There's no biblical warrant for disqualifying a pastor because his children are not yet saved or his grown children are outside of the faith.

That isn't what the qualification says or teaches; to say otherwise is no different than adding laws to Scripture; it's legalistic.

Nathaniel Jolly That’s a good topic for me to check into. I’ve always wondered about it.

grumpy old bat Concerning the idea that children have to be saved; that would mean every time a man has a new child, he would have to resign until the child came to Christ. Then he'd be qualified again until the next child was born. That should seem absurd to anyone once you think about it.

Nathaniel Jolly Ah, now I understand. And how could a pastor ever know whether his child will or will not be saved? All the pastor can do is what God has told him to do and then the rest is up to God.

grumpy old bat Exactly and the passage that deals with children in regards to elder qualification is that the child must be obedient and not unruly, which some translations write as 'faithful,' which can be a bit misleading at first glance.

Nathaniel Jolly I remember the pastor who baptized me trying to deal with his college aged daughter back around 1973. Needless to say it was challenging!

grumpy old bat Nathaniel Jolly I would just like to add that a prospective Christian pastor or elder who has failed to lead his own children to solid faith in Jesus Christ is probably going to have even less skill at leading others to faith.

Non-Toxic Masculinity 👀 grumpy old bat Nathaniel Jolly Those closest to you are often hardest to reach. And no pastor ever 'failed' to lead anyone to faith. 1st Cor.3:6

Brandon Vise grumpy old bat Nathaniel Jolly Right. You can lead a horse to water, so to speak.

My own experience w my own kids and observations of others w theirs indicates that successful child-rearing is not an accident. And very clearly even the most loving and well intentioned parent can fail miserably.