The Dangers of Unqualified Elders
Putting an unqualified man into a role of leadership places the entire church at risk.
We have in the grace movement seen over the years cautionary tales about the consequences of having unqualified elders on church boards. We published articles yesterday on the purpose of church boards along with the essential 24 qualifications to be an elder.
A church board is not a political game in which a pastor needs to stack a bunch of guys who support him so he can protect his job.
The church board exists to do far more than make decisions about budgets, buildings, and maintenance, though those responsibilities are important acts of stewardship. Paul told the elders in Ephesus “to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his blood” (Acts 20:28). He means more than just teaching Pauline doctrines rightly divided. These elders were to embody those doctrines. Being an overseer means they were to ensure that every sound doctrine of grace, every principle of love and grace, is applied to every aspect of that church. They were to ensure that the grace of God shapes the entire culture of that ministry — from its doctrines, to its relationships, to its decisions, to its daily practices. And they were to be living examples of God’s grace. They were to set the tone, advocate a loving, gracious, atmosphere, and protect all the saints.
Both pastors and boards should be united around that agenda. If a board member cannot get behind that agenda or wants to push other agendas unrelated to the Biblical definition of church oversight, then he shouldn’t be on the board.
Let’s also not forget that Paul did not give 24 qualifications for elders simply to help churches identify exceptional men. He listed these qualifications in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 to protect the church from unnecessary issues and disasters.
Each qualification serves as a safeguard against a specific danger.
If a church overlooks these standards, they often discover — too late — why God mandated them. Let us now consider the dangers of having men on a board who do not meet every single God-ordained qualification of an elder.
1. He Desires the Office
The Danger: How can a man who doesn’t desire the office be of service to a church? A man who has no genuine desire to serve God’s people will become a passive leader, more of a burden than a servant, and he may be in that role out of obligation, pride, or personal ambition rather than a true servant’s heart. He would also likely be too weak or ignorant to make important decisions.
2. Blameless
The Danger: An elder whose life is marked by hypocrisy or public reproach may well bring those same problems into the board. This may also erode the congregation’s confidence and discernment of the elders if they bring on someone who has such glaring ongoing issues. The congregation needs to have confidence in the wisdom and discernment of elders.
3. Husband of One Wife
The Danger: A leader lacking marital faithfulness and moral integrity is too unbalanced and inconsistent to faithfully serve your church over the long term.
4. Vigilant
The Danger: A spiritually careless and unwatchful elder may fail to recognize creeping doctrinal errors, moral compromises, and dangers threatening the flock.
5. Sober
The Danger: An elder who lacks sound judgment and self-discipline will react impulsively instead of wisely. He’ll become a source of instability.
6. Of Good Behavior
The Danger: Disorder in an elder’s personal life will eventually produce disorder within the board and the congregation he is called to lead.
7. Given to Hospitality
The Danger: An unapproachable and ungenerous elder would create distance between himself and the people, leaving many feeling uncared for. They may walk away thinking “this a cold church because that elder is so inhospitable.”
8. Apt to Teach
The Danger: An elder unable to explain and defend Scripture is immature and can cause a church to be spiritually confused and vulnerable to false doctrine. If he cannot teach and defend the sound doctrines of grace out of the Scriptures, then he cannot be an elder. Period. A man cannot lead if he is ignorant of the Word.
9. Not Given to Wine
The Danger: A leader mastered by alcohol or other worldly issues cannot faithfully model a life led by the Spirit and exercise sound judgment.
10. No Striker
The Danger: A harsh, intimidating, or combative leader abuses his authority and wounds the very flock he was called to protect.
11. Not Given to Filthy Lucre
The Danger: When money motivates leadership, ministry becomes a business, people become commodities, and sacred stewardship turns into personal gain.
12. Patient
The Danger: An impatient elder becomes easily frustrated with others. They can create unnecessary conflicts and hinder spiritual maturity.
13. Not a Brawler
The Danger: A contentious leader turns ordinary disagreements into unnecessary battles, giving the board headache-inducing conflicts instead of unity. This type of combative, contentious man may well split your church apart.
14. Not Covetous
The Danger: A leader captivated by worldly success gradually shifts the church’s priorities away from eternal values and toward earthly values.
15. Rules Well His Own House
The Danger: If a man cannot faithfully shepherd his own family, he has demonstrated that he is unprepared to shepherd the church of God.
16. Not a Novice
The Danger: Elevating an immature believer too quickly can potentially invite pride, discouragement, and doctrinal instability, often leading to spiritual ruin.
17. Good Report from Those Outside
The Danger: A man’s poor reputation out in the community discredits the church and the gospel, diminishing its witness before unbelievers. The reasons he has a poor reputation may well become problems for the board and the church.
18. Not Self-Willed
The Danger: A stubborn, self-willed, self-centered elder may well treat the church as his own personal domain where he’s king rather than viewing himself as a steward of God’s church. He will destroy your church.
19. Not Soon Angry
The Danger: A quick-tempered leader creates an atmosphere of fear and instability where people become reluctant to speak honestly or serve freely. He may well destroy your church or cause many congregants to leave.
20. Lover of Good Men
The Danger: An elder who does not love what is good will gradually surround himself with unhealthy influences, worldly interests, and other unspiritual things - all of which would lower the spiritual standards of the ministry. This would starve your church spiritually which could lead to a deadly implosion.
21. Just
The Danger: An unjust leader is governed by favoritism or personal bias, and he’ll destroy trust and confidence through his unfair remarks and decisions.
22. Holy
The Danger: An elder who neglects genuine personal holiness could reduce spiritual leadership to being nothing more than outward performance, which signals to the congregation that practical holiness isn’t that important.
23. Temperate (Self-Controlled)
The Danger: A man who cannot govern his own passions, speech, appetites, and emotions will eventually misuse the authority entrusted to him. A man who isn’t temperate may well cause issues and splits in your church.
24. Holding Fast the Faithful Word
The Danger: An elder who is not firmly anchored in sound doctrine cannot protect the church from false teaching or confidently refute error, leaving the church vulnerable to deception. If he doesn’t have the ability to convince the gainsayers, he should not be in a role of leadership in a local assembly.
Final Reflection
Putting an unqualified man into a role of leadership is never a neutral decision — it places the entire church at risk. Every qualification God gives protects the church from a particular kind of harm. Overlook the qualification, and you remove the safeguard. Churches often discover the wisdom of God’s standards only after they have ignored them.
The safest church is not the one with the most charismatic leaders, the largest attendance, or the most impressive programs. It is the church led by men whose lives consistently reflect the qualifications God Himself established. When elders meet God’s standards, the church flourishes. When they do not, division, false doctrine, spiritual decline, and unnecessary heartache are never far behind.
“But, brother Joel, how can I find men who meet this criteria?”
If you only have 1 or 2 men who qualify – then that’s your board.
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