.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 6

1. ENGLISH WORDS: respectable

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: The word could be rendered honorable and is used of persons in
1 Tim. 3:2 and impersonal apparel in 1 Tim. 2:9 (BDAG, 445). From it we derive the English
word cosmetics. Its verb form kosmeo means to adorn (cf. Ti. 2:10). Other synonyms
include well-arranged, seemly, modest, or more descriptively, a man living with decorum, a
well-ordered life (Thayers, 356).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: We always hear that the external things dont matter.
The outside is the stu of hypocrisy. No doubt if there is hypocrisy, then that will show on
the outside. But it doesnt follow that what we look like to others doesnt matter. Our
witness is always on the outside.

Getz even mentioned that how we dress, on the extremes of dressing up or dressing down,
can draw attention to ourselves rather than to God. It occurs to me that whether in our
dress, our speech, our mannerisms, or other daily habits, we may be passively-aggressively
keeping those who are dierent at an arms length. Perhaps we are spewing pent up dislike
or past hurts on those around us by these externals. It would be best to be so comfortable in
our own skin comfortable with who we are in Christ that we can conform to the
[biblicall acceptable] cultural norms that maintain our reputation. If that means buying a
couple more suits to wear in public, and especially behind the pulpit, then this is a worthy
investment. If it means scheduling more yard work, as Getz relayed in his story, then this is
a witness. Perhaps it means finding out those things that skeptics around us expect us to be
immoral at, in their conception of morality, and to exceed expectations in that area [again,
so long as the Scriptures endorse the particular action].

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 7

1. ENGLISH WORDS: hospitable

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: All that BDAG says here is hospitable (860), while Thayers adds
generous to guests and given to hospitality, the noun form suggesting love to
strangers (654). Stott gives this cultural background: For in those days there were no hotels
comparable to those we are familiar with, and roadside inns were scarce, dirty, unsafe and
unsavory. So Christian travellers, especially itinerant Christian preachers, needed to be
accomodated by the pastor and his wife.3

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: We have all the more cause to be hospitable given the
blessings of material wealth in our country. Missionaries and seminarians, widows and
orphans, and many others, could use a place to stayspace that most of us have from time
to time. Not only that, but opening up our home for fellowship meals is so often a relational
game-changer for newcomers to our churches. And I had to learn the hard way as a pastor
that face-time is power when building a consensus (even if that consensus is against the
vision of the church!)so I have seen the power of hospitality used for mischief.

This is a particularly dicult trait to consider improving while in seminary with a wife, four
children, and no more pastors salary. However God has blessed us with a rental home that is
quite spatious and plenty of fellow students who are in the same boat. And there are other
resources we can learn to sacrifice and be a blessing to others. Whether I ever plant a
church again, or simply come on to serve at an established congregation, I am determined to
have our home open in more ways than one, right from the start.

This doesnt mean being weird and walking up to people in the grocery story, but rather
being proactive with that network of those who are outsiders, perhaps visitors to the
church.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___

3 Stott, 95
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Church Leader Characteristic 8

1. ENGLISH WORDS: able to teach

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: This means skillful in teaching (BDAG, 191). Thayers includes in
the meaning that virtue which renders one teachable, docility (144). The construction
comes from the nouns for the teaching (didache) and teachers (didaskalos) and the verb
I teach (didasko). The passage in Titus is more explicit as to the components: 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 (1:9). To understand the meaning
of able to teach, in the church context, demands a good definition of what church
teaching is. This teacher must not only be an excellent theologian in his imput, but in his
output, logos, pathos, and ethos must all be present.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Guthrie commented that, The church has been at its
weakest when this basic requirement has been absent in its leaders.4 That is one main
reason why teaching for the church is such a passion of mine. This is the easiest application
for me because I do not just believe in being a professor and a pastor as if those were just
two disembodied hats but that all doctrinal reflection and refinement should be to feed
Christs sheep and gather more. I want to help raise up a vast army of those who are able to
teach. And I see myself fulfilling this mission both in the seminary context and at the local
church.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___

4 Donald Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990. 92
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Church Leader Characteristic 9

1. ENGLISH WORDS: arrogant

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: As a noun it is arrogance, willfulness, stubborneness; then as the

adjective used here, it is called self-willed, stubborn, arrogant (BDAG, 120). Is it
speculative to infer too much from the word being rooted in ?

