Does the Man Wearing the Collar Matter?

Why identifying the right men is crucial for the preaching office

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 1 Tim. 3:1 (NKJV)

The flaming arrows of the evil one.

Following the murder of Charlie Kirk, the discussion about the competency of our pastoral selection and training becomes more urgent than ever. Pastors are the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) equivalent of Special Operations Forces (SOF), entering the field to face the most dangerous mission in Christendom: preaching the Good News.

Are Our LCMS Pastors Fit for Purpose and Duty?

I introduced this analogy in my first article, showing how low attrition rates can conceal a lax standard in our seminaries for selecting the right men. The comparison is appropriate because both the LCMS and SOF require highly skilled and well-trained individuals to carry out missions of great importance and clear danger. Special Operations has a proven track record of evaluating, selecting, and training individuals who make significant impacts in the secular sectors of warfare and national security. The LCMS can and should learn from this example to reverse its steep decline over recent decades.

SOF are successful because they uphold a standard. All Special Operators, myself included are required to memorize the five SOF truths. This link unites all operators from diverse backgrounds with a shared mindset for who SOF are. Notably, the first three all address the idea of the “right people,” being “carefully selected,” to place “competent individuals” into the appropriate roles. The right person may vary based on unique talents and the mission's needs, but all candidates are strictly evaluated against a standard to ensure they enhance, rather than weaken, unit capability.

While SOF are dedicated to the secular goals of warfighting and national security, the LCMS can learn many lessons from how they approach assessment, selection, and training—especially in how they define what the right person looks like. Of course, this is all biblically supported. So, do we know what a pastor should look like? What kind of men should we actively recruit to strongly consider seminary? More importantly, what men eager to start seminary should we be turning away, if any?

Sufficiency from God

It is important to remember that “our sufficiency is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5). This truth gives hope to all Christians and empowers us to proclaim the Gospel boldly. By the Holy Spirit, God grants sufficiency to every believer. From this, some argue that when it comes to pastors, the outward man—his body and appearance—matters little. Since God works all things for good and His grace is sufficient, they reason that the Holy Spirit alone makes a man into a pastor. But if this were true, why have any admissions process at all? Why not simply open the seminary doors to everyone?

St. Paul tells us that there are many requirements for pastors, which should be common sense, and are the starting point for Special Operators in our analogy. This dissociation of the man and the spirit in a pastor runs against St. Paul’s many admonishments against sins against the body, and warning that the body “is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19). You cannot simply ignore the body’s role in pastoral duties, because a man who is physically or mentally incapable of performing the duties of a pastor is, by definition, not sufficient. The comparison of pastors to SOF is especially relevant because, from their experience, we know we can screen and assess candidates for sufficiency if we are clear on our definitions. By reading the Scriptures, the picture of who a pastor is is not a vague term like “spirituality.” St. Paul provides several clear, precise requirements, which can be summarized into five simple principles.

Blameless

Being blameless is extremely important in St. Paul’s definition of pastoral competence. He writes this requirement in 1 Tim 3:2, 1 Tim 3:10, and Titus 1:7. Being blameless does not require perfection, which, of course, is impossible. St. Paul explains in 1 Timothy 3 that “...he must have a good testimony among those who are outside…” A man who is blameless lives in a Christ-like, exemplary way such that no one would reasonably expect or accuse him of immorality or wrongdoing. A blameless man is capable of holding the faith and able to strongly “exhort and convict those who contradict” (Titus 1:9), made easier because he is not open to attacks on his character. Every young man desiring admission to the seminary must be put to this standard. Every young seminarian should be held to this standard. Every LCMS pastor should consider this standard in their daily conduct. St. Paul required it.

Holy, just, self-controlled men

These three adjectives summarize the long list of requirements given in 1 Timothy and earlier in Titus. We know that “...the just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4), and therefore, we must expect our pastors to live by faith. As St. Paul says, they are not greedy for money, nor are they quarrelsome or covetous, but instead they are just men, living their lives according to faith, and serving their divine call. As holy men, they administer the Sacraments, and can also draw a line to the priests of God in Leviticus 21. They should know the Word of God and the Catechism. They should know and memorize hymns. They should continuously study the Word of God as a lifelong passion to lead their flock. Holy men are not usually grandiose. They are humble, faithful stewards of God’s people.

Our pastors must importantly be self-controlled. Since self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, we simply expect that our pastors are Christians at their core. Self-control results from the Holy Spirit working in a person to help resist the desires of the flesh, of which St. Paul specifically mentions alcoholism (1 Tim 3:3) and sexual immorality (through our later discussion on marital issues in 1 Tim 3:3, et al). But the requirement of self-control applies to all desires, as “...All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Obesity, video games, anime, and other unusual appetites are simply inappropriate for men aiming to be pastors. We can consider discussing processes in seminary to address some of these issues (obviously not sexual immorality or alcoholism, which violate the principle of being blameless). However, if a man in seminary cannot demonstrate the self-control to avoid obesity or abandon strange desires, he is unfit for the ministry and should be guided toward different vocations.

