When Paul tells Titus to appoint elders and leaders in his church, one of the things that he tells Titus will disqualify anyone from church leadership is being self-willed.
“For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed…” — Titus 1:7 (KJV)
The Greek word is authadēs, and it describes someone who lives to please themselves, someone who is unable to follow instructions, someone who is not really a team player but just does things the way they want.
At Tree of Life Family, as a family of churches, we set some standards across all our churches, and if other pastors do not follow those, then that is a reflection on Tree of Life. In Titus’s church, if during the house groups the house-group leader is not reflecting what Titus is reflecting, not teaching in the same direction as the church, and not following simple instructions, then that is going to cause strife, envy, division and disorder in the church.
The glory of God manifests where there is order.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” — 1 Corinthians 14:40 (KJV)
The feeding of the five thousand only happened when the people sat where they were told, in the groups they were told to sit in. Jesus took five loaves and two fish, but before the multiplication took place, He brought order to the crowd:
“And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.” — Mark 6:39 (KJV)
We are missing out on miracles and missing out on God’s glory because of self-willed leaders in churches!
Someone is asked to receive an offering and given five minutes, but they take six minutes, ten minutes or fifteen minutes. That is self-will; that is doing what pleases themselves. Now the service is out of order, and we wonder where the glory is hiding after that. And we wonder why the offering is so low!
Someone is asked to lead worship and given the songs to sing, but due to their self-will they do not sing the songs they were assigned. They sing the songs that please them. Now that whole service is out of order. You might as well write Ichabod over that service!
We are called to do things decently and in order. The worship leader loved it—of course he did! He chose the songs to please himself. But anyone spiritual knows that something is not quite right. It is self-will! Self-will can never achieve the will of God!
Someone is asked to operate the sound or visuals but decides to change the agreed settings, add unapproved songs or rearrange the service because they think their way is better. They may be technically gifted, but gifting does not excuse self-will. If they cannot follow the direction of the church, their gifting will eventually create confusion rather than excellence.
Someone is asked to preach for thirty minutes but decides to preach for an hour because they feel what they have to say is too important to shorten. They may call it “flowing with the Spirit,” but the Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion. If you were asked to speak for thirty minutes, honouring that instruction is part of your ministry.
Someone decides that the vetting process for children’s workers is too restrictive and just puts someone into the children’s ministry without vetting them. That is self-pleasing, self-willed behaviour. Now not only are the children literally in danger, but there will be no glory in the children’s ministry.
People want to run small groups, but they want to study what they want, start when they want, and as for recording what happened in the way they have been asked—well, that does not please them, so they will not do it. Self-will, self-pleasing—it is arrogance, and it does not produce good small groups! This is precisely what Paul is warning Titus about.
Someone decides to ignore the food rules we have put in place and brings their peanut butter to the church picnic. That is out of order and self-willed. They will be happy because they have just pleased themselves. But it is out of order, and it is going to cause ripples across the church whether they believe that or not.
Someone wants to be an usher but cannot turn up until after the service starts. Someone wants to make teas and coffees but cannot follow the procedures. Someone wants to be a branch pastor but will not baptise people in the way set out by the mother church. Someone wants to run a small group but does not turn up for church on Sunday. Someone wants to change the order of a service to suit themselves.
All of it is being self-willed, and it takes a church out of order, away from the glory and away from great miracles!
Paul is telling Titus: if you appoint people who are more interested in pleasing themselves, who will not take the time to listen to your instructions, read your instructions, let you train and mentor them, follow your direction, and do things the way they have been asked, your church will never be healthy and successful.
Jesus Himself said:
“I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” — John 5:30 (KJV)
If Jesus did not live to please Himself, no church leader has the right to live to please themselves!
Everyone who appoints leaders needs to think seriously about this. Give people small tasks and watch them. See if they do it your way. See if they do it according to the way and culture of the church. See if they follow your instructions. Look for people who will do what has been asked of them, whether it pleases them or not.
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” — Luke 16:10 (KJV)
That is your next leader—not the person who ignores what they have been told and does it in the way that makes them happy.
That kind of self-willed behaviour towards a pastor is a reflection of how they treat God. They pray when it pleases them and do not pray when it does not. They read the Word when it makes them feel good, but not when it challenges them. The way they treat your instruction as a pastor is often a mirror of how they walk with God in private.
Listen to Paul’s warning today—he knows more than you—and be very careful about appointing self-willed, self-pleasing people.
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