As I talk with pastors through my work at INJOY Stewardship Solutions about issues related to leadership development and the financially resourcing of the church’s mission and vision, few things are as important to them as enhancing and protecting the trust they have worked so hard to build up. Specifically, they want to be viewed as a spiritual leader taking the church on its natural next step rather than being viewed as a fundraiser.
As I intently listen to their concerns about trust, I am reminded of the following two verses which provide the biblical qualifications of a pastor. Please note the word elder is a the same Greek word as pastor.
Titus 1:5-9 teaches, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
Likewise, 1 Timothy 3:1-7 states, “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.”
A Biblical Framework For Measuring Trust
From these two verses we can build a biblical framework for not only the qualifications of a pastor, but whether they are trustworthy in fulfilling their responsibilities in these areas and therefore worth following. As a result, pastoral trust can be measurable.
I offer this self-assessment as a loving tool to help pastors not get blindsided by trust issues and also proactively identify areas to work on. With each question below, pastors can score themselves in the area of trust.
Self-Assessment
Now let’s take the self-assessment. Give yourself 1 to 5 points for each question based upon the following grid:
- 5 Points – Completely Trustworthy. Above Reproach.
- 4 Points – Trustworthy. You are well-above average in this area.
- 3 Points – Somewhat Trustworthy. You have had some wins and losses in this area.
- 2 Points – Not Trustworthy. There is much work to do in this area.
- 1 Points – Completely Untrustworthy. There are multiple broken promises and missed expectations in this area.
The following are the questions. Once again, give yourself a score of 1-to-5 in each area.
- Is the pastor devoted to his wife? In other words, is he a one-woman man?
- Are the pastor’s children under submission? They won’t be perfect but a pastor’s first flock is his family.
- Is the pastor a faithful steward of God’s resources?
- Is the pastor humble? Does he apologize to individuals and the congregation when necessary?
- Is the pastor gentle? Does he anger easily and abuse others with his quick-temper?
- Does the pastor drink or struggle with alcohol?
- Is the pastor a peacemaker?
- Is the pastor forthright with all his financial dealings? Is he greedy? Does he struggle with money?
- Is the pastor hospitable? Does he open his home and make it a place for ministry?
- Does the pastor love what is good and hate what is evil?
- Is the pastor self-controlled? In particular, does the pastor have self-control in the areas of diet, time, speech, exercise, relationships, sex, humor, and money?
- Is the pastor upright? Does the pastor have integrity in how he treats others?
- Does the pastor prioritize personal holiness over personal pleasure?
- Can the pastor teach utilizing sound doctrine? Does the pastor preach fearlessly? Can the pastor deliver hard truths? Is the pastor a false teacher?
- Is the pastor spiritually mature?
- Is the pastor respectable? In other words, are there any witnesses to a sinful lifestyle the pastor may have?
- Is the pastor an example to the flock? Pastors should be biblical examples in the areas of sexuality, time management, marriage, parenting, worship, relationships and any other way. A pastor should be a picture of the desired destination in which others should wish to arrive.
- Has the pastor broken promises to individuals or the congregation in the past? Has the pastor done what he said he would do? Have goals been met or achieved?
- Does the pastor surround himself with people who are respectable and trustworthy? Also, does the pastor’s inner-circle trust him?
- Is the pastor’s vision worth following?
Next Steps
Now add up your totals. The following are things you now need to know.
- 90 to 100 Points – You have an incredible amount of trust. This is a gift and God has blessed you. Protect and steward it well. Love your people because they love you.
- 80 to 89 Points – You have a lot of trust. Great job! Rejoice but don’t get overconfident. Work on the areas which have revealed themselves to potentially erode trust.
- 70 to 79 Points – You have a certain level of trust but you will need to borrow the trust of others to advance any ministry agenda. Many new pastors may fall in this area because they simply have not had enough time to start getting wins under their belt.
- Below 70 Points – You likely do not have the influence necessary to advance any ministry initiative. People are likely leaving the church. Staff turnover is a constant. Repentance and apologies are in order.
How did you score? What does this tell you about your next steps as a leader?
I want to thank Acts 29 and this post which added much of the context to the assessment.
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