Devoted to one wife, and ruler of his household

It’s interesting how, whenever St. Paul discusses pastors, he emphasizes the importance of being married to one woman and managing his household (1 Tim 3:2, 1 Tim 3:4, 1 Tim 3:12, Titus 1:6). The clear implications of sexual immorality are hinted at here but are discussed in detail elsewhere by St. Paul, especially in 1 Corinthians 7. St. Paul explains why this issue is so crucial in 1 Timothy 3:5: “for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” Later, in the qualifications for deacons, even pastor’s wives are scrutinized. Though it can be difficult for seminarians who are not married to assess this, for those who are, seminaries must review their family lives and ensure they are in good order before ordaining a pastor. A pastor’s marriage, his children, and whether he has been married (or remarried) are relevant to his qualification.

Additionally, congregations must understand their pastor’s family lives. Examining family life can reveal other issues that violate the first two principles. Is the pastor violent at home? Is he “temperate, sober-minded, and of good behavior” (1 Tim 1:2)? It is fair for pastors to expect more scrutiny of how they lead their families, because it reflects on how suitable they are as pastors.

Equipped for and focused on the essential tasks

St. Paul stresses the importance of teaching in 1 Tim. 1:2 because “...faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Pastors need to have and develop social and interpersonal skills necessary to connect and communicate effectively long term. Crippling social paralysis, severe autism, and other such maladies are not insurmountable, but should generate a significant pause when considering seminarian applicants, because they directly conflict with this essential pastoral duty. If you cannot speak to people with ease and conviction, you cannot be a pastor.

Article V and Article XXVIII of the Augsburg Confession reasonably extend teaching to include preaching, forgiving and retaining sins, and administering the Sacraments. Our pastors must be able to both learn the Gospel and preach it to others. They must be entrusted to understand and “...hold fast the faithful word…” (Titus 1:9), but not to keep it to themselves, or only talk with other pastors. No, St. Paul specifies they learn these things to teach the church of God, and to “...exhort and convict those who contradict” (Titus 1:9). The only way congregations can receive eternal righteousness, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life is via the administration of the Word and the Sacraments. If a man cannot do these things, then his vacation lies elsewhere.

Amongst others of St. Paul’s writings, this is where the analogy of pastors to SOF gains even more traction. St. Paul expects pastors to confront the evils that await them eagerly. Wearing the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) and wading into enemy territory, our pastors must be at both times hospitable (1 Tim. 3:2) and ready for a fight, eager to sharply rebuke, “that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13). We don’t just need scholars; we need scholars that are ready to fight against the anti-Christian world we live in.

Mentally and physically tough

While not explicitly outlined by St. Paul in 1 Timothy or Titus, the Bible is nonetheless filled with examples of men who, by the strength of God, persevered (Joshua 1:9, James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5). Romans 5:3-5 personally gave me the courage to continue during training and deployments. St. Paul himself “..labor[ed] night and day…to [preach]... the Gospel of God” (1 Thess. 2:9). Pastors must be able to work hard, which requires physical and mental capacity beyond a body that can barely power itself every morning due to weakness or obesity. The life they are seeking is not one defined by soft hands, pressed shirts, and clean books. It is a long and often thankless job, filled with challenges, tribulations, dirt, sweat, tears, blood, and death. The image of St. Bartholomew is apt in this section. Being a pastor is a calling that must be met by men with chests, who have the mental and physical toughness, forged by faith, to endure to the glory of God. Our candidates must thoroughly examine themselves and to test their mettle in preparation for the calling they seek. To do otherwise is cruel, both to the man and the congregation who will watch him fail.

St. Bartholomew

The right man for the right call

St. Paul’s charge to Timothy still rings in our ears: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16). The man and the doctrine cannot be separated. The sufficiency is from God, yes, but that sufficiency does not nullify the requirements the Lord Himself set forth for those who shepherd His flock.

Special Operations Forces never confuse willingness with readiness. They know that without rigorous standards, men fail—and when they fail, missions fail, and lives are lost. How much more urgent is this for the Church, where the mission is eternal life and the stakes are souls? Christ’s Church cannot afford soft standards, sentimental admissions, or wishful thinking. It requires men who are blameless, holy, self-controlled, faithful in their homes, fit to teach, and tough enough—in body, mind, and spirit—to endure the crosses laid upon them.

If we ignore these biblical standards, we will continue to ordain men unprepared for the battle and unfit for the pulpit. But if we return to them, holding fast to what the Spirit has revealed through Scripture, we will once again raise up pastors who are ready to preach, to suffer, and, if necessary, to die for the sake of Christ. The need is urgent, the path is clear, and the call is good. Let us resolve to send, train, and call only the right and best men into this sacred fight.