The Basis for Leadership

The Qualities of a Leader
Titus 1:5-9
“For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you.”
What do we look for today in our leaders? We look for leaders who possess specific qualifications.  These qualifications are usually centered upon certain skill sets they have to get things accomplished, run the organization successfully, and organize programs.  We judge our leaders by their performance. Are they successful in growing the church?  The larger the church, the more we admire them.  We want leaders who are dynamic speakers and can hold our attention with their eloquence and preach positive messages that make us feel good.
As Paul writes to Titus, Paul sets forth a different standard. Titus had been sent to Crete to help the newly established churches gain organizational and spiritual footing. For a church to grow, it needed to have the correct type of leadership. However, the qualifications Paul looks for are not related to their natural talents or skills.  He does not look for a particular personality type who can lead the church in organizational growth by establishing and leading dynamic ministries.  For Paul, leadership stands or falls by the person's character qualities.  This begins by first looking at the individual’s home and marriage (vs. 6).  Is the person a spiritual leader who demonstrates faithful love and commitment to his wife and leads his children in their spiritual growth?  If you want to know what kind of person a leader is, start with their relationships in the home.
Second, godly leaders have a positive reputation with others (vs. 7).  They have a reputation that is above reproach.  In other words, there are no hidden skeletons in the closet, nothing that someone can point their accusing finger at that would disqualify them.  Nor are they driven by selfish desires.  They are not motivated by what is best for themselves but for others.  They are not ego-driven and seek to elevate themselves.  In their relationships with others, they are not quick-tempered and do not hold a grudge against those who have wronged them.  Pugnacious refers to a bully who forces people to follow him physically or psychologically. They lead by example rather than by force. Furthermore, they have the proper perspective on money and are not driven by the financial rewards they might receive.
Third, godly leaders manifest godly character in their attitudes and actions (vs. 8).  They are spiritually mature and demonstrate godliness in all aspects of life.  They keep their sinful desires in check and demonstrate holiness in their life.
Last, leaders are to be Biblically and doctrinally sound (9).  They should be biblical-driven in their life and their teaching.  They hold fast to the Scriptures in their life and teaching. They should not shrink back from confronting false doctrine even if that would make them unpopular. The one thing we should never tolerate in our churches are leaders who compromise the message of Scripture or distort it to make it acceptable to our culture.
The tragedy is that in our culture today, we look for leaders who are dynamic rather than godly, leaders who speak eloquently rather than Biblically, and who accomplish great things but ignore their families. Today, we will be selecting a new president.  Sadly, we no longer evaluate our leaders by examining their character; instead, we only look at what they might do for us.  We vote for the leader we believe will accomplish the most rather than their character and beliefs.  Abraham Lincoln stated, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”  Paul would state that before giving a person power, we should test their character, for it is their character that determines whether their leadership will have a positive or negative outcome.