No man should become an elder who is not willing to be an elder, and no man should become an elder who is not qualified to be an elder. A man must be willing to take up the task and he must be qualified to do so. A church has no business cajoling a man into service who does not want it and no business affirming a man into service who is not suited for it.
There are surprisingly few men who exist at that point where willingness meets qualification. There are almost always some who are willing but not qualified and some who are qualified but not willing. What the church needs so badly is men who are both.
To those who are willing, I encourage you to consider whether you are qualified or eager to become qualified. The New Testament has much to say about the suitability of the man who would serve as an elder or pastor. It says one thing about his disposition (he must be willing), one thing about his skill (he must be able to teach), and a great many things about his character, for that is
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