Qualifications for leaders (referred to as elders and deacons in the passages) within the church appear primarily in 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-81,2,3
A leader should be: faithful to his/her spouse, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, able to manage their family well, have a good reputation with outsiders, able to hold deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience, tested, blameless, upright, eager to serve, and alert and of sober mind
A leader should not be: given to drunkenness, violent, quarrelsome, a lover of money, a recent convert, pursuant to dishonest gain, malicious talkers (gossips), a liar, or a glutton
One factor to remember is that leaders in the church are still human and are still working through the process of sanctification, though James 3:1 does state that teachers in particular will be judged much more strictly4
The Bible does give explicit instructions for both an elder’s wages as well as how to accuse an elder of sin in 1 Timothy 5:17-21, which states that elders deserve double honor, that an accusation against an elder shouldn’t be entertained unless it’s brought by two or three witnesses, and that sinning elders should be reproved (scolded/corrected) before everyone, so that others in the Church may take warning5
Group Discussion Question: Do you agree with the qualifications referenced above, and would you add or qualify any of the above qualities?
Group Discussion Question: If a pastor is missing even just one of those qualifications (i.e., the pastor has a bad reputation with outsiders), what action should be taken, if any?
Sexual sin
Sadly, there are a multitude of high-profile incidents of sexual sin present in multiple mainline denominations, as well as a multitude of non-denominational churches and Christian organizations/’movements’, many of which were exacerbated by attempts by church leaders to cover up any sin and halt any accusations (public or private) against pastors
Thousands of clergy across the Roman Catholic Church have been accused of sexual abuse, with the church actively working to halt investigations from becoming public6,7
Hundreds of Southern Baptist church leaders have been accused of sexual abuse, with the church attempting to keep the list of accused leaders secret8,9,10
Specific Incident 1: Ravi Zacharias Hid Hundreds of Pictures of Women, Abuse During Massages, and a Rape Allegation11,12,13
Specific Incident 2: Mike Bickle Accused of Abusing a 14-Year-Old Before IHOPKC’s (International House of Prayer Kansas City’s) Founding14,15,16
The Roys Report has pages dedicated to several Christian organizations (including Hillsong, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Liberty University, Vineyard, IHOP-KC, ARC, Church of the Highlands, and more) and megachurch leaders, all focused on sin (much of it sexual in nature) that has been reported by multiple individuals that were congregants, volunteers, and/or staff within those organizations (located at: https://julieroys.com/investigations/)
A 2019 Pew Research study shows that sexual sin within the church DOES affect church attendance, support, and donations negatively, with 27% of Catholics stating that they go to mass less often because of reports of sexual abuse and misconduct, while another 26% state that they have reduced donations17
Group Discussion Question: Why do you think that sexual sin is such an issue in the church, and why do church leaders tend to attempt to cover up this sin?
