The Portrait of Pastors and Deacons
Introduction
Jozef de Veuster was a Belgic Catholic missionary working in 19th century Hawaii. For several years, he worked on the “Big Island,” establishing churches and working with people. During his time there, he learned of a new leper colony after a recent outbreak of the disease which was located on a secluded peninsula only reachable by boat. He began to request to be sent there, and got his wish in 1873.
Rather than distantly ministering to the people there, de Veuster decided to forego many of the precautions, working side-by-side with the sick to develop infrastructure. During his time there, quality of life was vastly improved. Sadly, his courage did come with consequences, and he contracted Hansen’s disease, AKA leprosy. He died of the disease 16 years after arriving in the leper colony.
Men like de Vesuter are true shepherds. They refuse to lead at a distance. They put their money where their mouth is, leading by example as one of the people.
In this sermon series we have looked into God’s Word to understand what a pastor is. And no, pastoring a church is not a great sacrifice like contracting leprosy. Quite the opposite, and we will see that this is what all pastoring is! But I think, if we can take all of the responsibility of a pastor into account, we do see a role that takes grit, gut-level determination.
By the end of the sermon, I would like for you to see where that gut-level determination hits the pavement for pastors. And my prayer is that you will not see this so you can pity or venerate your pastors, but so that you can imitate him.
As we look at the qualifications of a pastor and deacon, we will better understand what a leader is and the kind of life that church leaders commit to.
Shepherding is a good work.
In verse 1, before he explains what the qualifications are for church leadership, Paul comments on the work itself. He says, he who desires the work of a bishop desires a good work.
What was your first job? How did you feel about your first job? Was it good? Was it good for you? Maybe think about that first job, or maybe your job now, and ask, what about that job makes it worthwhile? What about pastoring makes it a good work? Well, I have thought of two reasons:
It benefits the church. Our church has, hopefully by God’s grace become familiar with this passage:
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Eph 4:11–12
So it edifies or builds up God’s people in the church when pastors equip them. And we see in multiple passages, especially 1 Pet 5:1–5 that pastors are to provide nourishing care for the flock of God.
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Heb 13:17
Alright, do you remember theorems, inverses, and converses in geometry? So let’s do that with this verse.
If joy is the opposite of grief here, and when we get unprofitability when pastors watch with grief, what do we get when they watch with joy, profitability! When you have good pastors who do their work well, it is good for the church and therefore, it is a good work.
So first it is good for the church, secondly, I would say that it is good for the pastor. There are a lot of rewards for doing the work of pastoring, let alone eternal rewards for a moment. It is a fulfilling work.
Many times, Paul mentions how much joy and gladness his people’s faithfulness brings him. I did a short study, not an exhaustive one. I am sure there are other passages we could reference but here are twelve:
Paul cannot help but mention how fun it is to see the fruit of one’s labor in the lives of other people. So I know you all really appreciate me and Pastor Thomas, and you let us know that. It means a lot. But it really is worth it for us to see God’s working in your hearts and obedience to Christ.
And we know this already; when our kids take their first steps, when they ride a bike, when they drive a car, we feel it. My oldest daughter wrote a sentence the other day. There is inexpressible joy in watching those whom we love and teach succeed.
And so, like Paul, I think I feel tension when it comes to other people desiring to be a pastor. I want you to see that, yes, there is a bar. Many people shouldn’t desire to be teachers. But some really should, because it is a good work. To men in here who may think, “Hey, that work sounds kinda nice. I think I could do that,” my prayer is that you feel the holy tension between the goodness of the work and the weight of the qualifications.
And so we turn now to the other side of that coin.
God only allows qualified men to do it.
These benefits that God directs to his people through pastors, and also deacons, are crucial for its life, health, and growth. So much so that God will not just let any man do it. It must be done by people who qualify for the job.
A major conclusion we must draw from the passage is that these qualifications are focused on character. It is like the line at the amusement park. You must be this tall to ride. I can already hear the jokes from Pat Anderson, partly because I have heard them before from him and others. They are hilarious.
The qualifications are table stakes. You must have them to be a pastor or a deacon. And one reason God does this is because compromised character on the part of the church’s servants sabotages God’s people.
