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5 For this I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest rectify things left behind, and set elders in the city, as I directed thee:

6 If any be irreproachable, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not in accusation of licentiousness, or disorderly.

7 For a bishop must be irreproachable, as steward of God; not self-sufficient, not prone to anger, not intemperate, not a striker, not occupied in sordid gain.

8 But hospitable, a lover of good, of sound mind, just, holy, holding firm;

9 Holding firmly the faithful word according to instruction, that he may be able also to beseech in sound doctrine, and to refute those opposing. (Titus 1:5–9)

Opportunities to Teach Will Be Squandered if Pastors React to Personal Insults

Sometimes conflict gets personal, and if the conflict episodes Mark recorded in his Gospel are typical, they tend to be more personal when they are with friends. Pastors must hold their temper and be self-controlled in all situations (Titus 1:5–9), even when friends engage in personal attacks against them. Jesus ignored the personal attacks and focused on people’s potential to learn. He taught them.

Pastoral Ministry in the Real World: Loving, Teaching, and Leading God’s People, © 2015 by Jim L. Wilson