Voddie Baucham, You are TheMan!

Last night, when I read aloud Baucham's indictment of modern youth ministry and parents who enroll their kids in public schools, I heard groans from the prayer warrior daughter who is heavily invested in her twice weekly youth ministry volunteering; the dear middle child who woke me up Saturday morning wailing on the piano with missions buddy, Heather, singing crazy loud hymns and blessing,  once again, all the stray cats and neighbors.


So, dear SLB, this blog's for you. And since, just this morning, your dear Da' confessed his sorrow at not discipling his kids, and since I have to take a break from Zygote while I process the new damands of adult responsibilty --I must turn 50 in a few short days (!dread!)-- 


I bring you my hero, Pastor Voddie Baucham:

"The list of elder qualifications in Titus chapter one is divided into three categories.  These categories are 1) the elder's home/family, 2) the elder's personal character, and 3) the elder's teaching ministry.  


A closer look at each of these categories reveals not only what elders are called to do, but also what they are called to model, and to whom.

The Elder's Home/Family

The first category of elder qualifications focuses on the elder's family life.  Paul writes, "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." (Titus 1:6-7) Obviously, this is an area in which all Christian men are called to excel.  Moreover, not one of us would be willing to say that marriage and family are areas in which we are willing to compromise in the training of our sons.  Hence, elders serve as models for younger men as to what it means to be a husband, father, and manager of a home.

This matter is crucial to our purpose.  I believe one of the greatest obstacles to biblical family shepherding is the way we view elders.  Today, most churches call men to the office of elder/pastor/bishop (the terms are used interchangeably in the New Testament) without the slightest examination of their family.  I know senior pastors who have been voted into churches before their wives ever dawned the door.  How could we possibly be serious about elders modeling biblical family life to the benefit of their flock if the subject is never broached? 

And yet, Paul's teaching could not be clearer.  That is, unless we take his other writings into consideration.  Paul expands on his family-based qualifications in his first letter to Timothy.  There he adds that a man must "manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive." (1 Tim 3:4)  He goes on to ask the rhetorical question, "[I]f someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" (1 Tim 3:5)  Clearly the apostle intended to emphasize the importance of a man's track record as a family shepherd in determining his suitability for leadership in the church.

As long as we don't care about whether or not a man disciples his wife and children when we are considering him for leadership in the church, we will never require other men to take seriously their roles as family shepherds.  Therefore, the first part of this reformation must occur in the pulpit.  My prayer is that pastors will take it upon themselves to 1) embrace biblical family religion, 2) instruct their churches as to the importance of the practice, 3) model family shepherding to their flocks, and 4) make a concerted effort to lead the church to examine the home life of all future candidates for leadership.

The Elder's Personal Character

In addition to an elder's family life, he must also model general Christian character.  Paul shares this first from the perspective of what a godly man is not:  "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." (Titus 1:7)  He then moves on to the affirmative and teaches what an elder should be, such as:  "hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined." (Titus 1:8-9)

Far from being a list of esoteric requirements attained only by men who take vows of poverty, or silence, or celibacy; this is the stuff godly Christians are made of. Granted, elders must be exemplary in these areas, but that is due in large part to their mandate to be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:2).  And flowing forth from such godly character is godly instruction.

The Elder's Ministry of the Word

I once saw a job posting for a Senior Pastor on an online career site.  I don't remember where the church was, but I do remember two things.  First, I remember that it was a very large church (between 5,000 and 10,000 members).  I remember this because one of the requirements was that an interested candidate have a track record of growing a church of that size.  The other thing I remember is their extremely specific requirements in the area of teaching.  They were looking for a candidate who was a strong communicator, and "proficient with incorporating PowerPoint in his messages. PowerPoint!  What a far cry from "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." (Titus 1:9)

VB"