Qualities of Christian Leader according to Paul
November 11, 2024 - Monday, Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
Titus 1:1-9
Titus was a Gentile who embraced faith in Jesus Christ and features prominently in Paul's letters. Together with Paul and Barnabas, he participated in the Council of Jerusalem (51 AD), where the decision against the circumcision of Gentile Christians was made. This decision was pivotal in shaping the early Church’s inclusivity, affirming that faith in Christ, rather than adherence to the Mosaic Law, was the path to salvation (Gal 2:3; Acts 15:5-11). Titus also participated in Paul's missionary journeys and helped Paul deal with the Corinthian Christians (1 Cor 4:17; 16:10 and 2 Cor 7:6, 13-14).
Paul wrote a letter to Titus, who was in Crete, to organize a community there and to silence false teachers (Titus 1:10-11). The excerpts from this letter that we hear today give us a glimpse into Paul's thinking regarding the qualities of those who could take a leadership position in a community. The two Greek terms that describe the leaders of a Christian community are "presbyteroi," usually rendered as "elders," and "episkopoi," rendered as "overseers" (Titus 1:5, 7). It seems that, at that time, the terminology was not yet clearly defined, but as the organization of the Church developed, the two terms came to refer to priests and bishops.
As Christ's apostle (Titus 1:1), Paul had a clear aim and a method to achieve this aim. His goal was to establish a Christian community through the preaching of the Gospel. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul usually needed one or two Sabbaths of preaching in the Jewish synagogue to attract both Jews and Gentiles to the Gospel and to establish a community. Then, the apostle spent some time with them — ranging from a few weeks to a few years — evangelizing and catechizing. Before leaving for another place, he usually appointed some of his faithful disciples to organize the community and select qualified local leaders who would be responsible for the growth of the community.
Paul expects future local leaders of a community to possess certain qualities. John Maxwell, a contemporary expert on leadership, wrote a book titled "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership". Based on Paul's letter to Titus, one could write a book titled, "The 10 Positive Qualities That a Christian Leader Should Possess and the 6 Negative Qualities That Disqualify Them from Holding Leadership Positions in the Church". The positive qualities emphasize the need for integrity, self-control, and sound teaching. On the other hand, someone who exhibits abusive, impulsive, or self-serving behaviors cannot be considered for a leadership position.
Nearly two thousand years have passed since Paul penned this letter, and those qualities remain as important as ever. John Maxwell says that leadership is about influence. A qualified leader can positively impact a community, but a leader who lacks integrity can destroy a community. This is proven by the examples of saintly leaders and the scandals caused by the immoral and greedy lives of certain leaders in the Church.
These leadership qualities are not limited to ordained clergy alone. Integrity, self-control, and the ability to teach are vital for anyone serving in the Church, whether they are catechists, youth ministers, or members of pastoral councils. Even within families, parents serve as the first leaders and role models for their children, teaching them faith and values through example.
That is why we should always pray that the Lord will give us shepherds after His own heart and that our pastors and lay leaders alike will live out what they preach. As members of the Church, each of us is called to support and nurture these qualities in ourselves and others, contributing to a community that reflects the love and truth of Christ.