Baptist churches are autonomous and can make their own decisions about how their church is run. The first ordained as a deacon a fine man who had experienced the pain of divorce in his youth and had since put his life together with a wonderful woman. All of Adam's hopes and fears, love and lust, faith and phobias, strengths and dysfunctions are, in a moment in time, fused to the same in his Eve. Copyright 2011-2021 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. If the divorce was for unbiblical reasons, he has probably disqualified himself. Even people who know very little Scripture know that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Divorce doesn't actually exist in the Roman Catholic Church, so the simple answer is No: they can't. Part of it involved a previous senior pastor of ours refusing to perform the ceremony because she was a divorced woman. The question of whether divorced men can serve as deacons, elders, or pastors is based almost exclusively on one small phrase that appears twice in 1 Timothy 3 and once in Titus 1. In order to dive deeper into this question, let’s take another look at the list of qualifications for a bishop. The question has been raised, “can a divorced person serve as a pastor, minister, etc. One IB man says that NO WAY should a divorced man be a pastor. An intertwining of the two parties takes place in the sacredness of the wedding vows. Answer: The answer becomes very simple when we go back to when we were saved.The question becomes, “How many sins did Christ forgive when we trusted Him as our Savior? Many believe this means literally one wife or never have been divorced. As such, how does this affect, if it does, the marriage requirements of a pastor. First Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6 say that the bishop must be the husband of one wife. Should a divorced man, that has gotten remarried become a Pastor?---Cynthia on 8/8/07 There are circumstances with allow people who are divorced to remarry. Now, here are some practical matters to consider. We also know that God forgives sin (Colossians 1:13–14). That would mean that we can never say anything about Driscoll, MacDonald, any homosexual pastor, any liberal pastor, any immoral pastor, etc. This does not mean divorced persons cannot serve in the church. Some teach it to mean a man must be married in order to serve, thus removing single men from any opportunity of leadership service. The controversial second verse says, “the husband of one wife.” Many believe this means literally one wife or never have been divorced. When going through a divorce, the pastor is vulnerable. In the New Testament an elder must be "the husband of one wife" (literally he must be a "one woman/wife man") -- 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6. Question: Can a Man Who Has Divorced and Remarried Be a Pastor?. I have a concern. Whenever the subject of divorce and remarriage is discussed, the inevitable question of whether a divorced and/or remarried man can ever serve as an elder follows closely behind. Just my 2 cents worth, When God calls a man to be a pastor, God knows if that man has been, is, or will be divorced. You would know from the Bible that he still only has one wife. Why would He call a man to be a pastor, just to disqualify him. Does a pastor's wife have a particular duty or role? 3. They continued in service, after becoming purified. So when you come across a verse in the New Testament that tells you a bishop can only have one wide, you’re going to think that the Bible means exactly what it says. Apparently a worthy priesthood holder is not bishopric”material” if he has gone through a divorce and remarried in the temple! Day is one of the most influential people in my life. Of course, if sin disqualifies someone from pastoring a church, then there would be no pastors. Or, if a man who is lawfully divorced, but told by a church or denomination he cannot pastor, then receives a doctorate in Pastoral theology and subsequently teaches in a seminary, is now able to teach others how to be pastors, but cannot be a pastor himself, is also quite ludicrous. Charles Stanley is perhaps one of the most well-known current pastors who are divorced. As a general rule, divorce disqualifies a man from service as either a pastor or deacon. Therefore, you wouldn’t even consider that Paul was referring to a pastor who had been remarried after a scriptural divorce. Some believe that a preacher can still be the minister of a church even though divorced. Can A Divorced Man Become A Deacon, Pastor Or A Preacher? Alexander Strauch writes that this issue “was dramatically highlighted when a leading evangelical journal in America brought together five divorced pastors and asked them to share their feelings, experiences, and views on divorce and the ministry. 5. Here's a summary of the four major views of whether a divorced man is allowed to serve as deacon: 1). An innocent man (non-adulterer) in a divorce may serve after a period of time. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about divorce, he told them that It was only allowed because of “the hardness of your hearts,” (Matthew 19:1-9). Can a divorced man become a pastor (or deacon)? An elder/pastor/deacon is to be a man that the church and community can look up to as an example of Christ-likeness and godly leadership. There are many divorced pastors serving in churches today, including evangelical, Bible believing churches. The office of deacon, for example, requires that a man be “beyond reproach” (1 Timothy 3:10), as well as “good managers of their children and their own households” (1 … 2. I have never heard such nonsense and if it was not for my testimony built upon a solid foundation of the gospel I would leave the church I can’t believe this. The answer is yes, but then he must first demonstrate a pattern of faithfulness to the Lord over years before he can be considered for the office of elder. Question: "Is a man who divorced and remarried before coming to Christ eligible to pastor a church?" 3). Many people believe that Christians van be divorced and remarried under certain scriptural conditions and still serve the Lord. he is saying you may not have 2, 3 , or 4 wives at the sametime. The fact that divorced pastors still serve as pastors does not prove the matter biblically. What qualifications does the Bible give for elders and deacons. What if his divorce was pre-conversion? We have been Christians 7 years and faithful. However, I do interpret the Bible differently from other Conservatives when considering the allowing of divorced men to pastor. Divorce causes much trauma, drama, and problems in the divided families. Now, let us look at ALL the qualifications required to be a pastor as found in 1 Timothy 3:2-4. 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