Maintain Elder Qualifications?

We were studying the qualifications for Elders in Bible class one Sunday morning and someone asked me a question that was kind of a trick question… does an Elder have to maintain the qualifications as found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 to continue to serve as an Elder?

The natural answer would be… yes… of course he does but let’s hold our horses for a few minutes.

Let’s say you have an Elder and he’s everything you would expect an Elder to be… he has keen leadership abilities, he manages spiritual problems as they arise and he’s a gifted teacher. He has a wife and three adult children who are as faithful as the day is long and then tragically his three children are killed in a car accident. He no longer has three “believing children” and cannot maintain that qualification.

Most folks would say of course he could continue as an Elder. It’s not his fault his children died and he is at the top of his game spiritually. Why harm the congregation un-necessarily?

Okay, if we can see that point then how about this one? Let’s say his wife is tragically killed in the car accident as well. He is no longer the “husband of one wife” and therefore cannot maintain that qualification.

Must an Elder “maintain his qualifications”? That depends on the qualification in my opinion. Of course he must be… above reproach, temperate, no brawler, etc. But those are qualities he can control. There are other qualities he cannot control like losing a wife and children for instance.

Thanks for thinking with me.