Biblical Eldership Church Leadership

Paul ’s Instruction to Timothy

paralyzes and kills many local churches. It may be the single, most distressing problem Christian leaders face. Therefore, a Christian el der is required to be “uncontentious,” which means “not fighting” or “not quarrelsome.” Positively stated, an elder must be a peaceable man. As Paul writes, “And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrel some, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition” (2 Tim. 2224,25a). FREE FROM THE LOVE OF MONEY: An elder must not love money or be greedy. So this qualification prohibits a base, mercenary interest that uses Christian ministry and people for personal profit. Both Paul and Peter condemn what we would call “being in it for the money” (1 Peter 5:2; Titus 1:7). False teachers, Paul points out, are overly inter ested in money and in personal financial gain (1 Tim. 625; Titus 1211). The Pharisees were lovers of money who devoured widow’s houses (Luke 16:14; Mark 12:40). The chief religious leaders of Jesus’ day turned the temple into a merchandise mart for their own profit (Mark 1 1215-17). Like a powerful drug, the love of money can delude the judgment of even the best men. Scripture sternly warns against the love of money: “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by long ing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1 Tim. 6210). Elders, then, cannot be the kind of men who are always interested in money. They cannot be men who need to control the church’s funds and who refuse financial account ability. Such men have distorted spiritual values and set the wrong example for the church. They will inevitably fall into unethical finan cial dealings that will publicly disgrace the Lord’s name. In stark contrast, an elder should be content with God’s provision. In Hebrews 1325 the writer exhorts his readers, “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you .’” Paul states the matter this way: “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Tim. 627-9). Elders, then, must model godly contentment and faith in Christ’s lov ing provision for them.

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