Confusion and disagreement over the meaning of the phrase “believing children” in Titus 1:6 often prevent churches from appointing elders. For some, believing children means that the children of potential elders must be baptised and faithful in their Christian walk. Others hold a more moderate understanding suggesting that at least one or two children should be committed Christians before someone qualifies as an elder (Sometimes this is the more pragmatic view). But is this the only way to understand the word believing children in Titus 1:6? Admittedly, the term “believing” in the New Testament can describe someone who is a Christian. Consider Acts 10:45, 2 Corinthians 6:5, and 1 Timothy 4:12. However, we also find that Bible translators utilise the term faithful rather than believing in many contexts to describe someone or something that is reliable and trustworthy. We see the word, believing, used in this way in Matthew 24:45, where Jesus says, “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave who his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time”. In 1 Corinthians 1:9, Paul says that “God is faithful”. In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul writes about a “faithful saying”. Similarly, in Titus 3:8, he writes about another Truth that is “faithful”. In Titus 1:9, Paul says that elders are to hold “fast to the faithful word” (the NIV says trustworthy). So based on these passages, believing can be rightfully translated as faithful and indicate reliability and trustworthiness, especially when it precedes a noun [1]. The KJV interestingly doesn’t use the word believing in Titus 1:3 but instead says, “having faithful children”.
However, even if we prefer the usage of “faithful children” rather than “believing children”, we are still left scratching our heads wondering, who is an elder’s child to be faithful to? In the context of Titus 1:6, are they to be faithful to God or their father? When we find ourselves in a stalemate regarding the use of a term and that it could equally indicate two different directions of thought, we should first consider the context and see if that offers any clues. Firstly, since there is no mention of God in this sentence so it makes sense to link faithfulness to the subject of the sentence, a potential elder. Secondly, in Titus 1:6, Paul adds an explanatory phrase explaining what he means by faithful children. He says that the children of elders are “not to be accused of dissipation or insubordination”. Thus, potential elders need to raise children who live within their boundaries and in an appropriate manner. So I would contend, along with others, that the faithfulness in this context means a general responsiveness by children to the management and instruction of their parents.
Is it reasonable to assume that not being “accused of dissipation (inclined to excessive living and lacking regard for morals) or insubordination (uncontrollable)” explains what is meant by faithful children? Well, in the same context, Paul does something similar. In Titus 1:7, Paul says, “Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless”. Rather than leave the reader hanging and wondering what blameless means, Paul explains that it means “not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain”. He then adds that list in verses 8-9. In verse 7, notice that Paul’s explanation begins with the term “not”, just like verse 6 does in explaining the meaning of faithful children.
If we take the view that elders are required to have children who are faithful to them by being respectful and submissive, how does that align with what Paul said to Timothy regarding the qualifications of an elder? Interestingly, in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, there is no mention of the need for the children of elders to be Christian. Instead, Paul says in verse 4 that an elders “must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect”. Interpreting believing children in Titus 1:6 to mean children who are faithful to their parents aligns nearly perfectly with Paul’s instructions to Timothy.
Suppose we want to get technical and insist that Paul indeed was requiring that elders to have children who are baptised believers. I would then ask; on what basis do you dismiss unbaptised children as unbelievers? Haven’t most of us in the Church of Christ already concluded that little children are in a right relationship with God? So, if you have a child who, let’s say between the age of 5-10, who is already in a right relationship with God, shows evidence of faith in God, would they not also be considered believing children? If this is the case, would this not open up more of a range of people who meet the qualification of having believing children? That said, in Titus 1:6, I remain convinced that Paul is speaking less of the spiritual state of children and more of their attitude and behaviour towards their parents, which opens up a new question: is it possible for elders to have children who are not Christians?
Parents largely determine the spiritual development of children, and I would expect that elders, if they are to be responsible for the spiritual affairs of the church, demonstrate to some extent their ability to influence their children spiritually. However, are they entirely accountable for their children’s decisions in life? Suppose a child has been well trained in the Bible and their parents have made a great effort to nurture faith, and then their children still decides to depart from God as they become adults. Does that make a potential elder any less spiritual or even incompetent in spiritual matters? By that standard, how could even God continue to be God? If God has done everything He can to nurture faith and train humans in obedience, is He less spiritual or less divine when humans choose to disobey Him? As Alexander Strauch highlights in his book “Biblical Eldership”, “Even the best Christian fathers cannot guarantee that their children will believe”[2]. Of course, I am not suggesting that elders should be lazy and should not strive to raise Christian children. I just question whether a person should be dismissed as a potential elder because his children have decided to depart from faith as an adult at some point. Going back to Titus 1:6, the criterion is the attitude and behaviour of the children. I know of Christian men with the qualities of an elder, yet their adult children have chosen not to continue to be Christians. Despite this, their children are not likely to be accused of dissipation or insubordination despite their decision. They are children who continue to love their parents and show great respect for them. If this is the case, why should these fathers not be appointed as an elder?
Of course, our typical disposition in churches of Christ is to be conservative and opt for what we call the safest option. In most cases, this would require potential elders to have baptised and faithful Christian children. But is this necessary, and is it the safest option? Now I am not for a minute suggesting we lower God’s standards. I am advocating that we read scripture sensibly and not bind on people rules and requirements that God hasn’t. In Australian churches of Christ, we face a leadership crisis partly, I believe, because we are demanding of potential elders perfection and binding on them impossible expectations that are not from God. When we say that potential elders must have baptised children, we make the pool of acceptable people so small that what we end up with is a majority of churches in Australia without clear leadership. That means a lot of churches are left vulnerable and unable to mature into the image of Christ. Now, how safe is that?
So, what should we expect of potential elders regarding their children? We should expect that they are taking their family obligations seriously, showing signs of raising decent, moral people, and doing their best to nurture faith in their children. We should also expect their children, especially adult children, to not live in a way that demonstrates excessive living or outright rebellion against their parents. Beyond that, we enter the realm speculation and potentially find ourselves adding requirements that God never did.
[1] Barrick, ‘Titus 1:6’, Dr Barrick n.d, https://drbarrick.org/2013/03/titus_1-6_qa/ (accessed on 24 August 2022)
[2] A. Strauch, Biblical Eldership: An urgent call to restore biblical church leadership, Littleton, U.S.A, Lewis & Roth Publishers,1995 p.229.
