Qualifications of Elders: Husband of One Wife

This is probably THE big one when it comes to whether an elder in a church, and especially the pastor qualifies to hold the office. The organization to which our own church belongs will not license or ordain a man who has a divorce in his past. Another well known church organization will not allow membership if the pastor is married to a divorced woman. Understandably the necessity for high standards in ministry cannot be minimized. First Timothy chapter three and Titus chapter one tell us what those qualifications are. Both passages specifically say that an elder (pastor) "must be the husband of one wife." Without getting into all the technical specifics, a casual look at the original text reveals the true meaning. It literally reads: "a one-woman man." Nowhere does it address divorce. The phrase is speaking of a man who is faithful and devoted to his wife.
Here is where I think part of the confusion lies. In the last book of the Old Testament God plainly states that He hates divorce. Comparing that with Genesis chapters one and two it is obvious that divorce is not the original plan. So when Jesus and Paul make two allowances for divorce (adultery and an unbelieving spouse who wants to divorce), those passages are forced to fit a "no divorce" policy that is not based on honest principles of biblical interpretation. Because God hates divorce it is then assumed all divorce is wrong. What is wrong is that most divorces today are probably not according to the biblical guidelines.
So can a divorced man be an elder in the church, or even a pastor? Maybe. It depends on the first quality discussed in the last post: blameless.
What I am saying is that there is a need for a greater commitment to understanding what the original authors of Scripture meant by what they wrote and how the original hearers understood it. There are good men being denied positions for which they are qualified for because some will not be accurate and honest in serious bible study. Since God hates divorce, it must mean that divorced men can never serve in these capacities. You cannot find any passage in the Bible that, once it is studied responsibly, that says a divorced man cannot be an elder or pastor. It just is not there.

Qualifications of Elders: Blameless

Our church is taking a detailed trip through the book of Titus. Since I am the interim pastor and the church will start looking for a senior pastor sometime next year, we thought we ought to consider what kind of man to look for.
The first qualification, blameless, that is mentioned in Titus 1:6 is mentioned again in verse seven. This emphasizes its supreme importance. But it is easy to confuse blamess with sinless. Actually, the best way to understand blameless is no one is able to point a finger at you and say: "You did _____ and never made it right." Being blameless involves making right the wrongs done to others. It is best seen in Proverbs 28:13. "He that covers up a transgression will not prosper, but he that confesses and forsakes will find mercy." It is also explained very clearly in James 4:1-10. There James tells us the reason relationships, families, and even churches divide is because someone wants something and someone else is in their way. He doesn't say what one wants is necessarily wrong, but that he wants it bad enough to fight and even divide over it. Problem is that God says He becomes an enemy to those who do this and things will just get worse. Solution: humble yourselves before the Lord. In other words, resolve it now and in His way (actually to be proud in this passage is simply doing things my own way instead of God's).
It is difficult going to someone, confessing how I have offended them, asking them to fill in what I have done and am not aware of it, and then asking for forgiveness. But that is what blameless is and that is the kind of pastor to be looking for.