Ministry Integrity

The character and effectiveness of any church is directly related to the quality of its leadership. 

The Ephesian Christians were well acquainted with high quality leaders. Several years prior to writing I Timothy, Paul had started the church at Ephesus and had spent three years there training a group of godly men to serve as elders (Acts 18:19; 20:17, 31). Those men had such a deep love for Paul that they openly displayed their affection and sadness when he told them they would not see him again (Acts 20:37-38). At that time the Ephesian church was a strategic church with solid leadership.

The last thing Paul said to the Ephesian elders was, “I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:29, 30). Paul knew Satan would attack the church by sending false teachers to teach lies and heresies, and that is what happened. Upon returning to Ephesus after his first Roman imprisonment, Paul decided to leave Timothy there to take care of the situation while he traveled on to Macedonia. He was not gone long before he wrote back to Timothy with instructions regarding several issues in the Ephesian church.

Unqualified leadership was the major issue confronting the Ephesian church.  Apparently each of the qualifications Paul mentions in I Timothy 3:2-7 is in direct contrast to what the church had tolerated in their leadership.  For example, in verses 2-3 he says that an elder must be “blameless the husband of one wife, temperate, sober minded, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.”  The clear implication is that some of the leadership at Ephesus lacked those Christian character traits.

All the problems in the Ephesian church were related to the main issue of its spiritual leadership, so it was essential for Paul to give Timothy instruction and encouragement for dealing with that issue head on.

Paul instructed Titus, a contemporary of Timothy ministering on the isle of Crete, to “ordain elders in every city” (Titus 1:5).  That was necessary because the Cretian churches did not have elders at that time.  But that was not the case at Ephesus.  By the time Timothy began his Ephesian ministry, elders had been ministering there for several years (Acts 20:17, 31).  Timothy’s task was to insure that those elders were qualified according to God’s standards (I Tim. 3:2-7)

A church is only as godly as its leaders.   When the church fails to uphold the biblical standard for spiritual leadership it forfeits the quality and integrity of its ministry.

Far too often a church that is failing to have an impact on the world and is experiencing strife and conflict with its membership will look to new programming or other peripheral things for answers, when the real issue may be unqualified leaders. 

It is interesting that the Apostle Paul focuses on the character rather that the function of an elder in listing the qualifications of an Elder.  A man is qualified by what he is, not by what he does.  If he commits sin, he is subject to discipline in front of the whole congregation. (I Tim. 5:20).

It is the churches responsibility to carefully guard that sacred office.

I Timothy 6:3-5 says, “If any man teaches otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and disputes of words, of which cometh envy, strife, railings, evil suspicions, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness.” 

Several gathered in the choir room on Sunday afternoon, August 28, 2005 in hope that they would hear the concerns expressed by fellow members of the congregation. The meeting was briefly concluded without addressing the concerns that had been accumulated in an orderly manner. Be that as it may, there are genuine questions and heartfelt concerns which needed to be addressed in an atmosphere of openness and brotherly love.

1. The eldership distributed a letter to the congregation first via Email then followed by a USPS mailing of the identical letter to the entire church membership which bore the pasted signature of our Senior Minister. THE SENIOR MINISTER DID NOT SIGN THIS LETTER. His name was attached in the Email. And the mailed letter was not signed by him. The eldership led the entire congregation to believe that this letter was signed by him when in actual fact he did not sign the letter as drafted. This is beyond belief and shatters the trust and confidence of the people of God for their leaders. By deceitfully misusing their authority as elders they tried to control what they wanted the congregation to hear. How can the church stand by and allow this kind of tactic to be used against a servant of God and against the church as a whole. Who will be next in this “creative destruction”? This concern is enough to hold accountable all who were involved in the distribution of this falsehood. Further it should be clearly understood by all that the first Email distribution of this unsigned letter came from the administrative office of the church after the office hours of the staff had concluded for the day.

2. There had never been an outside audit of the financial records of the church in over 30 years. This is not an accusation. Being wise stewards of the funds that have been entrusted to the church demands a professional examination of all the financial records of a congregation whose budget currently stands at over $2,000,000.00 per year. Accountability in this matter cannot be set aside. Don’t we as a congregation have the right to ask for this accountability? If things are perfectly in order there is no longer a concern and the openness of an accounting must and will be accepted by all and provide another step in restoring unity.

3. There are items when the Church Bylaws need to be addressed openly and discussed in a congregational meeting. The statements that are of concern follow:

1. “The elders are the sole judges of the qualifications of every member of the church.”
2. “The elders are the sole judges of the qualifications and election process of the elders.”
3. “The elders are the sole judges of the qualifications and election process of the deacons.”

The current bylaws of the congregation have been approved by the congregation of that there is no question.  This does not however address the issue that the eldership by the above statements has been given authoritative power above the Word of God.   God is the judge of the qualifications of the members of His church – NOT MAN –  and surely NOT A GROUP OF MEN.

Have we given to man, or a group of men, authority above the Word of God in determining leadership in His church?  The current bylaws allow the elders to be the sole judges of the qualifications of a man to be set apart for the work of elder within the congregation.  The usurping of this power is beyond any authority given in scripture.  It clearly leads to control and power which manifests itself in widespread division. 

4. All can see each Sunday that there are more and more people leaving the church because of the spirit of division which permeates the body. It is affecting every ministry within the church. No one is immune to its ugly raging power. Individuals who have been a part of the congregation for decades have given up and walked away. The body is being cut apart and no one is shepherding the flock. THE DIVISON MUST STOP. We have accomplished nothing if we allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to become“acceptable attrition” on our way to becoming a church that we want and thereby sacrifice integrity in our ministry goals. Our spiritual vision becomes cloudy in the fog of the day with problems of its own. We must look to the future with spiritual integrity in every task before us. Loving each other, caring for each other by allowing Christ to lead us in His steps can never be set aside. It is His Church, His Bride, for which He is returning. It is not our Church! it never has been.