The Forgotten Qualification: A Pastor’s Quality the Church Cannot Afford to Ignore.
We often hear that a man who is called to serve in the church must be the husband of one wife, sober-minded, hospitable, not greedy for gain, self-controlled, holy, and not given to much wine. These qualifications, given by the apostle Paul, are essential and should never be taken lightly. They describe the visible character of a man who shepherds God’s people. Yet, while these traits are vitally important, they mainly concern the pastor’s personal life, shaping his witness before both the congregation and the watching world.
But there is another qualification that is often neglected, one that Paul himself emphasizes with great weight in Titus 1:9:
“He must hold fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”
This verse reaches beyond outward conduct. It deals with the heart and mind of the minister, his grasp of truth, and his loyalty to the Word of God. Paul’s concern is not only that a pastor lives morally, but that he thinks biblically that he holds fast to what has been taught by Christ and His apostles. Without this, even the most upright man will fail in the pulpit.
To “hold fast the faithful word” means to cling tightly to the teachings of Scripture, unmoved by the winds of culture, human opinion, or modern reinterpretations of truth. It means that a minister must be deeply grounded in the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). Paul’s command is not about personal creativity or cleverness, it is about faithful stewardship of what God has already revealed.
Throughout history, the church has summarized this apostolic faith in the great creeds and confessions such as the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, as well as the Three Forms of Unity and the Westminster Standards. These are not mere historical relics, they are faithful echoes of Scripture, preserving the core truths of the gospel against distortion and error. A man who does not know or understand these foundational teachings is not qualified to be a pastor, for he will soon contradict himself and confuse the flock he is called to guide.
Sadly, this is often the case in many modern churches. Ministers who lack deep doctrinal grounding become uncertain and inconsistent in their preaching. You can listen to some for ten or fifteen minutes and hear echoes of ancient heresies that the church refuted centuries ago. When a pastor does not know the truth clearly, he cannot speak with the authority of the Lord. How can he rebuke false teaching if he himself is unsure of what is true? Such confusion in the pulpit inevitably produces confusion in the pew.
The tragedy of our time is that many churches focus almost entirely on the outer image of the pastor whether he is moral, friendly, married, and socially respectable while neglecting the inner qualification that Paul considered essential, a man who diligently studies and defends the Word of God. The faithful pastor must be both a man of character and a man of conviction. His holiness must be matched by his sound doctrine.
The church today must therefore repent of its shallow standards and return to Paul’s instruction. We need men who hold fast to the faithful Word, men who not only live well but also teach biblically, who are shaped by the truth and can defend it boldly. For only when both the outer life and the inner faithfulness of the pastor are joined together will the church truly reflect the beauty and authority of her Lord and be reformed to take stand against the evil of the Devil, this world and his own flesh.
Lord’s blessing to You.
