Why Democracy Doesn't Work in the Church!

Titus 1:5-9
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Today we start Paul's short pastoral letter to Titus, which is similar to two letters he wrote to Timothy. This epistle was written by the apostle Paul to encourage his brother in the faith, Titus, whom he had left in Crete to lead the church which Paul had established on one of his missionary journeys. This letter advises Titus regarding what qualifications to look for in leaders for the church. He also warns Titus of the reputations of those living on the island of Crete.

Note the church was simply was too big for Paul to "micro- manage".  He had to pick his most faithful and capable leaders to manage the new congregations which had been planted all over the world. In this case, there were many churches on the island of Crete, so Titus had to do the same thing that Paul did in appointing other leaders/elders in each church.  

Paul gives qualifications for these leaders.  He doesn't tell Titus to find warm bodies and accept any and everybody who wanted to lead.  Notice as well there are no elections to determine who would be the leaders. Paul gives the authority to Titus to make those decisions.  Although democracy works well in government, it does not necessarily work in the church.  Why?  Because leaders are given wisdom to understand who is the right leader, and spiritual leaders/elders in the church are called, not elected.  

There are times that churches gather and may even vote about important matters related to the operation of the church, but choosing the spiritual leaders who will guide God's flock is discerned by those who have demonstrated wisdom and forebearance.  In this case it was Titus who had been discipled by Paul and had proven to be faithful.   

As you look at the list of qualities and characteristics Paul prescribes for leaders, you can see three general categories.  First, a leader leads his own family.  It is a good sign of their leadership capability.  How can you lead others in an authoritaive fashion, if you can't lead in your own home.  Second, there is a whole list of character traits which a leader should demonstrate.  Most of them involve having self control over one's sinful nature.  And we know the only way one can control their sinful nature is to be led by the Holy Spirit.  When we give up control of our lives to the Holy Spirit we can grow in all the areas Paul mentions and become more Christ-like.  Finally, Paul teacheds leaders should preach the trustworthy message, which is the Gospel of Jesus.  They must never preach there is anything we can do to earn our salvation.  They can never slip into teaching legalism which was already happening in the Cretan churches.  Sound doctrine is centered on Jesus Christ and our lives as a response to his gracious gift.  Note the tension between the character qualities leaders should exhibit and reliance on the gospel to bring about true transformation of the heart. 

Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, put forth these guidelines for leadership in the church.  We live in an area much like the island of Crete.  If we want to grow the churches in our area, we need leaders like Titus who can faithfully fulfill their calling as a pastor and preaching the pure gospel of Jesus Christ.  Most importantly church leaders need to preach and teach God's word and fully rely on the Holy Spirit.  Apart from Him we can do nothing!