v 1. If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honourable position.
To be a manager of God’s household requires very distinct qualities – and in this letter Paul sets the standard high. No beating about the bush, very high. Nor is a matter of academic qualifications, although that might help when it comes to the characteristic mentioned in v 2 ‘he must be able to teach.’ The main qualities are personal ones, with high standards of personal integrity and disciplined living in the forefront.
The long list of factors which Paul gives is, to say the least, very challenging. Please regard them as aspirational rather than fully developed in an individual. They are qualities that mature in the life of an individual rather than be apparent in a person’s life before being appointed as a leader. Recognising the potential in another person, and then encouraging a leader-in-waiting is a key part of a mature leader’s ministry.
In the world of work or government it is called ‘Succession Planning’ – looking out for the people who will become leaders and take on that role as existing leaders step aside for some reason.
Please make this a matter for prayer in the context of our local churches. Pray for younger women and men in our churches that they will gladly take on the role of leadership in the years ahead. It is not just the gaining of degrees or other qualifications, but the development of mature, Holy Spirit filled lives that that will fit a younger generation for the task of leading our churches in the years ahead.