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: In our day winsomeness (which often just means either
extraversion or people-pleasing) has been inflated as an all-encompassing virtue. Humility
has meant uncertainty. On the flip side of the coin, many equate certainty, urgency,
aggression, decisiveness or volume level with arrogance. But the word itself in the Greek
seems to suggest that the assertion of self is the basic problem. There are many ways to do
this that can mask the standard outward symptoms. I have witness elders assert themselves
in an unyielding fashion over a long period of time with perfect calmness and measured,
pious talk. They knew they could overrule the vision of the church because they had
dierent kinds of power. This attitude is utterly arrogant because there is a sense of
entitlement to have ones own way.

But as I said there are varieties of arrogance. Paul calls the Corinthians arrogant because
they condoned a mans sin rather than exercise church discipline. So there must be many
ways to assert ones self against Gods way of doing things. It could be said that I was
arrogant to enable the arrogance of other elders! Rather than trust in God to plant a church
I rushed ahead, and rather than bring in other pastors for some accountability as things
were obviously not going well, I resorted to my own strategies. Getz adds to this rubbing
other people the wrong way and refusing to make a course correction.

Packers statement paraphrased, Someone who has a haughty spirit cannot know God.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 10

1. ENGLISH WORDS: a drunkard

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: BDAG says drunken, addicted to wine (629); and Thayers adds
one who sits long at his wine given to wine, drunken and even quarrelsome over wine;
hence, brawling, abusive (490).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: This has to mean more than the aforementioned sober-
minded. Otherwise it is redundant. The former seems to focus on the state of mind itself,
whereas this focus on being a drunkard relates more to the substance. But as Getz pointed
out, even when we focus on the drink itself, the prohibition is not against partaking but
against addiction. I especially liked his three-fold criteria for when strong drink is bad:
anything that harms their bodies, clouds their thinking or brings them into bondage (107).
This makes our teaching as leaders [to other leaders] much more intelligible and attractive.
Abstinance by these degrees is a war-time strategy. Its all about not being sidelined from the
real action of the kingdom!

As one who has planted a church full of young people to our great weakness, nothing but
young leaders there was never a rationale to abstain from strong drink except two or three
reactions years later.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 11

1. ENGLISH WORDS: not quick-tempered

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: BDAG describes this vice as being inclined to anger, quick-
tempered (579) and Thayers adds prone to anger, irascible (452).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: For over a decade I was a pastor in an environment

where expressing ones dissatisfactions (as a leader to the other leaders) would initiate an
interrogation, if not a process of discipline. I can relate to what Getz says about repressing
anger, though perhaps with dierent imputs and outputs. I had always believed in the
balanced truth of Ephesians 4:26. But I was in an unhealthy environment in which I settled
into acting contrary to that insight if only to survive. The result was being left with a far
worse repressed anger that is still unsafe to express to anyone at that church. I need another
outlet to talk about it.

Getz also lists criteria for knowing when anger is sinful. After flying under the radar screen
of the first two, I found myself guilty of others: persisting to the point of bitterness, and
longing for some sort of vengeance. Perhaps this is the one character trait we are studying
that needs the most help.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 12

1. ENGLISH WORDS: not violent

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: It is to be a bully (BDAG, 669) or a bruiser, ready with a blow; a

pugnacious, contentious, quarrelsome person (Thayers, 516), or as one translation puts it, a
striker.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: I am sorry to say that four out of the first four men I
put forth as elders were bullies. All were quarrelsome and ready to fightthough only two
seemed ready to escallate beyond words.

Clearly this sin is closely related to the previous sin of being quick-tempered. But it also
seems that there is something dierent. Here there is something malicious in the ambitions
that led to the build-up of passions. The other one could be more reactivestill sinful, of
coursewhile this violence seems to be more generally small minded.

Getz includes gossip and slander in this violence against others. It is a more culturally
acceptable form (144). I agree. At the very least ones reputation is often more dicult to
restore than ones feelings or personal space, etc.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 13

1. ENGLISH WORDS: gentle

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: Stott calls it graciousness.5 BDAG says yielding, gentle, kind,
and other related texts, using a form of the word, speak of a forbearing spirit and the
gentleness of their tongue (292). This is the sole positive quality mentioned in this verse.6
Hendriksen-Kistemaker add, Note how genial is interposed between not given to blows
and not contentious, the reason being that it is contrasted with both.7

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Cultivating this fruit of the Spirit is especially pertinent

to me. It is a part of the character competency that has been made a goal in my learning
contract. Through the years I have had to learn the hard way that gentleness is forfeited not
only by volume levels or by head hunting but also by sarcasm. Belittling our opponents by
marginalizing the humanity right out of them and their positions is not like Christ. In
Scripture it does seem like there is a place for sharp polemics in the pastoral ministry, and
even a sanctified wit in that exchange, but as I have not mastered that art without
degenerating into a lack of charity, it is time for me to find simpler words.