Checks and balances within a local Church
The Roman Catholic Church’s cannon 192-195 spell out the requirements to remove an individual from office (which can take place if the individual has lost their clerical state, they have publicly defected from the catholic faith, or attempted marriage), which tend to be enforced at the Vatican level (i.e., there is no easy recourse if a local congregation or group of deacons desires to remove their bishop)19,20
Baptist do not appear to have a publicly available policy for the removal of members within a church (the closest document would be the Baptist Church Discipline book, which was published in 1962 and doesn’t appear to have been substantially updated since then… it also does not appear to be officially utilized by any current mainstream Baptist organization)21
The United Methodist Church utilizes a complaint procedure present in its Book of Discipline (paragraph 362) that allows church members to make official written and signed complaints against pastors and other church staff, with a bishop or district superintendent expected to review, investigate, and provide a response with just resolution22
The Evangelical Lutheran Church has the process of disciplining church staff spelled out in its constitution, bylaws, and continuing resolutions, and has a Council of Discipline to review cases that are brought forward23
Be aware that when speaking of pastors, that specific term is only used once in the Bible (Ephesians 4:11), is poimēn in Greek, and translated as ‘shepherd’ every other time it’s used24
In order to ensure that church leadership can actually be identified as ‘in sin’ and disciplined (without outside influence), there are theoretically several requirements:
1) A group of elders and/or an overseer must be in place to provide guidance to that church leader, and should have the authority to remove a church leader from their position
2) A church leader should not have the sole authority (or majority authority) to select or remove their own group of elders and/or overseer(s)
3) An officially policy should be presented to the congregation detailing who to contact within the church in order to present a complaint or concern (and contact information for elders and/or overseers should be included)
4) All complaints and concerns should be appropriately investigated by a third party that has no preference for or relationship with the local church leader
5) Complaints and concerns that have been found to be legitimate should be presented publicly
6) All resulting discipline should be decided by the elders and/or overseer and should be annotated publicly
If leaders have sinned, then they should be removed from a position and/or circumstance that encouraged them to sin (per Romans 14:3, Luke 17:1-4, and 2 Corinthians 6:3)25,26,27
Looking from a purely scientific standpoint and focusing in on adultery, a University of Denver study shows that once an individual cheats on a significant other, then they are 3 times more likely to cheat in the next relationship, compared to those that didn’t cheat in the first relationship, displaying the need for careful accountability and removal of temptation28
Group Discussion Question: Should a leader that has abused their position (whether for sexual or monetary gain) ever be allowed back into a position of leadership (i.e., should a pastor who has committed adultery be allowed to pastor at another church after he or she repents)?
Group Discussion Question: Considering that there have been multiple instances of celebrity pastors and Christian musicians publicly de-converting from the faith, should there be checks and balances in place to ensure that these individuals are spiritually fit, or should there be a better option for mentorship to minimize the chance of deconversion?
Evangelizing, for Better and Worse
A significant concern in today’s churches is how to evangelize and reach the unchurched, with much of the discussion centering on what is an is not appropriate on stage
An easier way to consider this topic is whether a church organization is ‘style over substance’
When considering American’s views toward church, there are several interesting metrics that can help church staff understand what works and doesn’t:
According to Pew Research, there is a strong preference for in-person services, with 16% only attending services in person, 17% attending in person and watching online or on TV, and 10% only watching online or on TV (57% didn’t attend in person or watch)… and out of those that both attended in-person and watched, 76% preferred to attend in-person (which is 13% of the total that were polled)29
Pew also found that when searching for a new church, Americans looked primarily at quality of sermons (83%), whether they felt welcomed by leaders (79%), the style of services (74%), and location (70%), with only 56% looking for education for children, and 48% looking for a location with family and/or friends in the congregation30
When looking for a new church, 26% would not join specific churches because of the theology of the locations, and 23% were dissatisfied with the sense of fellowship31
When specifically considering why Americans attend religious services, 81% stated that it was to become closer to God, 69% noted it was so that their children will have a moral foundation, 68% stated it was to make themselves a better person, and 66% explained it was to find comfort in times of trouble/sorrow32
The church has generally failed to actually disciple members:
Only 20% of all Americans correctly understand that Protestantism teaches that salvation comes through faith alone, only 51% know that it was Jesus that delivered the Sermon on the Mount (asked in a multiple choice format), and 58% know that “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is not one of the Ten Commandments (this study annotated that 65% of Americans described themselves as Christians)33
