Titus 1

Before I started attending Hutto Bible Church, I had no idea what a church elder is or what their responsibilities are. When I was younger and heard the term “elder”, images of old, wise-looking indigenous men from National Geographic magazines came to mind. My understanding of a tribal elder was a man that was probably a fierce warrior when he was younger, an expert tracker or a skilled craftsman of some sort. He was a man that commanded respect and honor because of his past accomplishments. He is a leader.

Those things may be true in some cultures, but when I look to scripture, I see a completely different definition. In his letter to Titus, Paul directs him to first and foremost, appoint leaders, and gives him the qualifications of a leader. As I read through the qualifications of an elder in Titus 1, the first thing I notice is that I really would like that type of man. The other thing I notice is that there is only one qualification that is based on a skill; being able to teach (v9). There is no mention of being a successful businessperson, or an expert carpenter. There’s no mention of being able to recite the first five books of the Bible, or even know the order of the books of the Bible. There’s no mention of a required level of schooling or any other accomplishment. The focus or primary concern is the man’s character. He must be dedicated to leading and loving his wife and children, and have a good reputation. He must be humble, patient, sober-minded and selfless. He must be hospitable, self-controlled, just, devout and disciplined. As I look over this list, these are all good traits, honorable traits, respectable traits. These are traits and qualities that I want to be constantly pursuing.

Last week we read in 1 Timothy 3:1, Paul writing to Timothy, ”If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” Not all Christian men will be asked to serve in the office of church elder, but all men should aspire to having that sort of character and living that type of life. We should dedicate ourselves to growing towards spiritual maturity and helping our families do the same. We should be honest in our business dealings. We should be gracious and welcoming with others. We should be fair and merciful, yet have the integrity and courage to defend what is good and right.

As men, we should be encouraging one another to pursue these things. We should be raising our sons to desire this for themselves and in the friends they surround themselves with. We should be modeling this for our daughters and explaining the value and blessing it is to seek out young men that are striving to grow this sort of character. But the most important reason we should develop these traits within ourselves is because it brings honor and glory to God.

Without the Holy Spirit, it may be possible to grow to do one or two of these things well for a little while. However, it’s only with the power of the Holy Spirit that we can grow in all of these things at the same time for a long while. That will be our testimony to the power of Christ’s life-changing gift of salvation.

 Marty Pina | Elder

Marty and Cecily began attending Hutto Bible Church in August of 2008. They both began living out their faith in 2003 while attending Gateway Community Church in Austin. They were married there in 2004. Marty serves in children's ministry, as a small group leader, small group coordinator and as a shepherd. Cecily has served as a C-group leader in student ministry in the past. She currently serves on the worship team and co-leads a small group and co-shepherds with Marty. Marty is currently employed as a network engineer for Time Warner Cable. Cecily is a medical billing software trainer for Brightree. They have two daughters, Alexis and Zoe.