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. Jer 23:1
When God’s appointed servants fail to be what they should, it damages the people around them. It distracts from the work. It distracts from worshipping Christ! Jesus also warned against causing one of the “little ones” to stumble too. When God says woe, we ought to say woah. Hold up. Wait a minute.
God also loves the church and his will is for it to be pure.
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Acts 20:28
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Eph 5:25–27
Jesus gave himself so that the church would be “without blemish,” like the OT lamb sacrificed to God in worship. If God cares about the church that much and so that the church would be holy for him. Therefore, the churches leaders must be, as Paul says, blameless, which does not mean sinless. It means their character must be impeccable or unimpeachable.
Therefore…
Men qualify for church responsibility through who they are, not necessarily what they can do.
This is easy to forget, first of all because being the right kind of person is a lot more difficult than looking like we’re doing the right things. How easy it is to come to church, show up at all the events, and play the part of a Jesus-follower but be empty inside.
As Jesus said in…
‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. Matt 15:8
We can say all the right things and look like the right person without true repentance. We can change those external things, while still in our hearts and private moments retaining our idols. And if we, the church, are not ruthlessly killing our sinful habits and mortifying our fleshly lusts, why would we look for people who are doing that to fill these offices? How would we be any good at finding them?
This is all the more reason that we should find pastors and deacons who demonstrate a commitment to true righteousness and hearts that are close to God so that they might lead us in worshipping God and following Christ. On another level though, the church must have a desire as a body to seek God’s kingdom above all else so that they will find shepherds and servants who can help them do that.
Another difficulty we have in recognizing this reality of the qualifications is that we typically think of job qualifications as skills or certifications to do certain things that we have. But God’s qualifications for work are different. He’s not looking for the ability to use Microsoft Office or a typing speed. (Do they still put that on job descriptions?) He’s looking for a kind of person. Look at these qualifications. Please note that this table is based on a table in a Lexham Research commentary, although I did modify it.
Jozef de Veuster was a Belgic Catholic missionary working in 19th century Hawaii. For several years, he worked on the “Big Island,” establishing churches and working with people. During his time there, he learned of a new leper colony after a recent outbreak of the disease which was located on a secluded peninsula only reachable by boat. He began to request to be sent there, and got his wish in 1873.
Rather than distantly ministering to the people there, de Veuster decided to forego many of the precautions, working side-by-side with the sick to develop infrastructure. During his time there, quality of life was vastly improved. Sadly, his courage did come with consequences, and he contracted Hansen’s disease, AKA leprosy. He died of the disease 16 years after arriving in the leper colony.
Men like de Vesuter are true shepherds. They refuse to lead at a distance. They put their money where their mouth is, leading by example as one of the people.
In this sermon series we have looked into God’s Word to understand what a pastor is. And no, pastoring a church is not a great sacrifice like contracting leprosy. Quite the opposite, and we will see that this is what all pastoring is! But I think, if we can take all of the responsibility of a pastor into account, we do see a role that takes grit, gut-level determination.
By the end of the sermon, I would like for you to see where that gut-level determination hits the pavement for pastors. And my prayer is that you will not see this so you can pity or venerate your pastors, but so that you can imitate him.
As we look at the qualifications of a pastor and deacon, we will better understand what a leader is and the kind of life that church leaders commit to.
Shepherding is a good work.
In verse 1, before he explains what the qualifications are for church leadership, Paul comments on the work itself. He says, he who desires the work of a bishop desires a good work.
What was your first job? How did you feel about your first job? Was it good? Was it good for you? Maybe think about that first job, or maybe your job now, and ask, what about that job makes it worthwhile? What about pastoring makes it a good work? Well, I have thought of two reasons:
It benefits the church. Our church has, hopefully by God’s grace become familiar with this passage:
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Eph 4:11–12
So it edifies or builds up God’s people in the church when pastors equip them. And we see in multiple passages, especially 1 Pet 5:1–5 that pastors are to provide nourishing care for the flock of God.
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Heb 13:17
Alright, do you remember theorems, inverses, and converses in geometry? So let’s do that with this verse.
If joy is the opposite of grief here, and when we get unprofitability when pastors watch with grief, what do we get when they watch with joy, profitability! When you have good pastors who do their work well, it is good for the church and therefore, it is a good work.
