This is the eighth in a series of posts regarding questions I have recently answered for churches looking for a new senior pastor. This particular question is in the form of a scenario that asked the pastoral candidate to explain how he…if he was their pastor…would handle this scenario at their church.
Marriage, divorce, and remarriage are sticky issues in the American church today. And when you add that mix to church leadership, you have a recipe for both hot debate and an environment conducive for church splits. This is truly evident when you look at some of the comments and discussions from recent articles I posted in this series. The issues are highly debated and there are valid points on both (and many) sides of these issues.
This particular scenario has to do with looking into a man’s past to determine if he has been disqualified from church leadership, either as an elder/pastor or a deacon. Many Christians today believe that a person’s past should never be taken into consideration. They are of the mindset of “forgive and forget” and let’s worry about “today.” Others wholeheartedly believe that to be considered “above reproach,” which is what the Bible calls for, a man’s past is not only fair game but is absolutely necessary in determining qualification or disqualification from church leadership.
What do you think? Is a person’s past–before or even after conversion–open to scrutiny when being considered for church leadership? What about divorce, or a past adulterous affair even decades before becoming a Christian? I mean didn’t even the apostle Paul round-up, imprison, and cause the death of Christians before being converted? Yet if that’s the case, then why does God have so many character qualifications for church leadership…such as not being a new convert, or managing one’s household well, or not given to consuming wine?
What do you think about the issue? Below is the scenario given on the pastoral application and below that was how I answered it. Let me know what you think.
[stextbox id=”custom”]An adult man became a widower five years ago. He recently married a saved woman and is being considered by the nominating committee for deacon. What biblical advice would you give to the committee concerning him becoming a deacon? Cite the Scripture upon which you would base your advice.[/stextbox]
MY COUNSEL: If the man chooses to remarry after becoming a widower, he is free to, so long as the woman he marries is a believer (c.f. 1 Corinthians 7:39). The remainder of my advice to the nominating committee would be as follows:
- 1) Has the man ever been divorced or committed adultery against his previous wife?
- 2) Are we certain that the woman he remarried is, indeed, a believer?
- 3) Is the man qualified for the office of deacon as outlined in 1 Timothy 3:8-13?
- 4) Since the marriage is a recent one, has he been able to establish a pattern in that new relationship as one who manages his own household well?
- 5) If his new wife has any children, has this man been able to establish a pattern of having those children in submission to him with all reverence?
- 6) Has his new wife ever been divorced in the past?
Scriptures I would cite: Genesis 2:24; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:32; 18:15-17; 19:3-9; Mark 10:11-12; Romans 7:2-3; 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, 20-24, 27, 39; 2 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Timothy 3:8-13; Proverbs 6:32-33
You’ve got great insights about church ministry, keep up the good work!