Choosing leaders to serve in our congregations is big stuff. It’s no joke. We shouldn’t rush through it. This can be a very stressful thing for a congregation to go through, so let’s consider some questions.
Have we asked the Lord’s Counsel?
Our first step (not last resort) is to pray and ask God’s advice and blessing. He has promised that if we ask for wisdom, He will liberally pour it out upon us (James 1:5). In fact, God considers it a sin when we do not ask His counsel (Isaiah 30:1-2; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14).
Before making such a huge decision, such as appointing shepherds to lead the flock, let’s not be hasty to “lay hands on” (appoint) someone hastily (1 Timothy 5:22). There were times when God’s people made hasty covenants without seeking God’s counsel, and it turned out to be a mess (Joshua 9:14).
Here are some examples of godly people who asked God’s advice before acting.
- Ezra 8:21 – Then I (Ezra) proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.
- David constantly “inquired of the Lord” (1 Sam. 22:10; 23:9-12; 30:7-8; 2 Sam. 2:1; 5:19).
- Luke 6:12-13 – Jesus prayed all night before selecting the 12 apostles.
Have we devoted ourselves to fasting?
Are you willing to sacrifice your food (and other comforts) to devote time to prayer and meditation? The early church did! Especially when it came to selecting leaders for ministry. Here are two examples:
Acts 13:2-3 – While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Acts 14:23 – And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
This isn’t something the church can command you to do, but you should look at these great examples of godly Christians, and make the individual decision in your own life to fast and pray. Appointing someone to ministry is serious business. It’s worth taking time to fast and pray!
Have we studied and meditated upon God’s word?
If you are looking at appointing elders/ shepherds, don’t just study the “qualifications” of 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and Titus 1:5-11. God says a lot more about shepherding and leading churches, and you should do some research on those passages, too. We have to caution ourselves against studying just a list of qualifications. Just because a man has some grey hairs, has taught a few classes, and has a couple of his kids baptized, does not mean he is fit to serve as a shepherd. Read passages like Acts 20:17-38, Psalm 23, John 10, Ezekiel 34, and 1 Peter 5:1-5 to see more about what God says concerning shepherds and leading His people.
If you are thinking of hiring a minister / evangelist, study and meditate upon these books: 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. There is a ton of information there about preaching. Familiarize yourself with those texts. Also look at what Jesus said and modeled about preaching in Matthew through John. Listen to the whole book of Acts. You will get a great overview of what preaching the gospel is all about. You might say, “Man, that’s too much reading!” Well, how important is it to make a great decision on hiring a minister?
It’s worth the time and energy to study God’s word. Prepare yourself to make a great decision, a godly decision, a sober-minded decision that is founded in God’s Scriptures.
Have we gotten to know this person?
When it comes to shepherds, the sheep are to know the shepherd (John 10). It doesn’t mean that we have the most intimate and full relationship with every person that serves in ministry. But to the other extreme, you don’t want to appoint someone that you haven’t taken any time to know that person!
In order to appoint men to be shepherds, those men must have a good testimony, and be a man of good reputation (see 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1). A blameless man. Think about this – In order for a person to be considered “blameless,” and of “good reputation” he needs to have relationships with others where they can testify to his character. Leadership is about building relationships, but if I want to be a good “follower” I must also be concerned about building strong relationships.
Have we ensured that the whole congregation is involved?
Choosing people to serve in ministry is not exclusively for a few people behind closed doors. When big decisions were made, especially in choosing leaders for ministry, the “whole church” was involved in that decision. Here are two examples:
Acts 6:3-6 – Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
Acts 15:22 – Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,
Can you see that even the apostles made sure the “whole church” was a part of selecting the men who would serve in these roles. It seems that some church leaders have the mistaken notion that they make all the decisions, and they are convinced that they don’t have to ask anyone’s input. It’s “their call” in their minds. But Biblically they are wrong. When selecting people for ministry, the whole church is to be involved. They all have input. We should value our brethren enough to make sure everyone is included in those decisions.