“Qualifications For An Elder's Wife”

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Can a pastor who is married to a divorced woman still lead the church of God?

Sincerely,
Protecting The Office

Dear Protecting The Office,

It depends.  For the sake of clarity, we will assume that the man is biblically and appropriately married to this woman (there are many details involved with marriage after a divorce that go far beyond the scope of this question) and that the man has always been a faithful husband.  The Scriptures require the elder to be a “one-woman-man” (1 Tim 3:2).  A congregation would have to make a decision whether or not the man was properly fulfilling that requirement.

Secondly, an elder’s wife must be “grave, not a slanderer, temperate, and faithful in all things” (1 Tim 3:11).  Depending on the circumstances surrounding the woman’s divorce and her current behavior and conduct, this divorced woman may or may not disqualify her husband from serving as a pastor.

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