AN ELDER MUST BE BLAMELESS IN HIS SPIRITUAL MATURITY
1 Timothy 3:6-7
The Definition (v. 6a)
1. He must be humble
Humility is a very important spiritual characteristic that has not yet been mentioned in our consideration of leadership qualifications. Although Paul didn't specifically mention humility in this passage, it is the obvious point of contrast in his caution against spiritual pride.
2. He must not be a recent convert
The Greek word translated "novice" (neophutos) means "newly planted." The idea is that an elder should not be a new convert or newly baptized. This is the only occurrence of neophutos in the New Testament. It is used in its literal sense outside the New Testament to speak of planting trees in the ground (Fritz Rienecker and Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982], p. 623).
3. He must be spiritually mature
The opposite of a new believer is a mature Christian. An elder must be mature in the faith. Of course maturity is relative, so the standard of maturity will vary from congregation to congregation. The point is that an elder must be more spiritually mature than the people he leads.