We Need Faithful Leaders

Aaron Randolph

Feb. 12th, 2026

Introduction

Scripture teaches that God calls certain men to lead His church, but we also see warnings against false teachers, wolves, and hirelings. How are we as Christians able to discern the difference when looking for a church, discerning the teachers we follow online, and even stewarding a church through a leadership transition? In this exegetical study through the opening chapter of Paul’s first epistle to Timothy we see four key marks of faithful leaders.

Faithful leaders answer God’s call.

God calls, prepares and sustains faithful leaders. Paul begins this first letter to Timothy by declaring that he is “an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God”. Paul recognized that God had called him and commanded him to faithfully proclaim His Gospel. Faithful pastors understand God’s sovereignty in calling them and placing them in the pulpit. They recognize that when God has given them an opportunity to speak, they are called and commanded to faithfully deliver His message.

Paul concludes his introduction praying that God will sustain Timothy with grace, mercy and peace because he knows that in ministry we are completely dependent on God not only for success but for survival. Faithful leaders seek God’s help and depend on Him completely. The 19th century missionary Hudson Taylor once said,

“All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they believed that God would be with them.”

Ministry often brings tremendous challenges and stress into our lives. Those who are not called and sustained by God will struggle, stumble, and eventually fall away. The church is in desperate need of leaders who are called and prepared by God, who strive to minister in His strength not in their own.

Timothy’s purpose in verse 3 is to command certain ones not to teach a different doctrine. Evidently false teachers had arisen and were ravishing the Ephesian church. Faithful leaders rebuke error. They recognize the danger of distorting the Gospel and boldly correct those who entertain such wickedness. Paul’s charge to rebuke false teachers is not optional as evidenced by his strong words to the Galatians for anyone who would change the Gospel message.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

(Galatians 1:8-9)

Given Scripture’s sharp rebuke we rarely see outright denial of the core tenants of Christianity especially in theologically conservative settings but Paul warns us in verse 4 that some will turn to speculation and myth. As false teachers gather a substantial following they’ll begin to focus more and more on lesser things to the neglect of our primary purpose. Overtime the pastor’s hobby horses take center stage. In recent years some talented young preachers have gained provenance as an older generation of faithful teachers has been called home to glory. Unfortunately some of these men have sidelined sound doctrine in order to offer political commentary. It is true that preachers should not shy away from declaring biblical truths just because someone claims it’s a political issue, but when a minister and ministry become so focus on political solutions that biblical doctrine takes a back seat to today’s headlines, there’s a problem.

The need of the hour is still the faithful proclamation of the Gospel. As God’s ministers we exist to proclaim the Scriptures, and when our focus drifts from God’s focus in His Word we need to repent and return to our true purpose. Church leaders are called to correct error and rebuke those who refuse correction. To faithfully teach God’s Word, we must correct those who corrupt it.

In verse five Paul reminds us that the goal of our command is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and an unhypocritical faith. Perhaps the most important mark of faithful leaders is that they follow the example of Jesus Christ. This brief statement carries an implicit warning to those of us in ministry to examine our motivations, develop discernment, and avoid hypocrisy. Peter fleshes this out positively in his first epistle teaching us that faithful leaders will humbly feed, lead, study, and model faithfulness for their flock.

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion, but willingly, according to God; and not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

(1 Peter 5:1-4)

Faithful leaders stick to the Text.

In verse 6 Paul reiterates that some have strayed from sound doctrine and turned aside to fruitless discussion. This describes the ministry of so many modern day preachers. Faithful leaders, however, recognize that they exist to proclaim the truth of God’s Word and anything else distracts from the church’s real purpose ultimately hindering the ministry. In straying from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith in Christ they turn to pointless speech or, as the King James puts it, vain jangling. When we stray from our purpose, we become useless, and our preaching becomes like a baby’s rattle whose only purpose is to entertain childish minds.

When Church leaders stray from the text of God’s Word it reveals an arrogant heart. Some men enter the ministry because they have answered God’s call and some men enter the ministry because they have to be the leader. Those desiring to lead should consider whether that pursuit comes from a desire to serve or a desire to be followed. While some will hide it quite well, in time the false teacher’s facade of humility will fall away, and their arrogance will reveal their true nature.

