First Timothy 3:1-7 says,
Faithful is the word: If anyone aspires to the overseership, he desires a good work. The overseer then must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, of a sober mind, orderly, hospitable, apt to teach; not an excessive drinker; not a striker, but gentle; not contentious; not fond of money; one who manages well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity (but if one does not know how to manage his own house, how will he care for the church of God?); not a new convert, lest being blinded with pride he fall into the judgment suffered by the devil. And he also must have a good testimony from those outside, that he may not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
The qualifications of the elders are not mentioned in the Bible until the time of Paul’s later ministry. First Timothy was written about A.D. 65. We need to consider why Paul did not write concerning the qualifications of the elders before this time. Acts 14:23 records that in Paul’s first journey he appointed elders in local churches not long after the churches were raised up through his ministry. This record is brief and does not say anything about the qualifications of the elders. It was not until much later that he gave a thorough description of the qualifications of the elders. Peter also wrote concerning the elders later in his ministry (1 Pet. 5:1-4). The writings of Paul and Peter concerning the eldership were certainly based on their experiences and observations over many years. They learned from the situations they saw and passed through. Because of all that they had seen, they realized what the qualifications of the elders should be. Such specific qualifications could be identified only after adequate experience and observation.
We must note that in the writings of both Paul and Peter very little is said concerning the abilities of the elders. First Timothy 3:2 says that an elder must be “apt to teach,” yet the word apt does not indicate ability but habit. Parents may not have much ability in teaching, but they should nevertheless be apt to teach their children at home. The elders similarly must be apt to care for the saints’ learning. According to Paul’s word in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, eldership is not a matter of gift or ability but a matter of life. This does not mean that the elders can be without ability. However, throughout church history and even in our recent past, the problems in the eldership have been not mainly matters of ability or gift but matters of life.
Within a few minutes of the start of a basketball game, it is possible to assess the players’ abilities. Similarly, it is possible to know a person’s spiritual abilities or gifts in a short time. To know a brother’s eloquence, we only have to listen to him speak for a few minutes. However, to know a person in life takes time. In Paul’s later ministry he did not appoint elders immediately after establishing a church but left this matter to his co-workers (Titus 1:5). Perhaps this was because he found that it was unsafe to appoint a brother to be an elder before the necessary time had passed to know him in life.
It takes more than a few months to truly know a person because it takes time for a person’s real condition in life to be exposed. Someone may pretend to be patient, humble, and not ambitious for a few months, but it is difficult to pretend for more than a year. Within a year a person’s condition in life will be exposed through his manner and conduct. It is not safe or proper to decide quickly whether a brother is an elder. We must allow a longer time to see the brother’s real situation in life. According to our experience, to know someone in life requires at least a year of regular contact.
To know a person, we need not only time but also different circumstances and situations. If within a year there has not been a situation that tempts a brother’s ambition, it may remain hidden until such a situation arises. Time alone does not expose people adequately. Time plus environments expose a person. For this reason, we should wait at least a year before we decide whether a brother is an elder. It is better if we can wait even longer.
Companies, schools, hospitals, and other organizations care much for the abilities of their workers, but Paul does not mention anything concerning gifts or ability among the many qualifications of the elders he lists. The problems in the eldership are not related to ability, skill, or gift but are matters of life. What we can do does not mean much; instead, we should consider what we are. Only what we are in life counts for the eldership. To be an elder is not a matter of ability or gift but a matter of life, a matter of what we are.