Titus 1:1-9: a reflection

1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began; 3but in his own time revealed his word in the message with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, 4to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. 5I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you— 6if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, who are not accused of loose or unruly behavior. 7For the overseer must be blameless, as God’s steward, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain; 8but given to hospitality, a lover of good, sober minded, fair, holy, self-controlled, 9holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict him.

As Paul instructs Titus about appointing leaders in the churches, the qualifications he lists are striking: almost all of them concern character, not gifts or eloquence or impressive ability. An overseer must be blameless, Paul says, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not greedy for dishonest gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, sober minded, fair, holy, self-controlled, holding firmly to sound teaching. What Paul looks for in a leader among God's people is not chiefly talent or charisma, but character: integrity, self-control, gentleness, love of good, faithfulness to the truth. Leadership in God's church rests above all on the character of the leader, on what kind of person they are, not merely on what they can do. The qualifications for leading God's people are qualifications of character, not of ability alone. What matters most in a leader is not their gifts but their character. Godly character, not impressive ability, is the ground of leadership among God's people.

Notice what Paul emphasizes in his list of qualifications: character, again and again. Blameless, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not greedy, hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, holy, faithful to the truth. These are marks of character, of the kind of person a leader is, not of talent or eloquence or charisma. Paul does not list impressive abilities, powers of speech, or striking gifts; he lists character. This tells us where leadership among God's people rests: not chiefly on what a person can do, but on what kind of person they are. A leader may be gifted and yet unfit, if the character is lacking; and character, not ability, is what Paul weighs. This is worth remembering, for we can be dazzled by gifts and overlook character; but God's church is to be led by those whose character is sound, whose integrity, self-control, and love of good qualify them. What a leader is matters more than what a leader can do. Character is the true qualification for leading God's people. Gifts without character do not qualify.

That is worth taking to heart, for leadership among God's people rests above all on character, not on gifts or ability alone. We can be dazzled by talent, eloquence, or charisma, and overlook character, in choosing or aspiring to leadership; but Paul's qualifications for an overseer are almost all matters of character: integrity, self-control, gentleness, love of good, faithfulness to the truth. What a leader is matters more than what a leader can do. Do not weigh leaders, or your own fitness to lead, chiefly by gifts and ability; character is the true qualification, as Paul's list shows. Weigh leadership among God's people, and your own fitness to lead, above all by character rather than by gifts or ability alone, as Paul's qualifications for an overseer are almost entirely matters of character, blameless, self-controlled, gentle, a lover of good, faithful to the truth; for leadership in God's church rests not chiefly on talent, eloquence, or charisma but on what kind of person the leader is, and gifts without character do not qualify, so that what a leader is matters more than what a leader can do, and godly character is the true ground of leading God's people.

Lord, as Paul instructs Titus about appointing leaders in the churches, the qualifications he lists are striking: almost all of them concern character, not gifts or eloquence or impressive ability. An overseer must be blameless, Paul says, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not greedy for dishonest gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, sober minded, fair, holy, self-controlled, holding firmly to sound teaching. What Paul looks for in a leader among your people is not chiefly talent or charisma, but character: integrity, self-control, gentleness, love of good, faithfulness to the truth. Leadership in your church rests above all on the character of the leader. Show me what Paul emphasizes in his list of qualifications: character, again and again. These are marks of character, of the kind of person a leader is, not of talent or eloquence or charisma. Paul does not list impressive abilities or striking gifts; he lists character. This tells me where leadership among your people rests: not chiefly on what a person can do, but on what kind of person they are. A leader may be gifted and yet unfit, if the character is lacking. I can be dazzled by gifts and overlook character; but your church is to be led by those whose character is sound. What a leader is matters more than what a leader can do. Take that to my heart, for leadership among your people rests above all on character, not on gifts or ability alone. I can be dazzled by talent, eloquence, or charisma, and overlook character; but Paul's qualifications for an overseer are almost all matters of character. Keep me from weighing leaders, or my own fitness to lead, chiefly by gifts and ability; help me weigh character, Lord, as Paul's list shows, since character is the true qualification for leading your people, and what a leader is matters more than what a leader can do.