What to Look for in a Pastor

In a matter of months CoaH will begin the search for a new pastor.  Though this will be done by the elders of the church, (I use the word elders broadly and Scripturally to include pastors and elders, or what you may call preacher elders and governing elders, or paid elders and lay elders) each church member should know what to look for in a pastor.  Thankfully, Scripture already tells us what a pastor should do and the qualities one should look for. 

Let’s begin with 1 Timothy 31-7:

 1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

1.  He should want to be a pastor (v1).  This shouldn’t be taken for granted.  It should be obvious that he loves his job.  The pastor’s job is difficult and comes with endless challenges, so his heart must be in it.

2.  He should be holy (v2).  He can’t be perfect, but he must be making progress in his holiness, deeply aware of his sinfulness.  His private life must match his public persona.  There must not be any discrepancy.

3.  He should be male.  Let me explain as briefly as I can.  I consider myself a loose complementarian, as opposed to an egalitarian.  A complementarian believes in God-given differences in roles between men and women, not to mention the biological differences.  An egalitarian believes there is no distinction in roles.  I would think that no evangelical Christian is a full-blown egalitarian.  So, here’s what I teach.  In the home, God’s design is that men are to lead as humble servants.  Women play the supporting role.  It is to be the same in the church.  However, years ago the KPCA, our denomination, voted to amend the bylaws and allow the ordination of women, and to go on record, I voted against it.  That is why we have ordained women pastors in our church, one in KM and one in CoaH.  I have learned to live with this change in the bylaw.  The position I have come to hold, being a complementarian in an egalitarian denomination is that the lead preacher must be male.  Does it mean a woman can never teach from the pulpit?  No.  This is my view.  Thus, I hope CoaH will follow in this Biblical pattern and appoint a male lead pastor.

4.  He must be able to teach (v2).  Because he is the primary preacher, he must be able to teach.  Do not be seduced by a great storyteller or by a gifted orator.  It is helpful to have those skills.  I wish I had more of them.  The most important questions are these.  Is he faithful to the text?  Does he preach the Gospel?  Does he overemphasize Christ (by the way, you can’t ever speak too much about Christ)?  Does he apply the Word to the lives of the people?  I am so proud that many, if not most of you have become very discerning listeners of God’s Word.  You can sniff out a non-Biblical or Biblically sparse sermon right away.

5.  He must be a good family man (v4-5).  He can’t be married to the church.  He must be married to his wife.  Don’t hire a workaholic, rather find someone who models, as best as he can, a healthy work-family balance.

6.  Don’t hire someone who’s a new Christian (v6).  The flipside is that he must be a mature Christian, a proven Christian, a person who has gone through his fair share of spiritual seasons -- times on the mountain top and times in the valley.  

7. He must be a man in good standing with his community.  Some pastors can be liked by their congregation, but dislike by his neighbours.  That’s not your man.  Find a man who loves his neighbours; he knows their names and the names of their children. He loves standing on the lawn chatting with his neighbours. 

There’s more:

(1 Peter 5:1) To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

8. He must be a good shepherd (vs 2).  He must be a caring example to the flock that is entrusted to him. 

9. He must not be power hungry (vs 5-3), but rather a humble servant.

Here’s a final quality…

(Titus 1:9) He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

10. He must have sound orthodox doctrine.  Look at his academic credentials.  Ask him what he believes about  Scripture.  Make sure he confesses that the Bible is God’s inerrant Word.  Make sure he’s an unashamed Calvinist, that he adheres to the Five Solas, and God’s sovereign grace.

There’s more to say such as being committed to raising disciples and engaged in missions, and even things about his leadership style and management skills, but I’ll leave it at that.  CoaH members, it is time to pray and ask God to lead our congregation in this most important next step.  Don’t settle for anyone less than that.  May God raise up for us a godly, Christ-like, Bible-loving, Gospel-proclaiming pastor

Soli Deo Gloria
Pastor Peter