"CAN A DIVORCED MAN SERVE IN THE KINGDOM?"
By Dr. Hoyt W. Allen, Jr.
Concerning the question about divorced
men serving as an elder or deacon in light of the qualification of the
"Husband Of One Wife" (I Timothy 3:2,12), I would like to
expound. This has been chewed over ever
since the beginning of the church. I
have studied the subject with people from several schools of thought, and have
prayed endlessly about the subject. My conclusion is:
1) Divorce is not the unforgivable sin. Many church folk want to condemn a person
for eternity for this sin. Some churches
will not permit a divorced person to teach, sing, play an instrument, usher, be
married in the church building, or even permit their minister to perform
weddings for a divorced person in their own living room, etc.; (even if the
divorce was for a Scriptural reason - See Matthew 19:9). Some seemingly believe they are being a hero
by taking this bold stand. However, the
same judgmental individuals will permit the marriage of a believer & an
unbeliever, or will okay a church wedding of a six month pregnant girl. This is the height of inconsistency.
2) God is more interested in where a man is today spiritually, than
where he has come from. The
apostle Paul was responsible for the persecution of many Christians & yet
after he was "saved" he became a great warrior for Christ --- God did
not say to him, "Due to your past, you can not serve the church as an
apostle or an evangelist". I
contend that many good solid potential deacons, elders, and "Pulpit
Ministers" have been sidestepped and the church has been cheated out of
servants in these capacities, due to the misinterpretation of the stated
qualification. May we ask ourselves the question,
"Does not our Lord say that one can be "Born Again" (John 3:5;
Acts 2:38; I John 1:9), and start afresh, with the slate of sin wiped clean?
3) A divorced man needs time to get back to "normal" before he is suitable for the deaconship or
eldership. Divorce is upsetting
emotionally, physically, and spiritually to say the least. It usually takes several years to recuperate
from divorce. It would call for him to
be remarried & that his wife be a Christian, as
well as his children (if of age). The
other qualifications need to be met as well as this one. He must demonstrate his love for Christ &
His Church by his daily walk.
4) The stated Scripture is saying that a man is to be a "One Woman
Man". He is not to be
single, but to have the experience of raising a family (I served as an elder at
age 28, which was too young). This
grants to him the supervisory experience needed in over-seeing a
congregation. He is to have one wife at
a time. His wife may die - does that
mean he is to run to the church office & immediately resign? If his wife & he divorce, that is a
"mark" which will take a long time to heal, thus his resignation is
in order. When the stated qualification
was written, polygamy was common (Yet God's plan was one man for one woman -
Genesis 1:27; 2:20-24). God was
attempting to say that he
wanted his church workers to be normal & not as the
polygamists or as the "Gays" of
5) I am not one for being too quick to put a man into the office of
elder or deacon. Many men have
problems accepting a servant's heart & if given a position of authority
before they are ready for it, it can cause great trouble for a
congregation. When a man accepts the
nomination for a deacon or elder, I am convinced that he should understand that
he is accountable and has some responsibility to the congregation to fulfill
this office in a serious manner or he should resign. Therefore, I promote a periodic confidence
vote be taken to keep one on target.
DIVORCED MAN SERVING 8X11.doc