Men in the Church

Eldership and Service "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve."

— 1 Peter 5:1–2 God has ordered His Church with shepherds. From the earliest days, the apostles appointed elders in every city (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5). These men — mature, proven, biblically qualified — are given the task of shepherding God's people. Not to be kings, but servants. Not to enrich themselves, but to feed the flock. Not to dominate, but to lead by example.

Brother, spiritual leadership in the home and spiritual leadership in the church are not two separate lives. They flow from the same well. The man who shepherds his wife and children well is the kind of man God chooses to shepherd His Church. And the man who serves faithfully in his local church is strengthened to serve better at home. The home prepares the man for the church; the church equips the man for the home.

Let us look carefully at who can be an elder in the Church of Christ. Paul writes to Timothy: "Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap" (1 Timothy 3:1–7).

Notice first: "whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task." It is right and good for a man to aspire to eldership in the Church. This is not an ambition born of pride but a holy desire to serve God's people. If the Lord has put this desire in you, do not suppress it. But also do not rush it. Most of the qualifications in this list require years of faithful living to develop.

Notice second: this is a list of character, not a list of gifts. The only gift mentioned is "able to teach." Everything else is about who the man is. He is above reproach — his life has no dirty secret waiting to explode. He is faithful to his wife — "a one-woman man," as the Greek literally says, meaning he is devoted to her alone. He is temperate — not ruled by appetites. He is self-controlled — his mouth, his temper, his desires are governed by the Spirit. He is respectable — his life commands honor without demanding it. He is hospitable — his home is open, his table welcomes guests. He is not given to drunkenness — this is crucial in our East African context where alcohol destroys so many homes. He is not violent but gentle. He is not quarrelsome. He is not a lover of money.

Notice third: he must manage his own family well. Paul says if a man cannot shepherd at home, he cannot shepherd in the church. The home is the testing ground. Many men in our churches want the title of elder, the microphone, the respect, the influence — but they have not first proved themselves at home. Their wives fear them. Their children are wild. Their households are in disorder. Such men are not yet ready. Go home, shepherd your wife, raise your children in the Lord, and let the fruit ripen before you grasp for the position.

Notice fourth: he must not be a recent convert. In our rapidly growing churches across East Africa, this warning is often ignored. We give pulpits to men who have been born again for only a year or two. Sometimes we give them to men who have never been truly converted at all but who have charisma and money. This produces pride in the young leader and disaster in the flock. Let maturity grow. Let character be tested. Let trials be endured. Then lift a man up.

Notice fifth: he must have a good reputation with outsiders. The neighbors who know you — the market woman who sells you tomatoes, the boda-boda rider who has driven you, the employee under you — they know if you are a true Christian or only a Sunday one. If the world thinks you are dishonest, a womanizer, a cheat, a bully, you are not qualified to lead the church, no matter how loud you are in worship.

Now, brother, perhaps you are not an elder and never will be. Perhaps you do not aspire to that office. That is fine. Not every man is called to eldership. But every man is called to serve the local church. Hear this clearly: if you are a Christian man, your church needs you, and you need your church.

Think of the church as a body (1 Corinthians 12). Every member contributes something. If the ushers are always the same women, where are the men? If the cleaning of the building falls on the widows, where are the men? If the small group leaders are always the pastor's wife and her friends, where are the men? If the Sunday School teachers are all women, who is modeling Christ for the little boys? If the finances of the church are handled by one tired person, where are the faithful men to bring their wisdom?

Serve where you are needed. Teach if you can teach. Give if you can give. Sing if you can sing.

Fix things if you are handy. Visit the sick. Welcome the newcomer. Pray at prayer meeting. Help with youth events. Disciple a younger man. Support your pastor. Bring a meal to the bereaved family. The body is built up when every part does its work (Ephesians 4:16).

Honor your pastors. Hebrews says, "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you" (Hebrews 13:17). Your pastor is a man like you, with his own struggles. He needs your prayers, your encouragement, your honest support. Do not gossip about him. Do not undermine him. Do not tear him down behind his back.

If you disagree with him, go to him privately in love.

A word of warning also: do not idolize him. The pastor is a man, not a messiah. Do not build your faith on his personality. In our region, we have seen too many one-man churches where the pastor is treated like a king or a prophet, where no one can question him, where the money flows into his pockets and the building never gets finished. This is not biblical Christianity. Elders — plural — lead the church (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5). A healthy church has a plurality of qualified men, not a single unaccountable ruler. If your church does not have this, pray for it, work toward it, and perhaps, with humility and patience, help build it.

Consider Athanasius, the great African bishop of Alexandria in the 300s. He is known as "Athanasius against the world" because he stood for the deity of Christ when most of the church had drifted into the Arian heresy. Five times he was exiled by emperors who wanted him to compromise. Five times he returned. He was faithful to the truth of Scripture no matter the cost.

And because one African man would not bow, the Church today still confesses that Jesus is fully God. One faithful elder can change the course of history. Do not think your service is too small to matter.

Consider also the humble pastor in a small village church in Uganda or Kenya or Tanzania. He will never be famous. He will never write a book. His name will not be remembered in fifty years.

But he prays for his flock. He preaches the Word faithfully Sunday after Sunday. He visits the sick. He buries the dead. He marries the young. He catechizes the children. He will hear one day from Jesus, "Well done, good and faithful servant." That is glory enough. Do not despise such men. Do not leave them alone. Stand with them.

Brother, commit to a local church. Be a member, not a visitor. Be a servant, not just a consumer.

Be present in the joys and the hardships. Be there when the roof leaks and when there is no money for the power bill. Be there when the youth are wild and need godly men. Be there when an elder falls into sin and the church weeps. Be there when revival comes and when seasons are dry. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). So must you.

A Prayer Father, thank You for Your Church, the body of Christ, the pillar and foundation of the truth. Forgive me for the times I have been a consumer rather than a servant, a critic rather than a builder, a drifter rather than a member. Give me a heart for Your local church. If You are calling me to eldership, prepare me and do not let me run ahead of Your timing. If You are calling me to other service, make me faithful in the smallest task. Help me honor my pastors, support my brothers, and build up the body. Make me a man of whom it may be said, "He loved the Church of God."

In the name of Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, Amen.