As I consider why there has been a lack of gentleness in my interaction with my opponents,
I suppose there are all kinds of surface reasons some which might just function as an
exercise in self-justification if entertained but at the root there is a disbelief in the power
of Christ-like gentleness. The verse from Isaiah 42 that Sibbes based The Bruised Reed upon
comes to mind. I can be moved by the truth of it, and yet still struggle to believe it.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___

5 Stott, The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, p. 96

6 Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, 93
7 Hendriksen & Kistemaker, Thessalonians, the Pastorals, and Hebrews, 126
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Church Leader Characteristic 14

1. ENGLISH WORDS: not quarrelsome

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: It is abstaining from fighting not contentious (Thayers, 31), or

peaceable (BDAG, 44). Paul says in his second letter, And the Lord's servant must not be
quarrelsome but kind to everyone (2 Tim. 2:24), combining these same two virtues.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Some things are worth fighting over. Most things are
not. Just as with the tone of our arguments, so it is with their substance. Getz remarks, We
must understand that it is not wrong to disagree or to challenge incorrect thinking or
inappropriate behavior.8

The possibility of their being a contentiousness continuum9 explains a lot. Some may not
fight over much, but when they do it is a real crisis. Others may keep their cool and yet
always be the proverbial stick in the mud, or in the gears. Both can divide the church.

The story of Eddie in the Getz chapter was very encouraging. Not only can we change in
this area, but the Spirit of God can convict us immediately and deeply about it. It may be
tempting to say that while I struggle with gentleness, I am certainly not contentious. After
all I have done a lot of thinking about what is an essential matter and what is not. If I am in
a fight with someone in church, it is probably because there is a serious error or wickedness
going on. That is my rationale anyway. But even if my self-justifying voice was correct, it
would still not exhonerate me from the guilt of being contentious. We can prolonge some
fights and instigate others by failing to achieve full accountability that leads to
reconciliation, as Sandes early chapters are making plain.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___

8 Getz, The Measure of a Man, 162

9 Getz, The Measure of a Man, 162
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Church Leader Characteristic 15

1. ENGLISH WORDS: not a lover of money

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: This is straightforward: not avaricious (Thayers, 89); not loving
money, not greedy (BDAG, 126). In one Roman author, it is used as a virtue of generals,
reminding us of the mercenaryits opposite. One may be a mercenary minister. A form of
the word in used in Hebrews 13:5 and is contrasted by being content with what you have.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Money has a way of making ministry into a mercenary

aair: a means to some greater end. We also have to be realistic about more wholesome
versions of this monetary idol. I have always desired to be free of money so that I can do
ministry, but then right under my nose I begin to make compromises in ministry because I
am already financially dependent. So though I was not seeking more money, I allowed a fear
of present finances dictate what is the right thing to do. So belief in Gods promises and
financial fear can stand at two opposite ends of a spectrum.

Getz makes a great point that this is also about our willingness to share our material
possessions. Here again someone like me could be self-deceived. What possessions! But as I
write that, I find myself surrounded by a castle of books. How many of these would I be
willing to share indiscriminately, knowing how many dont ever seem to find their way back
when loaned?

At the end of the day our various attachments to money must be among those things
sacrificed to Christ and his kingdom (cf. Matt 6:33). That goes for both the excesses and the
base comforts associated with money. The ministry is not a means to those ends. But
neither is our money evil. It is a means to the ends of ministry.

I will have to settle for paraphrase here, but I love how Piper says it. Something like: God
gives us money to use in such a way that demonstrates to the world that money is not our god.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
 17

Church Leader Characteristic 16

1. ENGLISH WORDS: manage [his own household] [his] children are believers

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: This is the present middle participle of : 1. be at the

head (of), rule, direct manage, conduct 2. be concerned about, care for, give aid busy
oneself with, engage in (BDAG, 707). Thayers adds 1. to set or place before; to set over. 2.
a. to be over, to superintend, preside over b. to be a protector or guardian; to give aid
c. to care for, give attention to (539). In its form here it is still basically verbal, which is very
important in the case of this word. This is one of the most oft misquoted words in the
entire Bible, cited under the words house out of order. Such a wording would make it a
concrete and singular noun: in other words a one size fits all state of aairs. In fact it is a
very definitive action, though the raw material and results it is acting upon will vary greatly.

