KWADWO Posted May 2, 2009 Report Share Posted May 2, 2009 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? Leadership is key and one way of assessing one's ability to lead is how the person handles his family. Paul was referring to leaders who can lead small groups like families and lead very well. This then can be translated into leading a bigger number. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan W Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? Personally, I think what Paul is saying about the husband of one wife includes all of things that were mentioned in the the text. I truly believe that the husband needs to practice monogamy as wells as being faithful to the wife and not committing adultery. When it comes to the issue about divorce and remarriage, I have to be careful what I say. I believe that if the husband has been faithful, but the wife has not been faithful and has left her husband for another man that should not affect his qualities or his qualifications for leadership. I myself am in that situation. My ex-wife left me. Why should I have to pay the price for her decision. Does it reflect on me? I don't think it should. The role of the family is important when considering the candidate for leadership. The text said that if the family is not in order that generally means in some regard that the leader of the family, the husband is not tending to his family. But lets also be careful with this one. We have to consider that children are going to be children at home and at church. I draw the line at the point of being disrespectful in the house of God. We need to instruct our children that the house of God is to be respected, but kids are not always going to behave properly at church. They are going to get wild and little out of control. I believe that what Paul is saying applies more to children who know the difference between right and wrong and know how to behave in the church. I do not believe this applies to children such as infants and toddlers who are still being reared in the ways of right and wrong. For example a teenager by the time he reaches 13 years should know how to behave in church, but a child who is five may not. We cannot judge the character of the candidate from the actions of his children especially if they are at an age where they are being reared in the ways of right and wrong. Also take into consideration that a child who was not raised in church is going to act differently than a child who was raised in church. This is a tough answer to this question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISTinUS Posted May 23, 2009 Report Share Posted May 23, 2009 "Husband of one wife" indicates: obedience, hierarchy, order, and law, according to the design of a healthy nucleus family. A leadership potential is reflected from a small scale, in the familial context and sets of experience. The Church is based on the same structure and leadership qualities demonstrated by a man in the role of a husband, with extended family. Likely his patience, problem solving ability, communication style, and the condition of his heart affect the results of his immediate members of a household. The environment it creates for growth, discipline, guidance, and decision making, nurture the character of individuals developing under that atmosphere of patriarchal leadership. The model of a thriving family is the prime choice for a healthy growing Church structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prosenstein Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? Does Paul mean husband of one wife at a time or only one wife ever? I'm not sure if he is prohibiting remarriage here, but it is clear that marriage and family are important. If deacons cannot manage their households and children well, how will they manage a larger body such as the church? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary C Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 I believe he meant one wife, that may not mean the man could have had another wife at one time what if she had died? Altho if he is devoriced and remarried I don't know if he should be in a leadership position. You can tell alot about a man by the way his children act. If the children are bad and unruly I think there is something wrong in the household. If the children have a loving relationship with the father means he is a very good dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethel-youthdirector126 Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? As I read these verses I believe Paul is saying exactly what he means and that includes the word husband as a qualification. I think what happens too often today is that because we maybe don't understand the reasons why the Bible says certain things and it maybe doesn't fit with our culture, then we try to make the bible fit our culture instead of trying to get our culture to reflect the bible. I realize that there are things in the bible that were said that were only applicable to the culture of the day but I really feel that this isn't one of them. The bible is very consistent on this point. Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? Good leaders are able to lead wherever they are whether in public or private. The family is definitely a reflection of someones leadership abilities. Sure kids are going to stray and mess up but it how the father responds to the mess ups that decides whether he is a good leader. It directly applies to the family of God. Even under a great leader there are members who are going to stray but it is how the leader responds to the members that will decide how great of a leader he is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissioned Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? With the phrase "husband of one wife," Paul is indicating that the leader must be a person of respectable reputation; one who is not a womanizer and is the husband of one wife. Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? As a leader the candidate's family is important as it is an indicator of their leadership style. A leader who invests time with the family and take care to instill godly values in their children will maintain godly discipline in their own life. The leader's spouse must also possess a reputable image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy Crans Posted November 22, 2009 Report Share Posted November 22, 2009 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? I believe Paul means just what it says. He should be the husband of one wife. True to her and not be a womanizer. He should be a faithful husband. If a leader can't keep his family under comtrol he won't be able to be a very good in a leadership role. If he has problems in his own familly life it sure isn't a good indicator of leadership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambler Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 A man that is solely devoted to his wife. If he is not able to manage his household well, how can he manage the church family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbiemoore Posted March 28, 2010 Report Share Posted March 28, 2010 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? I think that this means that the husband must be true to his wife and cannot be out cheating and should not be divorced and remarried. if a man can't control and head his own household how can he lead Gods house he must have respect so that no one can come and say that he is doing wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynette66 Posted March 28, 2010 Report Share Posted March 28, 2010 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? I agree with much of what has been said about being loyal to one wife and about being a good family leader; it does make me think of priests (I was raised Catholic). They have no wives or families they are head of.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD Posted May 24, 2010 Report Share Posted May 24, 2010 That if he is married he should nbe married to only one woman and he should be faithful in that relationship - whose marriage is above reproach. . . A leader's family is also important because his family - their lifestyle, their character, is an indicator of how he leads - his leadership ability - basically, how he has led his family is a pretty good indicator of how he will lead the Church. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara A. Lee Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? By being a husband of one, you take your vows seriously. The "family" leader is an important one because if he leads his family well, 9 times out of 10 he will be a great leader. But there is always that one percent that fake it. So you have to be very careful.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamjar Posted November 13, 2010 Report Share Posted November 13, 2010 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? It is saying that a church leader should be established and faithful to his wife before being allowed to become a leader in the church. If a leader's family are believers and not wild or disobedient, we know that he can control his family (with love and patience) then he has good leadership potential. Now, if we see that his family is quarrelsome and unruly stay away from him as a leader if he can't keep peace in the family he will not be able to handle disputes in the church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamjar Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? What he is saying is that a man should have only one wife and not go around committing adultery, be happy with one wife, God intended man to have one wife from the very beginning starting with Adam and Eve. If a man cannot keep his own family in order how will he be able to keep his congregation in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 I think that the leader that Paul is indicating for us with the phrase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagleswings01 Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? I believe that Paul is indicating that we ought to be faithful leaders. A leader's family is an important indicator of leadership potential or problems since if a leader is unable to manage or take care of his/her own family then how can he/she manage he family of God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Posted July 18, 2011 Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 I think he is thinking of two things when he uses the pharse "husband of one wife." The first is the most obvious in that he reminds them, and us, that the husband should set a good example by being a good family man, loyal to his family. The second is (to me) that he is also perhaps reminding the church, and church leaders, that they should be loyal to the true Gospel, and loyal to the true teachings of Christ, rather than going off in many other directions, chasing the false teachers and false doctrine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerbrand van Schalkwyk Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Somebody reliable, as a husband we give a good indication how devoted we are, how trustworthy we are. Obviously we can’t be divorced, that would indicate that we are disobedient to God and not devoted. Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? People's character doesn't change, how you react at home will reveal your natural character, not the polished character you display when you want to impress somebody for a new position. The way you handle your children will show how successful you are with people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? In this passage of scripture Paul is stating that a married leader should be faithful and committed to one wife. Often the way a leader leads and manages his family is an indicator of his/her leadership skills. A leader's family will reflect by and large what the leader promotes, models, and practices. The leader's leadership style will be reflected in his/her family. So, a church search committee can be fairly certain that the state and dynamics of a prospective leader's family can be an indicator of how the leader will interact and lead the church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wifee Posted August 13, 2013 Report Share Posted August 13, 2013 1a) I believe Paul is recommending a leader to be faithful to his/her marriage partner, so they will be above any critiscim by the