So first it is good for the church, secondly, I would say that it is good for the pastor. There are a lot of rewards for doing the work of pastoring, let alone eternal rewards for a moment. It is a fulfilling work.
Many times, Paul mentions how much joy and gladness his people’s faithfulness brings him. I did a short study, not an exhaustive one. I am sure there are other passages we could reference but here are twelve:
Paul cannot help but mention how fun it is to see the fruit of one’s labor in the lives of other people. So I know you all really appreciate me and Pastor Thomas, and you let us know that. It means a lot. But it really is worth it for us to see God’s working in your hearts and obedience to Christ.
And we know this already; when our kids take their first steps, when they ride a bike, when they drive a car, we feel it. My oldest daughter wrote a sentence the other day. There is inexpressible joy in watching those whom we love and teach succeed.
And so, like Paul, I think I feel tension when it comes to other people desiring to be a pastor. I want you to see that, yes, there is a bar. Many people shouldn’t desire to be teachers. But some really should, because it is a good work. To men in here who may think, “Hey, that work sounds kinda nice. I think I could do that,” my prayer is that you feel the holy tension between the goodness of the work and the weight of the qualifications.
And so we turn now to the other side of that coin.
God only allows qualified men to do it.
These benefits that God directs to his people through pastors, and also deacons, are crucial for its life, health, and growth. So much so that God will not just let any man do it. It must be done by people who qualify for the job.
A major conclusion we must draw from the passage is that these qualifications are focused on character. It is like the line at the amusement park. You must be this tall to ride. I can already hear the jokes from Pat Anderson, partly because I have heard them before from him and others. They are hilarious.
The qualifications are table stakes. You must have them to be a pastor or a deacon. And one reason God does this is because compromised character on the part of the church’s servants sabotages God’s people.
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. Jer 23:1
When God’s appointed servants fail to be what they should, it damages the people around them. It distracts from the work. It distracts from worshipping Christ! Jesus also warned against causing one of the “little ones” to stumble too. When God says woe, we ought to say woah. Hold up. Wait a minute.
God also loves the church and his will is for it to be pure.
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Acts 20:28
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Eph 5:25–27
Jesus gave himself so that the church would be “without blemish,” like the OT lamb sacrificed to God in worship. If God cares about the church that much and so that the church would be holy for him. Therefore, the churches leaders must be, as Paul says, blameless, which does not mean sinless. It means their character must be impeccable or unimpeachable.
Therefore…
Men qualify for church responsibility through who they are, not necessarily what they can do.
This is easy to forget, first of all because being the right kind of person is a lot more difficult than looking like we’re doing the right things. How easy it is to come to church, show up at all the events, and play the part of a Jesus-follower but be empty inside.
As Jesus said in…
‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. Matt 15:8
We can say all the right things and look like the right person without true repentance. We can change those external things, while still in our hearts and private moments retaining our idols. And if we, the church, are not ruthlessly killing our sinful habits and mortifying our fleshly lusts, why would we look for people who are doing that to fill these offices? How would we be any good at finding them?
This is all the more reason that we should find pastors and deacons who demonstrate a commitment to true righteousness and hearts that are close to God so that they might lead us in worshipping God and following Christ. On another level though, the church must have a desire as a body to seek God’s kingdom above all else so that they will find shepherds and servants who can help them do that.
Another difficulty we have in recognizing this reality of the qualifications is that we typically think of job qualifications as skills or certifications to do certain things that we have. But God’s qualifications for work are different. He’s not looking for the ability to use Microsoft Office or a typing speed. (Do they still put that on job descriptions?) He’s looking for a kind of person. Look at these qualifications. Please note that this table is based on a table in a Lexham Research commentary, although I did modify it.
Yes, all of these involve skills, but I would say they have more to do with character than they do with abilities. With one exception: "able to teach for pastors."
This is a skill that God gives to people to bless the church. And I would say that public teaching is one of the hard gating factors for godly men who want to be pastors. Some people are just not gifted to teach in public, and that is ok! As Paul says in Rom 12 and 1 Corinthians, we are all members of the body and have different functions. That is something we should honor. But if someone is not able to teach, they cannot be a pastor. I do want to say, for those who might wonder, I think I would like to be a pastor, but I am not sure I am a “gifted” teacher. When I use the word gifted in that way, I am talking about someone who excels at doing so. The Bible has a category for excellent preachers, as Pastor Thomas said a few weeks ago from 1 Tim 5. But that also means there are less gifted preachers. And perhaps those men can excel at teaching the Bible in other settings, perhaps in a very practical, down to earth way, or in a more personal context. Regardless of how this teaching gift is implemented, he should be able to teach God’s Word. He should know it, be able to understand it, and apply it.
