Reflections on Titus 1:5–16
Leadership matters.
Whether in government, business, schools, the home or the church, good leaders can have an enormous impact. Sadly, we also know the damage that selfish, arrogant and ungodly leaders can cause. And sadly, the church is not immune to leadership scandals.
So, what kind of leaders does God want for his church?
In our series on Healthy Church, we’ve seen that the chief characteristic of a healthy church is godliness. A healthy church is made up of people whose lives are being transformed by Jesus and who are living as billboards for him in their community. But what kind of church encourages and promotes this kind of godliness? A church with the right kind of leaders!
In Titus 1:5–16, the Apostle Paul gives us three important truths about church leadership.
1. Leaders Are Essential
Paul had left Titus on the island of Crete with the responsibility of putting things in order and appointing elders in every town (v5). People had come to faith in Jesus, churches had been established, but there was still important work to do.
One of Titus’s main responsibilities was to appoint godly leaders.
Leadership is not optional in the church. Where there are no leaders, things tend towards chaos. As the book of Judges reminds us, when there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
The church needs leaders, but not leaders who think they are kings! We need leaders who understand that they are servants of Jesus and his people.
2. Godly Leaders Are Vital
Having leaders is essential, but having the right kind of leaders is vital.
Interestingly, Paul’s criteria for church leaders are not primarily about their gifts, abilities, popularity or communication skills. It’s about two much more important things: character and conviction.
Firstly, their character must be above reproach (v6–8). This doesn’t mean they are sinless or perfect. Rather, their lives should be good examples of what Christian maturity looks like. They should be faithful in their marriages, responsible in their homes, self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.
In other words, they shouldn’t have secret compartments in their lives. Their private lives should match their public profession of faith.
Church leaders can be incredibly gifted and impressive communicators, but if they lack godly character, they can do enormous damage. In Christian leadership, character is king.
Secondly, leaders must have godly convictions (v9). They must hold firmly to God’s trustworthy Word, be able to teach sound doctrine and be prepared to rebuke those who contradict it.
A church leader must not only believe the gospel himself but also be able to teach it to others and defend it against error. Part of shepherding God’s flock is feeding people with the nourishing Word of God and pointing out the wolves.
Notice that Paul describes an elder as an overseer and God’s steward. A steward is not the owner of the household. He is responsible for managing someone else’s household according to the owner’s instructions.
That’s a wonderful picture of Christian leadership. The church belongs to Jesus, not the minister. Leaders are not kings who make up their own rules. They are servants entrusted with the responsibility of caring for God’s people according to God’s Word.
3. Ungodly Leaders Are Dangerous
Paul doesn’t just describe the kind of leaders the church needs. He also warns about the dangers of ungodly leaders (v10–16).
These false teachers were not outside the church but inside it. They were rebellious, empty talkers and deceivers. They claimed to know God, but their lives contradicted their profession.
Their problem was both their character and their convictions. They were not living godly lives, and they were not teaching sound doctrine.
Some were adding things to the gospel, suggesting that Jesus was good but not enough. You needed something else as well. Others were teaching human ideas and spiritual-sounding myths rather than holding firmly to God’s Word.
False teachers are dangerous because their teaching and their lives affect the people who listen to them. Paul says they were upsetting whole families by teaching things they ought not to teach.
Instead of producing godliness, their influence was producing ungodliness.
This is why we must take church leadership so seriously. The greatest danger to a church is not necessarily opposition from outside but false teaching and ungodly influence from within.
So, how are we doing?
Our character and convictions matter. Not just for those of us in church leadership, but for the health and godliness of the whole church.
If you’re a church leader, are you above reproach? Are you faithful to your spouse? Are you leading your family well? Are you exercising self-control? Are you humble enough to receive criticism? Are you teaching God’s Word faithfully, and are you prepared to stand against false teaching?
Of course, none of us gets everything right. We all fail, and we all fall short of God’s standards. What do we do when that happens? Well, we turn away from our sin and turn back to Jesus. We continue to believe the gospel.
Some sins may disqualify someone from Christian leadership, while others may require a period away from leadership. But all sin requires genuine repentance and a renewed commitment to following Jesus.
Please pray for those who lead and serve in your church. And let’s all keep working on our godliness as we seek to be billboards for Jesus in our community.
After all, the way we live and what we believe really do matter.