Striving to be…?

” All men should strive to be office bearers (overseers, pastors, elders or deacons) in the church.” 

That is a statement recently proclaimed by someone in my church.

Immediately I went on the defensive, as I am prone to doing in my sinful nature.  I thought this was a silly, off base comment, by an uneducated and judgmental person.    I certainly have no desire to be an office bearer at this point in my life.  Perhaps this is due to my being 34 years old with a wife and 2 young children. Aren’t office bearers supposed to be old?  Besides, I am a busy guy with lots of responsibility already! I work a regular job and run my own company on the side, I volunteer in the church and in the community, did I mention I have a wife and 2 young children? I have more than enough on my plate without someone telling me I should be “striving to be an elder” on top of all this! Why would I also want to be accountable for other peoples spiritual well being?  I just don’t have the time! This was my knee-jerk reaction to what I thought was an off-base comment.

So it kept tugging at me and I started thinking about this statement very seriously.  Should all men strive to be office bearers?  Should I be striving to be one?  Is that what God wants for me and for all Christian men?

Well let’s take a look at what the Bible says:

1 Timothy 3:1-7

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.  Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Titus 1:5-9

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you– if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer,as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

My argument against the statement, “all men should strive to be office bearers,” was twofold.  First, that men with young families should not take time away from their families to shepherd the flock!  Their responsibility is first to their own house.  Second, that not all men are given the ability to teach!

The Bible clearly sets forth the requirements to be an elder as seen in the passages above.  As I read these two passages of scripture and began formulating my <preconceived> argument  that not all men should not strive to be an elder;  I suddenly came to a very simple realization.  As I read the passage in Titus, I just substituted the word “overseer” with “Husband and Father” in my head …now I am not condoning changing the Bible to fit our arguments, I am just saying it popped into my head.

For [A FATHER AND HUSBAND],as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

What wife would not want a husband with those qualities?  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks – all men should strive to have these qualities regardless of age  whether you are 19, 33, 50, 80 or 100.  Over and over in the Bible we are given the qualities of a Christian, the fruit of the Spirit, the beatitudes, the ten commandments and so on – are they not just reflected here with a different focus? And what about my argument that not everyone has the gift of teaching?  It is my duty as a father to instruct my children in the ways of God, in sound doctrine, in caring for the needy, in love. I am a teacher whether I like it or not, I am an overseer whether I like it or not.  An overseer? Yes – I am a Christian husband and father. I have to give an account before God how I led my wife and children as the spiritual head of my home! I am striving to be an elder in the church of God, but not because I want to be one, right now I have no aspirations to be an office bearer –  for those of you who know me, I do not exactly thrive on the spotlight, and i am prone to stumble over my words when leading a group in prayer and bible study.  However, like all Christian men should,  I strive to read my Bible, pray and have personal devotions.  I will strive to have devotions with my wife and children.  I am striving to live a life of thankfulness to God for his grace and mercy, and I am teaching my children about these things. Discipleship is a lifelong journey of obedience to Christ, where the Holy Spirit transforms our values, attitudes and behaviour…so without even realizing it – I am striving to reach a point in my walk with Christ where I will  have all the qualities of an office bearer and the desire to serve in any capacity that He would call me. 

I never get to win these arguments 🙂