church &wider community. This would be a good example to the church&community of being faithful &commited to one marriage partner, a good witness to their faith& Jesus’ teachings &a stark contrast to the Greek& Roman culture of the day.b)God’s has given man responsibility for&guidelines to follow to care for his family. How a leader follows this in looking after his family&brings up his children, whether the children obey&respect him/her, whether they believe etc are all good indicators of how well, she/he will manage, shepherd God’s household, the church, in a position of leadership.Both family &church leadership responsibilities take much wisdom, patience, love, faithfulness, loyalty, trustiness. For man/woman to do this well, he must depend on the Holy Spirit to lead him/her&be seeking the Lord daily in prayer.Being Christ centred &commited fully to roles called into. If children are wild&disobedient, can be many causes, but this could imply their parents are not behaving in way that encourages respect & obedience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Edwards Posted September 6, 2023 Report Share Posted September 6, 2023 (edited) A happy marriage and a well ordered family is a strong indication that a Ministerial candidate could be a good pastor. Christ chose busy men to be His Apostles. Christ knew that they were diamonds in the rough. God chooses busy men to do His work.  They have intellectual acumen, maturity and just plain "chutzpah" to do the job. Sadly many men are not disciplined nor are they fit for pastoral offices. They carry too much baggage from their old lifestyles. Young men enter Bible schools or seminaries with immature attitudes and sadly--lack of Bible background and a steady spiritual formation. If a pastor's family is in disarray, some serious troubles are in store for his parish.  This is very common these days. In our days, church denominations realize that their ministers have "clay feet" and do offer counseling assistance thereby keeping the parish on a even keel.  We must pray for so many in the ministry who are undergoing severe stress; many pastors do need genuine "leaves of absence" when there are severe family problems. Edited September 6, 2023 by Jonathan Edwards Had to complete my assignment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? Pastor Ralph's explanation makes sense. The husband of one wife means a man is not indulging in adultery. One thing that went unmentioned was the common practice in that society of men who bedded their servants or had "second families" with concubines. Because this WAS relatively common in the First Century church, I believe this passage refers to these sorts of practices. The ideal monogamous family was even more rare then than today. -- I knew a pastor who had a child that rebelled -- this pastor quit after his son got into drugs, impregnated a girl in the church and then was arrested for a crime he did commit. Is it right to hold the father/mother responsible for prodigal, adult children? I don't think so. The church must be very cautious before tarring the father with the sins of his sons and daughters. More commonly, a pastor's marriage goes awry. Sometimes pastoral couples can take off a few months to patch up their marraiges, but more often than not, pastors leave the ministry after they divorce whether they want to or not. The scriptures are clear that adultery is not permitted but a pastor whose wife/husband wrongfully left them should be permitted to remarry and lead the church -- this is my opinion only. I'm recalling the pastor of a large church in Atlanta whose wife left him -- Charles Stanley? I hope I have the right name. Anyway, he promised his church that he'd never remarry. For most congregants, this was sufficient. This man had faithfully served that church for decades, I believe, so the congregants must have known him well. I do wonder, however, had he been younger and wanted to remarry, what he and the church would have done. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 Q1. Paul is saying that a candidate for leadership within a Church must be the husband of just one wife. He must also be respectful kind and caring to both his wife, and his children. There must be a balance between love and discipline. Discipline should be only administered with love and never in anger. His home should be a happy open home, where all members of the family respect each other and forgive mistakes, and close ranks in time of trouble. If a man’s home is run in this way, he will probably make a good leader within a church. However if the children are disrespectful and out of control this would be a red flag, pointing to something within the family not being right. Further investigation would be needed. I do understand that some children can turn their backs on God in their teens, even though they have been brought up in a loving Christian home. These children would still be respectful and obey their parents, but maybe show reluctance to attend church etc. Fervent prayer is then needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane D. Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 I believe this to be one wife (at a time.. and no mistresses). Matrimony is a blessed practice within the Jewish religion and since we are grafted into the family, I would think that the same strictures would be true. The manner with which a potential leader would treat his family would show his natural manner in leading others. Indecisiveness at home leads to indecisiveness with other relationships. The family is a microcosm for each of us. Through our interactions within the family, we learn how to interact with others. Trust, compassion, love, honesty, commitment etc. are all learned behaviours when we are young and continue through when we have our own families. We are also consistent, then when we treat others outside of our family. We can change our behaviours with our own families (correcting violence with loving kindness for example) but we are really not healthy if we were to be loving at home and unloving outside of the home with others (In my opinion). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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