If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. Titus 1:6–9 NKJV
The apostle Paul had left Titus in Crete with the command to set right the things that remained, and to appoint elders in every city. In the New Testament we see apostles or men to whom they delegated this task carrying out this responsibility in the new assemblies that were coming into being. They were the ones who appointed those whom they discerned the Holy Spirit was making overseers in the local assemblies of believers.
Just as in nature sheep never select their shepherd, so we never find assemblies of believers choosing their leaders in God’s Word. Authority in Scripture is always imparted downward from higher to lower, never in the opposite direction. Authority comes from God. We no longer have apostles or their delegates commissioned by God to appoint elders. But God has not left us without direction. The verses above, as well as the similar verses in 1 Timothy 3 and elsewhere, give us the qualifications for God-given leadership in assemblies of Christians today.
A certain maturity, as indicated by the mention of a wife and faithful children rather than specifying a minimum age, confirms that a brother’s moral qualities are far more important than his age. Who his parents or relatives are does not matter, but his character is vital. Let us seek the Lord’s help to be sound in the truth, humbly tending His flock wherever He places us.