Introduction
Ordaining ruling elders is the most important transition in the life of a church plant. Yet, many church planters have an unrealistic vision for the officer training process.
Many imagine themselves as leadership gurus who will educate candidates in Bible and theology. They will inspire them with their unique vision, ultimately transforming a less-than-ideal candidate into an exemplary ruling elder. However, officer training isn’t a leadership development course. Rather, officer training is a process of identification.
1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 outline the qualifications for elders. These qualities are not what ministers instill in officer candidates. They are qualities to look for in officer candidates. This is why a candidate for elder is to be examined in “his Christian experience, especially his personal character and family management…” (BCO 24-1a). A candidate for elder should already possess biblical qualifications. The officer training process should help ministers and temporary elders identify how the Spirit of God has been at work in the life of a man.
In light of that, here are four characteristics to consider when identifying the first ruling elders for a church plant.
1. Look For Personal Holiness
The Belgic Confession Article 29 paragraph 2 gives us the three marks of a true church:
“The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults.”
These three marks should shape the focus of every church, including church plants, because the church’s mission is spiritual in nature. Church planting is not primarily about buildings, branding, or programs—it is about shepherding souls, proclaiming the gospel, and building up the body of Christ. And if the church’s mission is spiritual, then its leadership must be spiritual as well.
This is why the spirituality of elders matters so much. Elders are not simply administrators or decision-makers; they are spiritual shepherds charged with guarding doctrine, caring for souls, and setting an example in personal holiness (1 Peter 5:3). A church that seeks to embody the true marks must raise up leaders who embody the spiritual nature of their task— men who know, love, and walk with God. Especially in a church plant, where spiritual foundations are still being laid, spiritually mature elders are essential for guiding the congregation with wisdom, humility, and faithfulness.
Samuel Miller put it simply in his work, The Ruling Elder. “An elder, then, should first of all be a man of unfeigned and approved piety.” (Miller, The Ruling Elder, p. 133)
We’re not looking for more “high-capacity leaders,” rather, church plants must diligently look for men who hunger and thirst for righteousness. An elder’s walk with the Lord and personal holiness should be clear to everyone in the church. If a man does not love God’s Word, cherish God’s people, and consistently demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, he is not ready to shepherd the flock.
2. Look For Integrity
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Paul uses “above reproach” as the first qualification for an elder in 1 Timothy 3:2. The Greek word ἀνεπίληπτος (anepilēptos) can mean “not to be laid hold of” or “unblamable.” A godly ruling elder candidate is one whose life is marked by honesty and uprightness, matching his actions with what he professes to believe. He must be a person of good reputation whose actions align with his words–both inside and outside the church. In other words, an elder must be a man of integrity.
In a church plant, relationships are often new and trust is still being built, which means identifying men of integrity may take time. It’s important to remember, especially among church planters, that you can’t train a man into a person of integrity. A dishonest or divisive man cannot be coached into blamelessness. Either a man has the character that withstands scrutiny, or he does not.
And so church planters and temporary sessions must ask: Is this man known for honesty in his business dealings? Does he keep his word, even when it’s costly? Is he quick to repent, or does he deflect blame? Does he speak well of others, or sow subtle seeds of discord? These questions matter deeply in the fragile formative years of a church plant, because the answers will reveal what’s under the surface and what kind of elder a candidate might be.
3. Look For Household Management
Elders are to be 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, etc. Among these qualifications, “household management” stands out as the only one Paul emphasizes with a rhetorical question: “For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (1 Tim. 3:5). This question is especially pressing in the context of a church plant, where consistent, faithful leadership is essential to the health and sustainability of a young congregation.
The Greek word for “manage” (proistēmi) implies more than just control—it includes leading, caring, guiding, and protecting. In the early, unstable, uncertain years of a church plant, an elder candidate’s consistency and faithfulness in shepherding his own family becomes a critical indicator of how he will shepherd the household of God.
If an elder candidate neglects family worship, abdicates his spiritual responsibilities, and lacks discipline in his home, that disorder will inevitably affect the wider church. On the other hand, a man who has cultivated a home marked by grace, discipline, and respect gives the church a preview of how he’ll lead God’s family. As Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” Church plants don’t just need warm bodies willing to serve, they need spiritually mature men who know how to lead with Christ’s love, wisdom, and faithfulness.
Of course, “household management” doesn’t mean perfection. No man leads his family flawlessly. But in a church plant, where character must precede gifting, pastors and temporary sessions must pay close attention to a candidate’s spiritual leadership in the home—how he loves his wife, teaches and disciplines his children, and models the gospel in daily life. Before you trust a man with a church, see how he leads his home.
4. Prioritize Biblical Qualifications Over External Perceptions
Lastly, when identifying a church plant’s first ruling elders, it’s crucial to prioritize biblical qualifications over external appearances or worldly success. In the early years of a church plant everything can feel fragile, momentum can seem uncertain, and perception can appear to be the key to survival. Because of that, there is a strong temptation to ordain men who have charismatic personalities, successful careers, and social influence. The thinking goes: if respected business leaders or prominent figures in the community become elders, it will give credibility to the fledgling church plant and potentially attract new visitors.
But the church of Jesus Christ is not built on charisma or corporate savvy—it is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). The first elders in a church plant will set the spiritual tone for years to come. That’s why Paul warns Timothy, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands” (1 Tim. 5:22). Rushing to ordain someone who lacks spiritual maturity or a true inward calling may solve a short-term problem but create long-term harm.
While charisma and worldly success are not disqualifying, they are not substitutes for godliness, humility, and a shepherd’s heart. The qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 remind us that the church is not a business venture or a marketing project – it is the household of God. Elders must first be spiritual men, proven in the quiet faithfulness of their home life and personal walk with Christ. Patience in identifying such men isn’t a delay in progress—it is foundational to the church plant’s longevity.
The Bottom Line
In the end, church planters and temporary sessions must remember that Christ raises up and calls men to serve His church. Their role is not to manufacture leaders, but to prayerfully identify the ones whom God has already called.
No officer training curriculum, no matter how advanced, can turn a spiritually weak man into a spiritually strong one, or transform a man of low character into one of high character. Training is important, but it is not what qualifies a man for the office. It is a testing ground, a refiner’s fire that raises the dross to the surface exposing what was already there. Only the Holy Spirit can shape and sanctify a man into a faithful shepherd.
It is the responsibility of ministers, especially church planters, to approach this process with prayer, wisdom, and discernment. They must engage elder candidates personally, discussing their testimony, examining their theology, and observing their character, family life, and relationships within the church. The goal is not to fill positions quickly, but to entrust the church to men who are spiritually mature and biblically qualified.
What the church needs today is not more men with impressive resumes and backgrounds. What the church needs today is more shepherds—men who will feed the flock, guard the church, and model a life of humble obedience to Christ.
Church planters must remember: it is far better to wait for the right men than to rush the wrong ones into office. God has always been in the business of raising up faithful leaders in His time, by His Spirit, and for His glory.
