To catch up on our adventure through 1 Timothy, click here and read from the bottom post up.
1 Timothy 3:2a (NIV):
"Now the overseer must be above reproach..."
Leadership quality #1: The leader must be above reproach.
The Greek word here for "above reproach" is used only two other times in the Bible--both in 1 Timothy (5:7 and 6:14). It means to have nothing in one's conduct on which someone could ground a charge or accusation.
A leader must be blameless in his behavior. As Perry Noble says, "Is there anything going on in your private life that, if it became public, would disqualify you from ministry?”
Raise your leadership level: Only you know where you stand here. Talk it over with a trusted friend. Get professional help if necessary. If you answered yes to Perry's question above, get help NOW.
Maybe you're not that far gone, and don't think you ever could be. BEWARE. It can happen to you! Make sure to have boundaries in your life that you are consistent with. On our staff, we do not allow a staff member to be in a situation alone with a member of the opposite sex (dinner, the car, counseling, etc.). That's just one example.
These rules are not meant to restrict our freedom but are there to keep us from danger and to protect our reputations and the reputation of the church in our community. You may be going out to lunch alone with a friend of the opposite sex and nothing may be going on, but the image it projects to those who don't know the whole story is a bad image.
Like it or not, as a leader you must stay above reproach and blameless.
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