There is much I could say about the qualifications about divorce, marriage, households, children, habits, and much more. Some of those things are answered by our core documents. And more of them will be answered on the Brookdale podcast so please watch that over the holiday season. We will release a few episodes about this sermon series.
I do want to make one point about a qualification for pastors and deacons each. First, pastors must be men. I use that Word in the third point because the Bible is crystal clear. It is a debated issue, but only because people twist the Scriptures to mean things God clearly does not. Pastors at Brookdale (and true pastors anywhere) must be men.
"Blameless and men of dignity." I believe these words are first intentionally because they act as summary qualities. The pastors is to be blameless, which is not the same as sinless. You have two pastors that are not sinless, although maybe one is more so than the other. This word has to do with having unimpeachable character. Not that accusations are never made, but that they are hard to make and that there is no serious breach of character. By the same token, deacons should be dignified men. The way they conduct themselves in all these areas of life should be worthy of respect of other believers.
These men are both examples of what it means to follow Christ because of the way they live, or because of who they are.
Finally, then…
Christian leaders must be exemplary Christians.
The last principle I’d like to draw from this text is that main takeaway that, if you get nothing else from this message, you at least get this. In fact, every point I have made so far has been an attempt to build to this conclusion. This passage reveals something very important about God’s priorities when selecting special servants. He wants people who are examples.
I have looked at each of these qualities, and all believers are, in other passages, commanded to possess them in a similar way. Yes, even, the qualification of being able to teach is to be true in all believer’s lives.
Therefore, pastors are not necessarily supposed to be impressive, highly skilled men. Or even men that are have the qualities of a super Christian. They are to be ordinary men who are examples of ordinary Christians, but God uses them in extraordinary ways to bless the church. There are three ways I believe we can apply this text at Brookdale.
Ensure pastors and deacons qualify as such.
This is what Paul was doing when he gave these lists to Timothy, and another to Titus. Watch your pastors, yes to learn from them, but we also need you to ensure every pastor and pastoral candidate meets these qualifications. Look for character first, not necessarily impressive skills.
Those who want the office, become qualified first.
To my friends who desire to do the good work of shepherding as a bishop of God’s flock, focus on becoming. Be transformed by the Word of God daily and abide in Christ. Put off the old man, and put on the new man by the power of the Holy Spirit. Become an exemplary man first.
If you are interested in that, talk to us. We are seeking to help men take their next steps in following Christ, and for some, that means pursuing the office of an elder.
Follow the leaders.
This text is a good list for any man (and in many ways for ladies too!) who wants to follow Christ. The biblical pattern for sanctification is imitating our leaders as they imitate Jesus. As long as your leaders stay qualified and faithful to the Word, the Bible clearly teaches you to follow them. You remember that game, follow the leader? You get in line and do what the leader does. I am not the one who is first in line. I am just doing my best to follow him so you can better see what the leader is doing.
Conclusion
Like any good one, Jozef de Veuster’s story did not end with his death. A few years after his ministry to the lepers began, a man named Joseph Dutton arrived to help him. Dutton did not come because of the pay, he came because he read of what Jozef was doing in a newspaper. Eventually de Vesteur said of Dutton, “I can die now. Brother Joseph will take care of my orphans.”
Discussion Questions
- Joseph Dutton followed Jozef de Veuster's example after reading about him in the newspaper. What is one thing that you have picked up from someone else or that someone else has from you?
- What do you find rewarding about seeing the success of people in whom you've invested?
- What does it mean to be blameless? How is this different from being sinless?
- Why might God be so concerned about character when it comes to pastoral and deacon qualifications?
- Hint: What about the influence of the leaders? What about God’s love and plan for the church?
- Should a young man’s preparation be different from the way most diligent people prepare for vocations? How so?
- What is the difference between being the right kind of person versus merely doing the right things?
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