Pastoral Lessons from Titus
Titus is one of the three Pastoral Epistles, written by the Apostle Paul to Titus who filled a sort of pastoral role over a group of churches on the island of Crete. This summer, I preached through the three chapters of the letter to my congregation, and I learned some crucial lessons for pastoral ministry along the way.
Appoint godly men as elders
Titus was called to set the churches in order, and the very first order of business to accomplish this was to appoint elders in every town. What is striking about his list of qualifications for these church leaders is they are almost all issues of character (with the only exception being the ability to teach).
In other words, Titus is not to look for the most skillful, talented, business-savvy, etc. He is to appoint those who have Christian maturity. Elders are to be the kind of men whom the churches can look to and say, “That is the kind of Christian I want to be. May I become that kind of spouse, and a parent like that.” What kind of elders are you raising up? Are you developing leaders into spiritual maturity who will model the Christian life to the church?
Deal with false teaching
The false teaching in Crete basically consisted of a strange hybrid of Judaizing legalism and Cretan immorality. The false teachers were stirring up controversy and division, causing endless debates about Jewish myths and genealogies.
False teaching today comes in all different shapes and sizes. I find the prosperity gospel to still be a big issue, as well as a soft Pelagian legalism. There are always those who want to stir up theological debates with no purpose other than to gain attention. A shepherd’s job is to brandish the rod to beat back wolves even as he maneuvers the crook to pull sheep back into the fold.
Disciple all ages and genders
Paul addresses the older men, older women, younger women, and then younger men. Each category has a unique set of struggles of their own. Interestingly, self-control comes up in three of the four categories: older men, younger women, and for the younger men, it is the only struggle mentioned! Lest older women be too quick to brag, they are called not to be devils (diabolous), that is, slanderers!
The assumption behind these commands is that the church is diverse. Collegiate Christians need the wisdom of age, and the Silent Generation needs the energy of youth. There is great wisdom in the diversity of the local church all discipling one another.
Glory in the grace of God
The Epistle to Titus contains one of the clearest statements of Sola Gratia (Grace Alone) in the Bible: “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness…so that being justified by grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (3:5-7). The book marvels in the grace of God and its transforming power (see 2:11-14).
Paul is modeling for Titus how to marvel in God’s grace to the people he is called to pastor. Devotion to good works is a key theme, see below, but these works flow out of a gratitude over God’s love. Pastor, do your people marvel over God’s grace to sinners? Or more to the point, do they see you marveling over God’s grace and want to follow your example?
Teach devotion to good works
This is the summarizing statement of the letter (3:14) and a recurring theme in the epistle. Good works is a broad term encompassing all that we as Christians are called to do for Christ in the Christian life. Though we are not saved by good works, it is the preoccupying pursuit of our lives as believers.
Lead your church to feed the poor, visit the sick, reach out into your cities’ nursing homes and prisons. The early church transformed the world by this devotion, ministering during the plague, feeding even their enemies’ poor, and adopting abandoned babies as their very own.
The Epistle to Titus is pastoral gold. Consider setting aside books on programs and ministry strategies, and picking up a commentary on the pastoral epistles. We might yet change the world again.
Rick Harrington is a pastor at First Baptist Church - Haverhill in Massachusetts and the Provost of the (upcoming) BCNE Multiplication Center. He is the author of the books "How to Find a Church: Seven Steps to Becoming Part of a Spiritual Family" and "The Weight of Preaching: Heralding the Gospel of Grace".
