Qualifications for Elders, part 2

"...not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." (1 Timothy 3:3)

The qualifications for elders continue in verse 3. Verse 2 was a list of characteristics that men should posses to be an elder. Verse 3 continues with a list of characteristics that men shouldn’t have.

Paul says that an elder must not be “a drunkard”. This means that an elder must not have a drinking problem. He must not rely on alcohol for a good time. The guy who needs a beer first thing in the morning just to get going is not going to qualify for eldership. I’ll go a step further and say that even if the man doesn’t have a drinking problem there should not even be a suspicion that he does. Remember that an elder is supposed to be “above reproach”. So what I mean is this: if a member of your church sees you out to dinner or watching a ball game or at a pub with friends and every time they see you you have a drink in your hand it may appear to them that you have a drinking problem since they always see you with a drink. Now you may not have a drinking problem at all but as an elder you are held to a stricter standard which means you will have to sacrifice some things. It would be unfortunate for members of your church to even have a question in their minds as to whether or not you, an elder, struggle with alcohol. I think it would take you out of the “above reproach” category and cause others to think twice about the authority you have.

With that being said, let me say this clearly: drinking alcohol is not a sin. It’s honestly amazing to me that this is even a debate and shows how legalistic people tend to get. There are plenty of verses in the Bible that speak of Christians drinking and one that even says “No longer drink only water, but l use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” I would think the nail in the coffin to the issue of whether or not alcohol is a sin would be Jesus speaking in Matthew 26:29 where he says “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” Here is the point: Jesus lived a sinless life, Jesus drank alcohol, therefore alcohol is not a sin. If you say alcohol is a sin then you are saying Jesus was a sinner. End of discussion.

Next Paul says that elders should not to be “violent, but gentle.” I think this goes along with “self-controlled” in verse 2. Elders are not to become violent in their anger. Elders should have enough control over themselves to find appropriate release of their frustration and anger. As elders, you will have a front row seat to the ugly side of peoples lives. You will hear their confessions. You will hear how they have been victimized and abused. What Paul is saying is that elders will see so much that will arouse in them righteous anger that they should not be prone to violence or else church discipline might look like an episode of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Righteous anger is a gift from God and there are things that should make us furious but we should not release that anger in the form of violence.

Paul also says that as a qualification elders should be “not quarrelsome.” We all know people who are always looking for an argument. They always seem to be picking out the negative in everything and complaining about it. They do not offer solutions to any problems, but just like to argue about them. These people are a cancer to relationships, families and organizations, including the church. The last place we want these type of men is in church leadership.

The final qualification in verse 3 is that elders should “not be a lover of money.” Much of an elders life will be devoted to serving God by serving his local congregation. Jesus makes it clear in Luke 16:13 “You cannot serve God and money.” The man who loves money will use it to serve his own desires and needs and do whatever he can to get more of it. This type of man has no place in church leadership. The parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16 makes it clear that our money is not our own and we should be using it, not for our own comfort and desires, but to, at every opportunity, advance the kingdom of God. The easiest way to tell if you are a lover of money is to look at your bank statement or checkbook and ask yourself where your money is going. If it is not being used for the purposes God has given us but is being used for worthless “stuff” you are not serving God and should not be an elder.