What Are the Biblical Qualifications of a Pastor?

When we think of pastors, it’s easy to picture the role in terms of skill: preaching, leading meetings, managing a staff, or counseling people. Those are all important aspects of the job, no doubt, and it’s important that anyone entering pastor ministry have the skills required to complete these duties. But the Bible places far more emphasis on a pastor’s character than on his competence. The question is not first, “Is he gifted?” but “Is he godly?”

The New Testament provides two primary passages on pastoral qualifications: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Together, they paint a portrait of the kind of person God calls to shepherd His people.

He Is Above Reproach

Paul tells Timothy, “Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach” (1 Tim. 3:2, CSB). This phrase serves as a heading for everything that follows. A pastor’s life should not provide obvious grounds for accusation. This doesn’t mean the pastor needs to be perfect—no pastor is sinless. But it does mean that his life must be marked by integrity, consistency, and faithfulness, both in private and in public.

Being “above reproach” doesn’t mean no one ever criticizes him; the apostle Paul and countless other godly leaders have had plenty of critics. It means there is nothing scandalous, hypocritical, or disqualifying in his conduct that undermines the message he preaches.

He Is Faithful to His Wife and Family

One of the most personal qualifications is that a pastor must be “the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6). The phrase literally means “a one-woman man.” This qualification is less about marital status and more about fidelity—meaning, single men can be pastors. What this qualification calls for is a pastor who demonstrates sexual integrity and covenantal faithfulness to his wife, if he has one.

Family life also reveals a pastor’s leadership. Paul adds that “he must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity” (1 Tim. 3:4). If a man cannot lead with love, wisdom, and discipline in his own home, he is not ready to care for God’s household, the church.

His Character Should Matter More Than His Talent

The majority of the qualifications for pastors in Scripture focus on character traits:

• Self-controlled and sensible (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8)—He is disciplined in habits, words, and emotions.
• Respectable and hospitable (1 Tim. 3:2)—He lives in a way that earns trust and opens his home and life to others.
• Not an excessive drinker, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome (1 Tim. 3:3)—He avoids addictions, aggression, and divisiveness. Instead, he pursues gentleness and peace.
• Not greedy for money (1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7)—His ministry is not motivated by financial gain but by love for Christ and His people.

Notice how much of this list deals not with ability but with who the man is. The church is not first looking for someone who can run a nonprofit organization—it is looking for someone who can model godliness.

He Is Spiritually Mature

Paul warns that a pastor “must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). Spiritual maturity requires time, testing, and growth. A young believer placed too quickly in a position of leadership may fall into pride, which leads to destruction.

A pastor’s proclamation of the gospel happens well beyond the bounds of the pulpit.

This doesn’t mean age is the decisive factor—Timothy himself was relatively young when Paul exhorted him not to let others look down on him (1 Tim. 4:12). The issue is not years lived but evidence of spiritual maturity: humility, wisdom, and endurance through trials.

He Is Able to Teach

While most qualifications deal with character, one deals with skill: “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2). A pastor must be able to rightly handle the Word of God, faithfully proclaiming the gospel, and guarding the church from false teaching (Titus 1:9).

This doesn’t mean every pastor must be a polished public speaker or have advanced theological degrees. But he must know the Scriptures well enough to explain them clearly and apply them wisely into the life and context of whatever congregation he is being asked to lead.

He Has a Good Reputation With Outsiders

Finally, Paul insists that a pastor “must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap” (1 Tim. 3:7). A pastor represents Christ not only to the church but also to the watching world.

This means integrity in business dealings, honesty in financial matters, and kindness in community relationships. A pastor’s proclamation of the gospel happens well beyond the bounds of the pulpit.

What God Prioritizes in His Shepherds

The biblical qualifications for a pastor remind us that God cares more about who His shepherds are than about what they can do. Character, maturity, and faithfulness stand at the center of pastoral ministry.

Martin Luther once said that God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick. Every pastor is imperfect. Yet the Lord desires that those who lead His people do so with clean hands, humble hearts, and lives that point to Jesus.

In the end, the qualifications of a pastor are not about creating an elite class of Christians. They are about ensuring that those entrusted with shepherding God’s flock model the very gospel they proclaim—living testimonies of the transforming grace of Christ.