Aspiring Overseers

Men who aspire to oversee God's church desire a good work, one that requires godliness above all else. Virtually every qualification for an elder in the church is a characteristic of spiritual maturity. Though many churches prioritize the eloquence of a pastor or the board experience of an elder, God didn't deem those vital enough qualities to mention. Even the required ability to teach and lead his household well are overwhelmingly derivative functions of an elder's character, because it would be impossible to teach or lead his family unhypocritically if his character wasn't godly. And if he is to teach and lead other families in God's church, he must be able to first teach and lead his own.