It has been claimed that an over-dependence on the Titus 1 (and 1 Timothy 3) criteria, for example, in pastor or church planter job descriptions and job adverts, has led to a lowering of the bar – a watered-down, lowest-common-denominator, pedestrian, tick-box exercise. When what we really need in our church leaders is not cookie-cutter, reasonably-satisfactory ‘church managers’ but rather courageous, passionate, world-denying, full-of-the-Spirit ‘mighty men’ who will endure suffering, pray desperately, preach fervently. I would argue that a careful, contextual reading of Titus 1 does not give us a mundane tick list but rather is calling for exactly the Spirit-filled leaders that we need. The Elder is a miracle “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” So how are you going to find Cretans who are faithful, good, hard-working – men who fulfil the criteria of Titus 1:6-9? Only by a miracle of God’s grace. Only by the glorious truth of the gospel producing godliness (T...
Living and preaching at the foot of the Cross