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Will the Theologians Please Sit Down  /  Chapter 7: The Next Generation After the Apostles  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 4
The transcript says elders and bishops were appointed because they met New Testament spiritual qualifications, not because they were educated or credentialed—how does that critique the traits your church culture tends to reward when selecting pastors, teachers, and influencers?
Another way to ask: If elders and bishops were chosen for spiritual character instead of education or credentials, what does that say about what your church tends to reward when picking pastors and teachers?

Direct Answer Bercot’s point critiques any culture that treats education, platform, or professional polish as the main proof of calling; he says early leadership was based on New Testament spiritual qualifications and proven service, not diplomas or intellectual status.

Support from Transcript:

  • “Men were appointed as elders and bishops because they met the spiritual qualifications set forth in the New Testament, not because they were educated men or because they had a diploma from a seminary.”
  • “Their only training came from serving under spiritual leaders in the local church.”
  • He emphasizes the church was largely “uneducated and poor, the intellectual infants.”
  • Even when educated defenders existed (Justin Martyr, Mark Felix, Athanagoras), they “held no office in the church” and had “no ecclesiastical power.”
  • He stresses the church avoided creating a “new theological class.”
Discussion Follow-ups What signals does your church send—intentionally or not—that the “real” leaders are the most educated, most articulate, or most online-visible?

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