24 August 2026
A healthy church needs more than faithful attendance, good programmes, and adequate resources. It needs faithful leaders. Paul left Titus in Crete with a clear assignment: “to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.” Mark explains that Paul was not primarily concerned with buildings, finances, or attendance. “People. Finances. Venue. All these things are good, but none of these things are what was left undone on Crete.” The unfinished work was the appointment of qualified men to lead Christ’s people.
Why does this matter? Because Christ cares about the leadership of His church. Paul did not tell Titus to develop a strategy for becoming culturally relevant. He told him to appoint elders. Mark puts it plainly, “The church needs recognised, qualified men to lead Christ’s people.” These men do not lead because they are naturally impressive or because they want positions of importance. They lead because Christ calls men to serve His church with maturity, faithfulness, and humility. Titus 1:5 reminds us that leadership is not an optional extra for a healthy church. It is part of God’s design for His people.
Notice also that Paul told Titus to appoint elders, plural, “in every town.” The New Testament consistently presents local churches with a plurality of elders. Mark says, “The consistent New Testament pattern for local-church leadership is a plurality of elders.” Acts 14:23 gives us the same pattern: “When they had appointed elders in every church and prayed and fasted, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” This reminds us that biblical leadership is shared, accountable, and focused on the spiritual good of the congregation.
That means we should pray for the men who currently lead our churches, but we should also pray for the men God is preparing to lead in the future. Mark says, “This is why we invest time training men in Becoming a Biblical Leader.” The goal is not simply to produce men who can stand in front of people. It is to raise men whose lives can bear the weight of spiritual leadership. Take five minutes today to pray for your elders and potential elders. Ask God to raise up men who will lead, teach, serve, and protect His people.
If you have children, pray with them for your church leaders. Help them see that biblical leadership is not about being important. It is about serving Christ and His people. As Mark says, “strong churches that plant strong churches need strong men who can be appointed as strong elders.” Pray that God would raise up such men in your church, and perhaps even in your own family. Ask yourself today: Why does a healthy local church need qualified men to lead it?
Lord Jesus, thank You for caring for Your church. Raise up faithful men who will lead Your people with godliness, humility, and truth. Help us to pray for them, support them, and become the kind of people who honour Your design for Your church. Amen.