Healthy Churches

Part 2

Secondly a healthy church requires godly leaders Titus 1:5-8). 

This is what Titus is commissioned by Paul to establish in Crete.  

We have no idea of the scale.  It certainly seems as though the gospel has sped ahead of everyone’s ability to organise proper structures of leadership and so Titus is coming in behind this remarkable gospel success to appoint appropriate leaders to ensure the churches are established.

5 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— 6 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. 7 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, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

Out of the many aspects we could talk about in this regard I simply want to draw your attention to one very important part of Paul’s instruction on leadership. 

It will seem so obvious you might think it shouldn’t even need stating…but it does.

Paul is not interested in a leader’s charisma, his presence, his competencies. 

Paul is interested in his character, over and above, far over and above, everything and anything else. 

All those externals; as to whether he can draw a crowd and keep a crowd, if he is interesting and compelling, or how well connected he might be - are all so superficial and so far from Paul’s mind.

It’s not the externals he’s interested in.  It is the internals.

This is what concerns Paul.  It’s the state of his character and heart. 

What is he like at home? If he is a married man and has children, what’s he like behind closed doors?  In a crisis or when enduring a controversy how does he handle himself? 

What is the state of his heart when he suffers disappointment or more dangerously has to handle success?

This is why not once but twice Paul draws our attention to the fact that such men need to be above reproach in v.6 & 7.

Now that does not mean he must be perfect (or we would all be out of a job), but it does mean that in light of Paul’s description here, the leader and those around him must be against all forms of pride in their ministry.

It is the humble leader, the servant and the one who orders his life in order to serve others that Titus was to appoint.

This is what a healthy church will prioritise and seek to uphold. The godly character of its leaders and the quality of relationships that these leaders seek to nurture among the church.

This is also what we in ICM are seeking prioritise. We want to grow and raise to maturity leaders of godly character and humble service.