Qualifications for Church Leadership:
Character Traits for Godly Women
Reverence
(Tape 206a)

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, (Titus 2:3) 

 A reverent woman is a woman who takes matters of spirituality serious. The word for “reverence” is a picturesque word of the behavior one would expect from a priest in a temple and indicates a person who lives in the realm of the divine and walks in the presence of God. A reverent woman fears God and lives her life in awe of Him.  Her actions are consistent with that of a person who respects God.  Though Godly women may have different personalities, a common denominator among them is a lifestyle that is sated with reverence and respect for God.

In the area of reverence, I am  	 
A.	Exemplary					Spouse’s opinion:
B.	Average
C.	Below average

Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified in the area of reverence:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Control of the Tongue   
(Tape 206a)

not to be slanderers (Titus 2:3)     

The word for “slanderer” is an interesting and complex term.  Exploring its use in the Bible gives us insight into how devastating gossip and slander can be. In the Greek the term is diabolos, from which we get the word devil.  The reason Satan got the nickname Devil is because originally he slandered and falsely accused God in the garden.  When we gossip about someone, the same term is used to describe our actions.  Essentially women who gossip are she-devils.                             In fact, the effects of gossip can be so devastating that in 2 Timothy 3:1 diabolos is among a list of characteristic found in people we are to avoid.
1 Timothy 3:11 gives the antithesis of this negative characteristic. Paul tells us “The women are to be worthy of respect, not devils (gossips or slanderers) but temperate and trustworthy in everything.”  Godly women are to be worthy of trust with regard to their speech.  They understand the devastating effects of gossip and do not engage in speaking or listening to slanderous talk. A Godly woman sets an example by edifying others in her speech.

In the area of hospitality, my life is
	A.   Exemplary						Spouse’s opinion:
B.	Average
C.	
Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified with regard to my talk:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Below average

Not in Bondage To…
(Tape 206a)

addicted to much wine (Titus 2:3)

The word addicted means “to be in bondage to” or “enslaved by.”  The main point is that a Godly woman is not to be in bondage to wine. In Paul’s day wine was the primary substance to which women might become addicted.  Today however, the principle of bondage extends beyond wine to every aspect of our lives.   We could fill a grocery cart with all the potentially enslaving substances that are available.  Even though we are to avoid addiction we cannot avoid being slaves. In fact, according to Romans 6:16-18 there seems to be no way to avoid slavery. This needn’t distress us; we are creatures who were made to have a master and are enslaved to whatever masters us (2 Peter 2:19). The question is who will be our master: sin or righteousness?  Sin leads to bondage but the lordship of Christ leads to freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).  Are there areas where we feel enslaved or in bondage?

In the area of freedom from bondage, my life is
	A.   Exemplary						Spouse’s opinion:
D.	Average
E.	Below average

Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified in the area of freedom from bondage:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Teach What is Good
(Tape 206a)

Teach what is good (Titus 2:3)
Godly women are to be teachers of what is good and virtuous. This means every Godly woman is called to train another in what is good. There are many contexts in which this can apply.  It does not mean every woman has the gift of teaching and is to teach a Sunday school class, lead a Bible study or write a book on Godly living. For some women it will apply in a formal setting, for others it will take on the form of mentoring and guiding on an individual basis. Every woman in leadership is continually teaching whether we realize it or not simply be setting an example.  We teach what is good by loving God and keeping His commands or we are doing the opposite.
	In Exodus 20:5 we see that 3or 4 generations can be affected by the sin of one generation.  However, verse 6 goes on to show us God’s promise to those who keep His commands “Showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.”  When we do our part in one generation, He will do His part in a thousand.  This sounds like a pretty good return on our investment.  Godly women who love God and keep His commands affect a thousand generations.  I don’t know when Christ will return, but I doubt it will be a thousand generations before we see Him.   Let’s try and grasp what this means for us.  Our life could affect every generation from now until Christ returns.   This is a pretty good incentive for us to teach what is good and live a Godly life. 

In the area of teaching what is good, my life is
A.	Exemplary						Spouse’s opinion:
B.	Average
C.	Below average

Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified to teach
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Busy at home and kind  
(Tape 206b & 208a)

Busy at home and kind (Titus 2:5)     
	This concept comes from two words “work” and “home.” So, women are to be busy at home. The word for work is not just for labor. This word actually means completing an assignment. So working in the home is completing an assignment and that assignment comes right out of scripture. You’re completing a God given task, so we should embrace this and do it for the Lord. Does this mean a woman can do nothing else? A woman can do all kinds of other things, as long as first and foremost she is a homemaker. And as we do these things we do them with the right attitude, with a kind heart.

