SIGNIFICANT CHARACTERISTICS OF A BIBLICALLY QUALIFIED PASTOR

God holds His people responsible for following the Truth. In order to recognize what is in contradiction of Gods Word, we must first read the Bible, so that we can know what the Truth is. A pastors teachings are not a substitute for personal Bible study. The Bible says that if the blind follow the blind, they will both fall into a ditch. Gods Word is the way we can test the spirits, and examine to see if a person is truly qualified according to Gods standards. We should not test by outward things, but by inward things. Some outward things people will look at are: the size of the church, degrees, titles, popularity, nationality, wealthetc The Bible tells us that there would be wolves among the flock, and this includes the pulpit. The true qualification of a pastor comes from his obedience and faithful adherence to the Word of God. Here is a basic checklist of things to look for in a true man of God, equipped for the handling of Gods flock.
1. Leans more on the Word of God for the answers, rather than extra-biblical resources 2. Holds Gods Word as the final and highest authority over their lives & church doctrine 3. Does not compromise on Gods truth to gain money 4. Does not compromise on Gods truth to gain respect from other people 5. Does not compromise on Gods truth out of fear of persecution 6. Will encourage church members to diligently study the Bible for themselves 7. Will not use the church for the purposes of self-promotion or business ventures 8. Will not concoct an unstudied answer, but look it up in the Bible 9. Money should not be utilized to deck out a church building, but for the purposes of helping Gods flock with needs, such as: Bibles, food, missionary needsetc 10. Will speak the truth in love, emphasizing both aspects equally 11. Will always seek Gods counsel, rather than relying on mans wisdom for all the answers 12. Will not get involved with the ecumenical counter-reformation movement which seeks to unite Gods people to the Roman Catholic church - identified in the Bible as the Great Harlot. 13. Will not produce external revelations which are not found in the Bible 14. Will be honest about faults, but will also exercise integrity 15. Willing to overlook a personal offense, and not rendering evil for evil 16. Will seek to edify the church, and make disciples of Jesus, rather than disciples of oneself 17. Will protect the flock from all manner of falsehood and unbiblical errors 18. Communicating in a mature, humble way 19. Will not use or promote counterfeit Bibles, which seek to usurp the authority of Gods Holy words. Avoid versions which follow the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Alexandrian Egyptian Greek Text. Uses the faithful Scriptures - as found in the KJV - which follows the Masoretic Text of the Hebrews & the Greek text of the church at Antioch. 21. Must believe that God is always trustworthy and His words are always True 23. Must believe in the One & only God who was able to manifest His Spirit in human flesh, through Jesus Christ.