The Pastor's Character and Calling

A few months ago a young seminary graduate stood before an ordination council, defended his doctrinal statement, and was about to leave the room while the council decided his fate when from the back of the church auditorium the voice of an old man was heard to insist, "Just a minute, young man. I have one more question for you." The older pastor directed the younger to open his Bible to 1 Timothy 3 and read the passage concerning the character qualifications of an overseer. After the young man did so, the older man, now standing erect, looked intently at the candidate and said, "Young man, does this passage describe you?" Not wanting to sound conceited the young man hedged, trying not to answer the question directly.

"Young man," said the elderly saint, "does or does not this passage describe you?" "Well, I guess so," was the cautious reply. Once again the old man persisted, "Guessing is not good enough. Does this passage describe you or not?" Finally the reply rang out, "Yes, sir, this passage describes me." The old man's retort was immediate, "Mr. Moderator, I have no further questions. I am fully satisfied."

During the course of each school year dozens of inquiries come across my desk regarding men who are being considered by churches and mission boards. I am supposed to rate those individuals according to qualifications that are specified in the reference form. Without exception, each inquires as to the abilities of the person being considered, his personality traits, and the talents of his wife. Rarely does a questionnaire deal with character traits.

Despite the fact that we call ourselves "evangelicals" and claim to be biblical in our approach, we fall far short of the biblical standard in this matter. Although the Bible often states the kinds of things that elders, pastors, or overseers do, nowhere does it specify the talents we may expect in them. Nowhere does it state that they must be exceptional managers, visitors, pulpiteers, or teachers. Although they need those qualities to perform their duties, the Bible's major emphasis is in an entirely different direction; instead of insisting on how well a person is able to perform a certain function, it focuses instead on what kind of a person he is.

The Pastor's Character

Who is a pastor? He is an ordinary person who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, has experienced the call of God in his life for full-time Christian service, and knows that he is fit for such service because he meets certain biblical character qualifications. Because the Bible makes this emphasis, I think that it is fitting for us to examine those qualifications prior to looking at the gifts that should be present in a person looking seriously at making the pastorate his lifelong ministry.

"Above Reproach" (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6-7)

The person who will succeed in the pastorate is one who has no hidden agenda, no skeletons in his closet that eventually will come out and haunt him. In his classic The Preacher and His Models, James Stalker says:

The great purpose for which a minister is settled in a parish is not to cultivate scholarship, or to visit the people during the week, or even to preach to them on Sunday, but it is to live among them as a good man, whose mere presence is a demonstration which cannot be gainsaid that there is a life possible on earth which is fed from no earthly source, and that the things spoken of in church on Sabbath are realities.

In speaking of a man whom he knew who met those qualifications, Stalker relates:

We who laboured along with him in the ministry felt that his mere existence in the community was an irresistible demonstration of Christianity and a tower of strength to every good cause. Yet he had not gained this position of influence by brilliant talents or great achievements or the pursuing of ambition; for he was singularly modest, and would have been the last to credit himself with half the good he did. The whole mystery lay in this, that he had lived in the town for forty years a blameless life, and was known by everybody to be a godly and prayerful man.

Stalker ends this appraisal by insisting that "the prime qualification for the ministry is goodness."

Such goodness demonstrates itself in a number of ways that will be illustrated as we consider some of the rest of the biblical qualifications.

"The Husband of One Wife" (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6)

For centuries it has been debated whether or not the biblical injunction that an elder or overseer be the "husband of one wife" means that a divorced person may never have any place within the professional ministry. Personally, I do not think that is what the passages mean. Having stated that, however, let me assert what I say elsewhere in this book, that "divorce" isn't even a Christian word. I believe in the sanctity of marriage and that true Christian marriage is "til death do us part." A pastor, as a model for his people, should work the hardest of all people to keep his marriage intact and flourishing. Few things bring greater discredit to the church of Jesus Christ than pastors who divorce or are divorced by their wives.

Except in the most rare of cases, if divorce becomes a fact, a pastor should step down from his pastoral position and, if he intends to continue in professional Christian service, should plan to serve in some area other than the pastorate. In most cases, as a matter of fact, he will have no alternative. That decision will be made for him by his congregation. If by that time he has not faced his situation realistically, when he attempts to secure another pastorate the facts of the case will dawn on him. Very few congregations, including many of those who consider themselves members of "liberal" denominations, will agree to calling a pastor who has divorce in his background. The single exception to this may...