A study by the Barna Group shows that 48% of Americans are Bible users, with only 21% using the Bible once a week or more34
A study by LifeWay shows that only 36% of Americans believe that the Bible is historically true35
Another LifeWay study reports that Americans are confused on their theology, with 64% of evangelical believers stating that all people will ultimately go to heaven (i.e., Christian Universalism), which conflicts with the 54% of evangelical responders to the same study that state that only individuals that trust in Jesus Christ alone receive eternal salvation (meaning that a minimum of 18% answered yes to both)36
The second LifeWay study also noted that 74% of Americans believe that small sins do not lead to damnation, while 62% believe that any sin leads to hell without salvation (a full 36% answered yes to both of the conflicting statements)37
Considering how Jesus accomplished his sermons presents the most solid foundation to utilize when developing a Biblically appropriate church:
Acts 2:42-47 describes that believers devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and to prayer, and that they met in the temple courts and in their own homes38
Matthew 28:19-20 is regularly utilized by churches to denote the great commission, but the two verses in most translations are a single sentence, with verse 20 specifying that disciples should teach others (and not just make new believers)39
When looking just at the Book of Matthew, readers can view how Jesus held ‘church’, primarily in public places (for an audience), and in homes (with his closest followers), though there are a substantial amount of times where he’s in the midst of travelling and being questioned by both outsiders and close friends:40
Specific instances where Jesus preached in synagogues and public places (that were cited as specific destinations by the author):
Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5
Synagogue teaching referenced in Matthew 9:35
Parables near a lake in Matthew 13
The feeding of five thousand and then four thousand along the Sea of Galilee in Matthew 14 and 15
Along the Jordan river in Matthew 19
At the Temple in Jerusalem in Matthew 21:23
Specific instances where Jesus purposefully spent time alone with disciples, teaching them and answering questions (that were cited as specific destinations by the author):
In a house in Matthew 13
A private meeting in Matthew 20:17
Bethany in a house in Matthew 26:6
The Last Supper in Matthew 26:17-35
At the garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:36-45
Group Discussion Question: Considering the Biblical references annotating the early Church, as well as how Jesus taught, are today’s church organizations similar, and are different styles and locations for preaching appropriate?
Group Discussion Question: What is a good goal for church organizations when they are attempting to balance public preaching with in-depth teaching in small-group and one-on-one formats? (i.e., should they attempt a 50/50 split?)
At no point in the Bible does Jesus ever host a Men’s Conference, and he never is seen in the most fashionable clothing or riding in a fashionable vehicle (he actually only ever rides in small fishing boats and once on a donkey)
Group Discussion Question: Is it appropriate for a pastor to wear expensive clothes and drive an expensive vehicle? If so, is it ever inappropriate and where would you draw the line?
Splits within denominations
In December 2023, over 25% of United Methodist churches disaffiliated themselves from the United Methodist Church, making this event the largest schism since the civil war41
The reasoning behind the split has come down to changes in how the United Methodist Church is expected to treat LGBTQ individuals in its book of discipline after the 2025 conference42
Group Discussion Question: Should we expect additional denominational splits in line with cultural views on key subjects in the coming years?
There has been substantial splintering across American Christians, with the amount of non-denominational churches growing from 35,496 in 2010, to 44,319 in 2020, a nearly 25% growth in just 10 years (for overall adherents, there were 21 million in 2020 and 17.6 million Southern Baptist, the next closest group)43
Group Discussion Question: Is the rapid growth of non-denominational churches a good thing for Christianity, and why is it or is it not?
Group Discussion Question: Are denominational splits good, or would it be beneficial for some denominations (or non-denomination organizations) to recombine into a single organization?
Weel 9 References:
New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica, Inc. 1 Tim. 3:1-13 (Original work published 1973)
New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica, Inc. Titus 1:5-9 (Original work published 1973)
New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica, Inc. 1 Pet. 5:1-8 (Original work published 1973)
New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica, Inc. James 3:1 (Original work published 1973)
New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica, Inc. 1 Tim. 5:17-21 (Original work published 1973)
Garrett, J. (n.d.). Baptist Church discipline. Standard Bearer. https://www.standardbearer.org/wp-content/uploads/mini-ebook-files/9781579783525_Baptist Church Discipline. Revised and Updated Edition mini book.pdf
New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica, Inc. Rom. 14:3 (Original work published 1973)
New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica, Inc. Luke 17:1-4 (Original work published 1973)
New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica, Inc. 2 Cor. 6:3 (Original work published 1973)
Knopp, K., Scott, S., Ritchie, L. et al. Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater? Serial Infidelity Across Subsequent Relationships. Arch Sex Behav 46, 2301–2311 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1018-1