In the area of being busy at home my life is
	A.   Exemplary						Friend/Spouse’s opinion:
F.	Average
G.	
Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified with being busy at home and kind:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Below average

…Love their husbands 
(Tape 206b & 208a)

	Interestingly, the original word used for “love” is not agape. It’s philandros.  It’s the word used of a beloved, dear friend.  The older women are to teach this kind of love to the younger women. It’s a type of love that does not always comes natural to a woman or else it would not need to be taught.  Paul is talking about the kind of love that does not come naturally or intuitively.  This means loving him in the times when he’s insensitive, unkind, lazy, forgetful, gone too much or not gone enough.  It means speaking to him with respect and honoring him.  Supplying the support and encouragement he needs.  Making sure everyone knows you’re his best friend and his biggest fan.
	For those who are not married, this involves keeping your thoughts pure.  Making sure you’re not giving your heart to every man who gives you attention.  

In the area of loving my husband, my life is
A.	Exemplary						Friend/Spouse’s opinion:
B.	Average
C.	Below average

Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified in loving your husband
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

…Love their children
(Tape 206b & 208a)

	You may be thinking who needs to be taught to love their children.  Lot’s of people; wounded people, people who find that children annoy them, people who have grown children and no longer feel a necessity to be involved with children.  None of these follow the model set by Christ. Young women need to learn the aspects of loving children that may not be intuitive.  There are aspects to loving children that are not natural, that’s why they need to be taught. Teaching children good spiritual discipline it important. For instance, developing the habit of going to church regardless of whether they have a desire to go. Along with  ingraining good spiritual discipline it’s important to train their hearts to desire the things of God. 
	There are so many areas to evaluate our love for children. We want to be women who love children when they are unlovable, when the child is making our life hard – not to resent them as our selfish nature longs to do. We need to understand the principles of forgiveness.   How to forgive a person who is not even old enough to know to ask for forgiveness, or who hasn’t even done anything wrong.  He’s waking up and crying in the middle of the night with night terrors not because of sin in his heart, but just because he’s a little kid. We want to be women who love the children at church that are not our own. When we see a child in need, be the one to step in and help them and love them.  Do we have an overall\ nature and attitude that draws children to us?

In the area of loving children, my life is
D.	Exemplary						Friend/Spouse’s opinion:
E.	Average
F.	Below average

Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified in loving children
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pure  
(Tape 206b & 208a)

Pure (Titus 2:5)     
	Satan desires to soil women’s hearts just as much as he desires to soil men’s hearts – he just uses different means. With men the temptations are more crass – pornography and blatantly obscene lusts. For women it comes in more subtle forms. Very often it’s a perversion of the desire for affection or the desire for romance. Pornography for women comes in the form of “clean” movies and TV shows that depict adulterous relationships in a glorified, romantic setting. Satan knows if he can attract your attention to fantasies of romance, the more he will be able to get you to nurture thoughts of discontent about your husband (which is the beginning point of all adultery) or about your single status. Another area of impurity for woman is in the area of desiring to be an object of lust. It’s interesting – have you ever noticed men’s and women’s magazines look the same on the cover?  It’s not because the women are attracted to the woman on the cover (like men might be).  It’s an effort to tempt the women to want to be like that woman on the cover. Satan is constantly taking immodesty and immorality and putting it in front of your face, and trying to tell you, “that’s beautiful.” That kind of thinking can have a great influence on a woman – even a godly woman at varying levels.  When women dress that way they get more attention from men, and they interpret that as being attractive.  They don’t realize that getting looks from men and being attractive can be very different things. It’s important we are aware of our thoughts, the movies we see and the cloths we wear.  All of these have a part in being pure.

In the area of purity, my life is
	A.   Exemplary						Friend/Spouse’s opinion:
G.	Average
H.	
Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified with purity:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Below average

Self-control   
(Tape 206b & 208a)

Self-control (Titus 2:5)     
	This word literally means to be sensible in one’s behavior. It’s a fairly broad term. There are many practical applications we can pull from this term. For instance the temptation for a woman is to feel an emotion and allow that feeling full access to her thoughts. She gets mad, and the temptation is to turn the keys of her brain over to that feeling, so her thoughts just run wild about whatever it is that made her mad. She gets scared, and she allows her thoughts to run unbridled about the object of that fear. She feels a desire for something, and she allows that desire to take over the cockpit of her mind and for minutes at a time she is dwelling on coveting that thing. She needs to be taught how to discipline her thought life, and to keep her spirit in control of her mind at all times. 

In the area of self-control, my life is
	A.   Exemplary						Spouse’s opinion:
I.	Average
J.	
Thoughts or concerns about my being qualified with self-control:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Below average