The Big Picture: The chief characteristic of the Christian pastor, the Christian elder, the Christian overseer is that his life constantly reflects the Christian virtues that are mandated of all Christians.

1) What a biblical elder is not

• an older Christian
• a successful businessman
• a likable guy
• a woman

2) What is a biblical elder?

That question can be answered first in terms of the office and second in terms of the man.

• The office of elder is an office designed for the leadership of the church through the teaching of the Word.
• The character of the man who qualifies to fulfill that office is described in 1Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.
• “An elder is simply a man of exemplary, Christ-like character who is able to lead God’s people by teaching them God’s Word in a way that profits them spiritually.” (Mark Dever and Paul Alexander,  “The Deliberate Church”)

3) The character of the man who qualifies to fill the office of overseer 1 Tim. 3:1-7

• above reproach (blameless)
• faithful to his wife
• temperate, self-controlled, respectable
• hospitable
• able to teach
• not given to drunkenness
• not violent but gentle,
• not quarrelsome
• not a lover of money
• he must manage his own family well
• he must not be a recent convert
• he must have a good reputation with non-Christians

  1 Tim 3: 1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.

2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach: faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)  6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.