"The Search Committee's Task" Titus 1: 5-16

I did not post preliminary thoughts because I was at camp and didn't focus on this week's sermon until Saturday night.  I did know I was preaching this text all week, but never was able to think about it much.  That may have been more a reflection of trying to get a sermon out of this list of what to expect from elders and bishops than the time constraints of camp!

I struggled with the text because I wanted to argue against it.  Not the content of it -- the letter has a nice list of what we might expect from our leaders.  But, I wanted to hear the "rest of the story," to see if Titus managed to find any people that met this criteria and then hear about how long they managed to do things so perfectly!

But, I also did not like the idea that the ideals for our church leaders should be ignored because no one can meet the challenge.  

My struggle between those two perspectives led to the sermon below.

“The Search Committee Task” August 5, 2012; FPC, Troy; Titus 1: 6-12

Introduction: I had a great week teaching the parables at Kirkmont. Fun stories; the kids got into it. One day I asked a question and Caroline answered. When I asked her how she knew the answer, she said she'd heard it in a sermon! She set the bar pretty high for ya'll.

Exciting week of parables, and then I return home to Titus. A letter. Explaining structure. A list of expectations. Quite a shift.

Move 1: the early church in Crete has a problem.

a. Rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers are upsetting the new followers of Christ.

1. They spread rumors about fellow Cretans.
2. They say they be3lieve in God but their actions deny God.
3. They disobey.

4. sounds a bit like the world I know. If you go to K's any morning and listen in on the conversations taking place there, I bet you hear a lot of the same complaints. Or, if you go up to our Upper Gathering area on a Sunday morning between worship services, you might hear similar conversations.

b. The solution?
1. Titus needs to select elders (the Greek word here is presbuteros, which is where we get the name of our denomination – elders) and bishops.
2. Sounds like a good idea.
3. We remember that when Moses was confronted with how to manage God's people in the wilderness, he selected people to help lead.


c. Titus does not even have to develop criteria for the elders and bishops – it is part of of his instruction.


1. Elders need to blameless, married only once, have children who are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious.


2. Bishops need to be blameless; not quick-tempered or arrogant or addicted to wine or violent or greedy; he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout and self-controlled. He must also have a a firm grasp of the Word.

3.  Who wants to be on that search committee?

100. we do not know how it works for Titus as he picks these elders and bishops, but we recognize the challenge he faces.

1. who can he find that meets all these criteria?

2. In fact, if we went through the list of the leaders of God's people, who would meet this criteria?

3. Peter – no way. He betrays.

4. Moses – probably not. He had a temper and argued with God a lot.

5. King David – he had a problem with stealing a woman from someone else.

c. The problem any search committee faces is that their pool of candidates include people like you and I.


1. The pastor search committees of this church (y'all don't need them very often) found Rev. Sensenbrenner and me. Between the two of us combined we do not even come close to perfection (I didn't ask him, but I'm sure he would agree!).

2. Or think about the nominating committees of this church – they go looking for elders, deacons and Trustees – and they have to choose from one of y'all (or someone sitting in the pew next to you!).

Move 2: So what is Titus to do with these instructions? What are we to do with them?

a. Reminder of the important expectations we have for our leaders.

1. not enough to say that we are all imperfect, so we cannot have criteria.

2. We create expectations and hope our leaders can grow into them.

b. When our own Nominating committee gathers this fall, they will reflect on the tasks and responsibilities of our elders, deacons and Trustees.

1. Think about the best that they can be.

2. What we hope they can do in leadership.

100. then they will call people into service.

1. Will any elder, or deacon or Trustee serve perfectly?
   I doubt it.

2. But we lift up the model of what it means to be in leadership.

3. It is not enough to say no one can do it right. We have to choose those leaders and share our expectations so that they can work to grow into that model.

Move 3: The early church has the same challenge that we have and the same hope.

a. The challenge is our humanity.

b. the hope is the God who can beat work in us and through us.

c. Tom Are, Village Presbyterian Church, tells the story of a woman and her high school age daughter who joined the church he served in S. Carolina. The elders met with the new members. The mom answered all the questions and was received into membership. Immediately following the meeting, there was mingling with the elders and the new members.

Tom says he'd been watching as one of this older elders had been focused on the high school age daughter of the new member. This man was one of those elders who did best on the Building and Grounds committee where he did not have to talk to people! He kept staring at the high with her multiple piercings and orangish colored hair that seemed to attract the attention of this elder who showed up every week in coat and tie and was the model of decorum each week.

Tom noted that the elder immediately made a bee-line to the young woman. As the minister who had knew this elder well, he tried to intercept him, afraid that the elder might voice his opinion of orange hair, or multiple piercings, or whatever else seemed wrong unsure of what. Tom notes that of all the elders present, this man was the last one he wanted to have a conversation with the young woman.

But, he got there too late. The elder had started in on his conversation with the young woman. So Tom got to stand there and listen as the elder in coat and tie told this young woman that his granddaughter had just gone off to college and she always sat with him and his wife, and he was wondering if she would sit with them sometimes since she was about her

age. (Tom Are, Jr. Midwinter Lectures, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, January, 2012).

Conclusion: Sometimes the leaders get it right. Amen.