God’s Leaders: Part 2

The Book of Titus: A Sound Church

Article 3: God’s Leaders – Part 2

Those who receive God’s call to serve in church leadership often embark on a journey. Paul’s message to Titus resonates loudly: If you want strong, well-established churches, then character is the key. It’s not about gifts or charm; it’s about the foundation of who we are. In verses 7 Paul continues to describe the essential character traits for those called to church leadership. However, these character traits are for anyone who follows Jesus Christ. Paul is simply describing what a good Christian man looks like.

To understand the context, we read Titus 1:5-9

⁵ For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— ⁶ if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. ⁷ For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, ⁸ but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, ⁹ holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Before we relocated back to Heidelberg in late 2017, I left a very good job in California as an Uber driver. This allowed me to travel extensively throughout the diverse regions of California. One day, while in the Valley of Los Angeles, I had an encounter with a passenger whom I picked up from a car dealership. We began talking about life and various topics. Interestingly, it turned out that he wasn’t heading to his own home but to his boss’s residence. He explained that his boss wanted all of his cars, including Porsches and Mercedes, to undergo servicing to ensure they were running smoothly. Consequently, he was going back and forth between different car dealerships.

Curious, I asked, “Who is your boss?” He replied, “He’s famous. You’d recognize him.” I inquired, “What band?” He said, “The Eagles.” Surprised, I exclaimed, “Wow! Impressive!” It became clear that this was a significant job because he was the manager of Joe Walsh’s house.

I was impressed, realizing the importance of such a responsibility. It was evident that his boss placed great trust in him to manage his house.

Managing God’s House

This situation reminded me of what Paul conveys to Titus about the role of an overseer in God’s church—they are entrusted with managing God’s house.

This concept comes from the ancient Near Eastern idea of a man who would manage someone else’s household, acting as its steward and overseeing all the operations of the house. Paul is telling Titus that God calls people to look after His house, and it is one in which a great deal of trust and responsibility is placed. Paul urges Titus to make sure that the right people are chosen for this important task.

There are two prominent themes that we’ll highlight, which are “character” and “calling.”

The calling of a man

Now, when discussing the concept of ‘calling,’ we’re not referring to the subjective feeling that someone might express, such as “I just know in my heart that I’m called to lead” or “I feel this calling to serve.” We’re not focusing on an inner desire or personal inclination that someone might have, indicating they should take a leadership role in God’s church. That’s not what we’re addressing here.

However, such a call does indeed happen, and it’s necessary and good because an elder must be willing to serve. As Paul says to the Ephesian Elders: “It is the Holy Spirit himself who has appointed you as overseers of the church.” This means that God’s spirit was also at work in the hearts of these men, calling them into that position.

Just as there is one head and a body, there is structure within it. The Holy Spirit is the one who puts each part in its proper place. As someone who holds one of our cherished values, we want to develop faithful leaders to serve in God’s Church.

Anyone who receives that initial call to ministry – whether it’s full-time vocational ministry, pastoral ministry or stepping into a leadership role – often embarks on a journey. This journey is a process of sanctifying and clarifying the call, but it’s also a time of waiting, a time of refining.

Now, this kind of calling stirs in a person’s heart, but that’s not what Paul is talking about here. You see, anyone can go around claiming to be called, can’t they? Our world is full of people throwing around titles like ‘pastor’ and declaring that they’ve been called to various roles. But let’s be clear, just because they say it doesn’t mean that God has really called them. That’s not what Paul is talking about.

The character of a man

Paul’s main point is the primary test: Does this person have character? It’s like the film “Draft Day” with Kevin Costner. In the film, he’s picking players for his NFL football team, and he’s faced with a tough decision. One guy is immensely talented, but lacks character. Another, not so talented, shines because of his solid character. Despite all the pressure, Kevin Costner chooses the man with character over pure talent.

And that’s what Paul is saying here. He doesn’t get into other issues at this point. He’s saying to Titus: “If you want well-established churches with proper leadership in every city, make sure that they are men of character – no doubt about it! Because character is what ultimately ensures the lasting strength and stability within the local church of believers.

Why is this so important? Because since the Holy Spirit is the one who appoints overseers in the Church, character becomes a fundamental criterion. We can assume that the men He chooses to appoint will also be men who can show evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives, not just the gifts they may have.

So it’s not just about whether they’re likeable or skilled. Instead, he’s instructing Titus to look at the character of the man. That’s what I want us to focus on right now, and as you’ll see, he presents a list of attributes one after the other. We’ll work through them step by step.

For a bishop must be blameless

He begins by saying in verse 6, “if a man is blameless”. And he repeats in verse 7 that “a bishop must be blameless”. It’s worth noting that he doesn’t demand absolute perfection, because that would immediately disqualify anyone and everyone. Instead, he’s saying that if you look at the big picture of his life, you’ll see that he’s blameless and has his life in order.

Also, have you noticed that Paul uses elder and bishop interchangeably here? They are basically referring to the same person. Paul is talking about stewardship. He highlights the leader’s role as an overseer, someone whom God installs. Notice how he says “he is a steward of God” or “he is the manager of God’s house”. That’s a big responsibility, isn’t it?

Think about the man I mentioned earlier. Taking care of a musician’s guitars and cars might be fun. But when you’re looking after God’s house – wow – that’s a whole different level, right? The church is called the household of God.

Go to next page: God’s Leaders – The household of God