Approachable People

For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered.... Titus 1:7 (NKJV)

As Paul continued with his list of pastoral prerequisites, he wrote that a bishop mustn't be quick-tempered. A more contemporary way of putting this would be that a pastor shouldn't have a short fuse. He shouldn't be the sort of person who's prone to being angered easily but should have a high tolerance for hassles and difficulties. Something is spiritually "off" when a minister constantly loses his composure, because an angry attitude doesn't accomplish God's righteousness:

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20 (NKJV)

This doesn't mean that a pastor should never be angry. In fact, the Bible acknowledges there are certain situations where anger (without sin) is an appropriate response (Ephesians 4:26). But Paul was talking about something different here. He was referring to the kind of anger that defines a person's character. The sad effect is that people no longer feel the freedom to approach their pastor when they should. I can't ask a question like that because he'll chew me up and spit me out! I can't confess that sin because I'll get blasted. A pastor ought to address and confront sin when necessary, but he should also be approachable.

Jesus was approachable. People weren't afraid He'd "go ballistic" on them when it came to their sins. In fact, there were several occasions when people felt the freedom to interrupt Him with their problems (John 4:47; Mark 7:25; Matthew 17:14; Luke 18:38). We're also told that parents were comfortable with Jesus handling their little children (Matthew 19:13). None of this would have happened if Jesus had the reputation of being a hot-tempered man.

Let's take it one step further and ask ourselves whether we're quick tempered. But Pastor Bob, I'm not planning on being a pastor anytime soon. It doesn't matter. All of us, as Christians, are called to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6).

Our Lord wasn't easily angered but instead projected a sense of approachability and accessibility, and so should we.

Think About It…

Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div.