As to the second phrase in Titus, here again is the participle form of both words:
having believing. What can be done with this? All parties would have to concede
that we cannot see into the childrens hearts any more than the elder candidate. It also
cannot be saying that the man has the ability to regenerate, as that would contradict the
Bibles overall teaching on salvation. It must have in view a relative respectability that
children have for their parents, and a sound base of Christian instruction. Those results in
the children naturally follow from the faithful activity of the man. Regeneration and the
deeper spiritual results are of the Spirit alone.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: This has been a battleground text in a decade-long

controversy during my first journey in pastoral ministry. When our side pointed out that this
managing of the faithful man is a verb, and not a noun, the straw man that got spit back at
us was that we denied that Paul has any external evidence of the wife and children in view.
Not so! Paul is clearly holding out things to assess in the wife and children. But there is a
profound dierence between that which belongs to the faithful pastoral activity of the
husband-father and that which is circumstantial and (to borrow a Frame-ism) perspectival.
There are a lot of applications here for me, not least being the challenge of improving my
ability to exegete these passages and make the best possible case against the legalistic
interpretation.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
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Church Leader Characteristic 17

1. ENGLISH WORDS: loves what is good

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: This is an adjective meaning loving goodness (Thayers, 653; cf.
BDAG, 858), though it is substantivized here to mean lover of good or one who loves
what is good.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: This may seem at first like the most generic and easy to
ignore of all of the character traits listed. After all, who doesnt like what is good! But
according to the Apostle Paul the worldly heart does not. His four descriptives in 2 Timothy
3:1-4 describe a person so in love with his self, his pleasure, and his money, that he cannot
possibly love what is truly good. These three anti-goods are what Getz uses as his
framework for explaining what this trait is really describing.

Considering that I love myself, I prefer to enjoy myself, and Id rather have more money
than less, these pulls away from loving good have to be taken seriously. The key is that none
of these are ends in themselves but each is a kind of stewardship for Gods purposes. Getz
says that the love of God is the thing that balances out our lesser loves. Its what makes
them appropriate.

It seems that this text also has in mind the love of good causes, and I include in that good
activities, even on small scales. There is not much worse for a church than having elders
with negative spirits who are always against everything. Some people are all gas peddle, but
this type of person is all brakes! This is not a lover of good. And this is more than a kill joy.
This is the sort of person who has all the marks of actually being a trouble-maker in the
church, always opposing any outward momentum. Such a negativistic spirit cannot be made
an elder.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
 19

Church Leader Characteristic 18

1. ENGLISH WORDS: upright

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: BDAG defined this as upright, just, righteous [as] conforming
to the laws of God and man; applied to model citizens in the Graeco-Roman world (195).
Thayers adds one who is such as he ought to be (148). This does not seem to be a way of
simply saying justified, as in ones legal position before God in Christ. Rather this speaks
of the state of ones sanctification in response to justification. Getz adds that this is
someone who does what is right or fair (213).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Getz tells the story of Lenell Geter who was sentenced
to 477 days in prison for a crime he didnt commit. It would have been more had he not been
later exonerated. We often assume that cases of doing justice arent transferable to the
church. We quickly move on to examples of our Christian duty in the worldand of course
we should make those applications. But the church is a place for doing justice too. There are
cases of abuse and conflict resolution and false accusations going on in the church all the
time. Christians who have the opportunity to be that guy that you get as a witness in
Matthew 18:15-18, in such a case we need to care about getting to the bottom of things.

We have spoken a lot in this class about things that are missing from ministry preparation.
Well I would like to add this to the list. Where are the Christian books about doing justice
in the church for oppressed church members? Where are the studies and examination
questions on the elders role as a judge in Israel? Should this not be considered a part of his
kingly role?

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
 20

Church Leader Characteristic 19

1. ENGLISH WORDS: holy and disciplined

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: The word has several referents. As an adjective that is either
attributive or predicative, referring to created things, it means devout, pious, pleasing to
God, holy (BDAG, 585), or undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing
every moral obligation, pure, holy, pious (Thayers, 456). The second word, , can
mean self-controlled, disciplined (BDAG, 216), or else strong, robust having power
over, possessed of (Thayers, 167).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Getz begins with what personal holiness is not. It is not
perfectionism, asceticism, legalism, or self-denial as an end in itself, much less a denial to the
self created things merely because they are physical. That would be Gnosticism. Aside from
that, such approaches to holiness can only end at one of two extremes: either delusional
pride or condemning despair. Personal holiness, and the form it takes in self-discipline, has
its foundation in grace. It has to be a response to the gospel and not an alternative to it.

