Moral Qualifications for Pastoral Ministry

“An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money.” (1 Timothy 3:2–3)

Paul demands that an overseer in the church of Jesus Christ must be above reproach. The Greek particle de (must) emphasizes that this is an absolute necessity. A life without blame is the over arching requirement for leadership in the church.

Anepilemptos (above reproach) means “not able to be held.” The man who is above reproach cannot be arrested and held as if he were a criminal; there is nothing for which to accuse him. In Titus 1:6, the same idea of being above reproach is conveyed, but a different term (anengkletos—“unreprovable”) is used. The present participle einai (be) indicates he is in a present state of being above reproach. Obviously, it does not mean he has not committed sins in his life. What it does mean is that his life has not been marred by some obvious sinful defect in character which would preclude him setting the highest standard for godly conduct. He must be a model for the congregation to follow (cf. Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:9; Heb. 13:7; 1 Peter 5:3). He also must not give the enemies of the church reason to attack its reputation. . . .

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