Integrity is living what you teach and preach, that is why all the qualifications for leaders are given at the beginning of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 describe their moral character. Once the personal issues are pointed out, we move to the home life of the godly leader. It is not enough for the spiritual leader to have an exemplary personal life, he must also have an exemplary home life. To “manage” your household well, means that a godly leader is on who is a good steward of the things God has put into their charge. A spiritual leader is not just intrinsically good, but also visibly good. It is possible for a person to meet the moral qualifications for a pastor, yet be disqualified because of their evident lack of leadership in the home. He must be a good steward not only of his family but also his finances, learning how to control spending and not being tied to the “stuff” that they accumulate is important to model what is truly important. Having his children under control does not mean that his children must be followers of Christ (since that is the work of the Lord), however it does mean that the children respect the positions of their parents even if they do not embrace them. The reason a spiritual leader must have a well managed home is obvious, “if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” Teaching respect is the objective of every parent, regardless if they go on to lead in a church or not. We have a stewardship responsibility to train the children that God places in our homes, and to remember that these children are not “ours” but rather they have been loaned to us to train up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
