Heart & Soul
By Marshall Shelley
January 1, 1996
How is a pastor to answer this question: "Are you qualified to lead the church?"
For pastors, it feels a bit presumptuous to say yes. The church is Christ's body, his bride, the temple of his Spirit. What human is worthy to guide it? But it feels hollow and faithless to say no.
In some ways, the question reminds me of a cartoon we ran in Leadership a while back: "You say you covet your neighbor's humility … that's a tricky theological issue."
One pastoral staff member I asked this question of, replied, "I feel qualified educationally and professionally. My personality and my desire to minister qualify me. But on the spiritual level, when I examine myself, I sometimes feel completely unqualified."
How do we handle the stringent biblical expectations (1 Tim. 3:1-13; 2 Tim. 2:1-15; Titus 1:5-9), which Darrell Johnson in the Leadership Handbook of Practical Theology summarizes in four words:
Commitment. Are you clearly committed to Jesus Christ? Do you have a passion to know him?
Convictions. Do you have biblically informed convictions—about who God is, who humans are, the meaning of history, the nature of the church, and especially the meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection? Are you learning to "think Christianly" about every dimension of life—money, time, sex, family, recreation?
Competence. Do you know how to make your way, and help others find their way, through the Bible? Have you identified your spiritual gifts, and can you help o thers discern and deploy theirs? Do your relationships, especially with family members, display the integrity and love of Jesus?
Character. Do you exercise self-control, hospital-ity, gentleness (control of anger), quest for holiness, temperance? Is there evidence of dying to the ...
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