The checklist that Getz lays out from Ephesians 4 is certainly a worthwhile exercise.
Personalizing Pauls prayers, or his instructions there into prayers, is a good idea to
incorporate into my goalin the learning contractfor personal prayer that I am already
working toward.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
 21

Church Leader Characteristic 20

1. ENGLISH WORDS: faithful in all things

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: These are two of the more basic adjectives learned in Greek I. The
first means faithful or true or trustworthy (BDAG, 662), and the latter means all or
every.

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: What does it mean to be faithful in all things? The

universality of that statement makes it seem unrealistic. It has to start with those things
that we absolutely know we have to do: our basic spiritual disciplines and our basic
responsibilities to work and to care for those in our own family.

This question is extremely intense for me to answer because I am living what I have called
an unsustainable life at the moment. Actually I have been living it for the better part of
the past nine months. Two jobs, four kids, six classes (seven last semester), and the various
pressures of the mischief going on at my previous church. The best nights sleep I get is six
hours. But that is rare. Often it is two or three. As I type this my skin is crawling with
exhaustion, and I have barely scratched the surface of my Greek and Hebrew for the
upcoming finals. Meanwhile I am pressured to keep at least a 3.8 GPA to be accepted to
some place like Aberdeen for my PhD.

What does faithfulness in all things look like when you feel like youre hustled like cattle,
only to skim the surface of one duty after another? I dont know. Keep moving. Keep
praying, for sure, and keep talking with and reassuring Emily and the kids. Sure. But I have
still not heard better alternatives than the persistent voice that can only say Keep moving.
Some may say that this is not faithfulness. It is madness. Probably even pride. But this is my
moment to be Joseph in his cell in Egypt or David hiding out after his sin had paved the way
for Absaloms revolt. So I think that sometimes the most faithful thing someone can do is to
wait for a miracle.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? Yes___No___
 22

Church Leader Characteristic 21

1. ENGLISH WORDS: not be a recent convert

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: Literally, BDAG says, it is newly planted, so that the Christian
context is using it figuratively to mean newly planted in the Christian church, newly
converted (cf. neophyte) (536).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: Paul gives us the reason why an elder candidate must not
be a recent convert: he may become pued up with conceit and fall into the condemnation
of the devil. That connection is clear enough. What is not clear is how recent is too recent?
What makes matters worse is when we live in a society where culutral Christianity
predominates. I mean those times and places in which the lines between Christianity and
the culture are blurred. Someone can grow up in a Christian home, even experiencing
regeneration as a child or as a teenager, and yet not be awakened to the truth of the gospel
until adulthood. He has been a convert for twenty years, but has only really been
converted to the biblical worldview for a few months. Should we consider such a man ready?
I think not. There are various cage stage matters to resolve.

Literal age is an issue as well. Stott adds, Although the modern western custom of ordaining
people in their twenties straight from college has much to commend it, it also has its
dangers, if they have had insucient time since conversion to put down roots and to grow
up in Christ.10

Having laid hands on six elders now, the first five out of those six times the pattern kept
repeating. The moment that badge was handed over, the power trip hit the ground running.
The only exception was the last, and he left the church a few months ago because of the
unconscionable actions of cutting me off could not be stopped. Now I realize that this
reflects negatively on my discernment in those days. The subject matter of this present
lesson make up the resources I would now draw from to avoid these mistakes in the future.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? The chapters are done.

10 Stott, 98
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Church Leader Characteristic 22

1. ENGLISH WORDS: well thought of by outsiders

2. GREEK WORDS:

3. GREEK MEANING: This phrase ends with the infinitive for have () and uses the
adjective from to mean good or well if abverbial. The noun can mean
testimony or witness or reputation. Thayers adds, in an ethical sense, of testimony
concerning ones character (391).

4. PERSONAL APPLICATIONS: First there has to be a qualification. Jesus and the

Apostles were in one sense thought well of by outsiders, and yet they were also despised by
outsiders. So clearly Paul cannot have in mind the second sense. There must be a sharp
distinction to be made between those thoughts of outsiders that are just and those that are
unjust. For example, when we think of men like Billy Graham, John Stott, and Tim Keller,
we can see that even the modern worlds antipathy toward the Christian faith does not
prevent those who are honorable from gaining some sort of a hearing. We ought to be able
to be uncompromising without being obnoxious.

When the character of church leaders is sound and outsiders know that, then when it comes
time for the church to be persecuted there will be a sucient amount of shame in the act
that many will come to Christ against the backdrop of those saints who have been treated
unjustly. We get a hint of that in Titus 2:8 and 1 Peter 3:16.

5. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Did you read carefully (not merely skim) the two
assigned chapters in Measure of a Man? The chapters are done.