Yes, the Bible gives specific qualifications for a pastor/bishop, centered on blameless character, moral self-control, and a well-ruled household.
Scripture, especially 1 Timothy 3, defines the office of a bishop as a good work and then lists the required traits: a man must be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, hospitable, apt to teach, not given to wine or covetous, and must rule his own house well. Les Feldick teaches that these qualifications come from Paul's writings, which are the basis for church government today.
1 Timothy 3:1 — This verse opens the Bible's most detailed list of qualifications for the office of bishop/pastor, calling it a good work.
The Bible spells out the qualifications for a bishop (pastor) in 1 Timothy 3. It begins, 'This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.' Then it gives a list of moral and practical requirements: 'A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.' He must also rule his own house well, 'having his children in subjection with all gravity,' because if a man does not know how to rule his own house, he cannot take care of the church of God.
Les Feldick emphasizes that local churches get their ideas of church government from the Apostle Paul. He points out that in the early chapters of Acts there is no language about bishops, deacons, or pastors; rather, Paul is the one who describes the requirements to be a pastor, elder, and deacon. Les also teaches that a church will rise no higher than its leadership—centered in the pastor but also involving elders and deacons. He identifies the pastor as one of the three basic gifts Christ gave to the Church (evangelists, pastors, and teachers) for the perfecting and maturing of the saints. Additionally, Les applies 1 Corinthians 4 to believers, showing that they are stewards or overseers of the mysteries of God and therefore must be diligent students of Scripture.
The Bible requires a bishop to be 'blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.' These are character traits that demonstrate self-control, moral uprightness, and the ability to teach. The passage also requires that he rule his own house well, with children in subjection, because the household is the proving ground for church leadership.
Les observes that in the early chapters of Acts—often called the first church—there is no mention of bishops, deacons, or pastors. He says churches get their ideas of church government from Paul, because Paul describes the office of deacon, the requirements to be a pastor, and what it takes to be an elder and deacon in his epistles. For Les, this means Paul's writings are the New Testament basis for church leadership structure.
Les teaches that a church will rise no higher than its leadership. He says this centers on the pastor, but it also involves the leadership of lay people, whether they are called elders or deacons. The congregation will not rise above the level of its leaders, which is why biblical qualifications matter and why a liberal, Bible-doubting preacher can damage a strong church.
Yes, Les teaches that God gives the Church men who are evangelists, pastors, and teachers. He calls these 'the three basic gifts' mentioned in Ephesians. The purpose is to perfect and mature the saints, bringing them from infancy and carnality to meat-eating believers. Not all of God's men can be pastors, and not all can be teachers, but these gifted men are essential for the church's growth.
In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul calls himself and his listeners stewards—caretakers, managers, and overseers. Les applies this to all believers: if you are going to be what the Bible expects, you must study and learn so you can administer the mysteries of God. This stewardship principle connects to the idea that leaders must be rooted in the Word.
What the Bible Really Says About Marriage — 1 Corinthians 7 Explained
had a thing against marriage. No he didn't, but he was certainly alone at the time that he starts his ministry as an apostle. But Acts 26 now rehearses his past life when he was active in Judaism, and he was a Pharisee of the Pharisee, and he was persecuting the believers in Jerusalem who had become followers of Jesus of Nazareth, and he was trying to stamp them out, and he thought he was doing Go…
Paul's Authority for Church Government
Les says the requirements for pastor, elder, and deacon come from Paul's writings, not from the early Acts church.
Leadership Determines the Church
Les teaches that a church will rise no higher than its pastor and lay leaders, which is why biblical qualifications matter.
Pastor as a Gift to the Church
Les identifies pastors as one of the three basic gifts Christ gave for the maturing of the saints.
What the Bible Really Says About Judging Other Christians
That flies in the face, doesn't it? Ordinarily, who do we depend to be the leaders of the church? Well, the most eminent, the ones who are most looked up to, and maybe those who have a little more of the world's goods than the rest. But what's the Scripture admonition? They use the person at the bottom of the totem pole. See? Those who aren't esteemed as much as the rest.
What Really Happened at Pentecost? Acts 2 Explained
I�m sure most of you have heard, and I remember one of the great Bible teachers on the radio when I was young, I can still hear him say it, that he thought that Peter was being presumptuous here. Peter was jumping the gun, that Peter should have waited for the Apostle Paul to fill this 12th slot. And I�ve heard others say that.
Why Aaron Failed: Leadership, Idolatry, and the Golden Calf
He was the one who set up the altar to worship it. Now, I'm going to make an analogy. And I'm a friend of preachers. Some of my dearest friends have been some of my pastors. In fact, in the last month, my wife and I got back up to our old home area of Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota, and it was a centennial of my little old hometown.
Stewards of the Mysteries
Les applies the steward/overseer role to believers, emphasizing the need to study Scripture.
1 Timothy 3:1: This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
This introduces the list of qualifications for the bishop/pastor office.
1 Timothy 3:2: A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
The core moral and marital requirements for the role.
1 Timothy 3:3: Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
Prohibitions that demonstrate self-control and freedom from worldly vices.
1 Timothy 3:4: One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
The requirement of proven leadership within the family, which qualifies a man for the church.
1 Timothy 3:5: (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Explains why household rule is a necessary qualification for pastoral ministry.
Ephesians 4:11: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
This is the passage Les references when speaking of pastors as a spiritual gift to the Church.
1 Corinthians 4:1: Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Les uses this to show believers are stewards/overseers who must study the mysteries of God.
According to 1 Timothy 3, a bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not covetous, and must rule his own house well with his children in subjection.
The most direct list is in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Les Feldick says church government in general comes from Paul's writings, where he describes the requirements for pastors, elders, and deacons.
Because the pastor and lay leaders such as elders and deacons set the spiritual direction for the congregation. If they are strong and Bible-based, the church is strong; if they are liberal or weak, the church suffers.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that evangelists, pastors, and teachers are the three basic gifts given for the perfecting and maturing of the saints.
Watch the Teaching: What the Bible Really Says About Marriage — 1 Corinthians 7 Explained