Top 12 Qualifications of Pastors of Megachurches

UPDATE (March 28, 2014): Carl Trueman compares the qualifications for ministry at Elevation Church and the church in Ephesus:

I wonder if highly observant readers can spot the subtle differences between these two descriptions of the ideal candidates for ministry?

Elevation Church:
The typical applicant is 23-30 years of age who is a recent college/seminary graduate or someone with relevant experience. However, do not let the age range deter you from applying. The applicant should also be someone seeking to join with Elevation Church, who is a high capacity leader with the ability to multi-task and thrives in a fast paced ministry environment.

Ephesian Church:
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach…

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Paul sets the qualifications for elders or overseers in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. The first qualification, “above reproach,” can be considered as the summary of all these qualifications. What follows is a list of 12 qualifications that elders must possess, or strive to possess.

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

How do megachurch pastors measure up to Paul’s list?

1. “the husband of one wife—It’s so hard for a pastor who’s a “good-looking in a creative-young-urban-professional sort of way” to keep women off of him. So God whispered His choice for his wife, “God talked to me. He told me to marry Grace, preach the Bible, to plant churches and train men.”

2. sober-minded—“With his friendly-jock demeanor and penchant for wisecracks, he comes off as a smart-aleck former frat boy.”

3. self-controlled—As  the “Chris Rock of conservative Christianity,” he gets his advice on how to handle stubborn elders from a “mixed martial artist and Ultimate Fighter”: “I break their nose.”

4. respectable—To really command respect from the hip congregation, they have to be tattooed, wear their shirts untucked, have a husky voice, and wear black skateboarder’s jackets and skull T-shirts.

5. hospitable—They must fire elders in a “culture of fear and elitism” for “displaying an unhealthy distrust in the senior leadership” and “disregarding the accepted elder protocol for the bylaw deliberation period.”

6. able to teach—Their sermons and books must have lots of hip-hop-quotes, off-the-cuff, and deliciously racy. They must teach the things they “see” in visions and “hear” in their daily conversations with Jesus.

7. not a drunkard—They must be total abstainers of wine, since even 6-year-old children are able to take a cup of grape juice for the LORD’s Supper.

8. not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome—”If you pissed me off, I beat you up.”

9. not a lover of money—Because of “burgeoning celebrity following,” $1.7-million homes, fancy cars, and jetsetting with other celebrity pastors are not their fault.

10. manage his own household well—How else to manage their church well, but to fire or force other associate pastors, elders and staff because of disputes over leadership (and of course, budget)?

11. not be a recent convert—They must be “thirty-something” to be hip and relevant to their hip congregants.

12. well thought of by outsiders—“Biblical Oral Sex” and “Pleasuring Your Spouse” are but a couple of sermon titles to project a great image to outsiders and unbelievers, especially Muslims and Buddhists. A reputation as “the cussing pastor” would also go a long way in being salt and light to an unbelieving world.

Some of the more credible sources of these qualifications are:

“Who Would Jesus Smack Down?” by Molly Worthen, New York Times, January 6, 2009

“Pastor Mark packs ’em in” by Janet I. Tu, Seattle Times, November 30, 2003

“A Night at the Megachurch” by Max Chafkin, New York Times, August 14, 2013