This arrogance then draws them even further from the Gospel. Striving to teach a law they don’t even understand they will quickly embrace legalism. When you minimize the Gospel, when you turn away from the central truth of the Scriptures you inevitably turn to legalism. Whether that’s the legalism of first century Judaism, which demanded circumcision, the legalism of Roman Catholicism which argues we maintain righteousness through good works, or the legalism of progressive Christianity which demands the affirmation of sexual sin, when you minimize the Gospel, and turn away from the central truths of the Gospel you inevitably turn to legalism.

In an ultimate sense faithful leaders realize that straying from the text ignores God’s power. They realize as Paul teaches in verse 9-10 that no law sanctifies us, the truth of God’s Word sanctifies us, and this is the truth we have been given to proclaim. Faithful leaders strive to stay focused, humble, and to stand on God’s Word!

Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

(John 17:17)

Faithful leaders are grateful servants.

Men who have truly been called by God to the ministry will understand that God’s calling is not a burden but a gift. God is the one who equips us for service, entrusts us with a stewardship over His people, and places us specifically where He chooses. Our calling is a gift and our ability to fulfil it is a gift from God as well. We should be thankful that God has given us the opportunity to serve Him.

I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He regarded me faithful, putting me into service,

(1 Timothy 1:12)

Faithful men recognize they are entirely undeserving of God’s calling. Paul openly admits that God called him in spite of his sin, stating in verse 15 that he is the foremost of all sinners. Our calling is evidence that God does not hold our past sins against us and in ministry we see God overcome our weaknesses. God didn’t call us because of our worthiness God called us in spite of our worthlessness. Our ministry displays God’s grace through us to draw others to Himself. God deserves all the praise!

For consider your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may abolish the things that are, so that no flesh may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

( 1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

Faithful leaders make disciples.

Timothy’s preparation for ministry began as he traveled with Paul as a young man. Paul continued to be a mentor for Timothy and Paul’s letters to Timothy serve as wise council for all those who answer God’s call to pastoral ministry. Unfortunately this pattern of mentorship is often neglected in the church today. Pastors should recognize that God intends to use His faithful leaders in each generation to prepare the next. Our lack of mature faithful men ready to lead the church well is evidence that we as a church have failed to make disciples. If we want to produce men like Timothy, we must invest in them like Paul.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:18-20)

Conclusion

The church today is in dire need of faithful men to lead her. We must thank God for the faithful leaders He has blessed us with and seek to train the next generation of young men like Timothy, to step up ready to answer God’s call. The charge of ministering in struggling churches beginning to slide into false doctrine is difficult, but cause is worthy. May God raise up His men to lead His church!

Pastors, Say His Name!

Aaron Randolph

Sept. 17th, 2025

Introduction

Last week thousands witnessed Charlie Kirk’s final moments
of life at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University. As he began to
speak his shooter took aim and at 12:23 pm sent a bullet through Kirk’s neck.
The videos of this public assassination quickly inundated social media
throughout this country and around the world. Millions mourned, but some
celebrated.

 Charlie Kirk was a political activist with an agenda many
despised. He was also a Christian who saw his platform as a pulpit for the
Gospel. Knowing that the news of Kirk’s assassination was weighing heavy on the
minds and hearts of their people, many pastors chose to address the topic this
past Sunday. Some even referred to Charlie Kirk as a modern-day martyr for
Christ. Others made little or no mention of Him.

 Tragedies of this nature, that grip our nation, leave people
searching for answers. Many came to church deeply discouraged this past Sunday
and the perceived indifference they felt as Kirk’s death was ignored from the
pulpit only made it worse. Many aired this grievance on social media with some
even claiming that if your church didn’t address Kirk’s death you need to find
a new church.

 There are cultural events pastors can mention, there are
some we should mention, and there are some we must mention. As a young pastor
myself, my desire here is to explain why Kirk’s assassination is the latter,
and to help those who are disheartened and even angry at their pastor’s
silence. As pastors we really do have a responsibility before God and to our
flock to address these events and help those whose shepherds haven’t.

Your Response Matters

 This was especially disturbing because the reasons people
gave for openly celebrating his murder all boiled down to one thing, his
beliefs. Some justified it because of his stance on the second amendment,
others because of his beliefs on marriage and stances he took against the
sexual depravity rampant in our nation. They called him a fascist, homophobe,
misogynist and Nazi and praised his death because of his beliefs, beliefs, for
the most part, that I hold and many others hold as well.

 Confronted with the fact that a sizable portion of our
country sees people like Charlie Kirk, people like us, as the problem and that
many of them consider violence against him and, by implication, all of us
perfectly justifiable, many of us felt that freedom itself was under attack.
Pastor Tom Ascol captured and articulated this sentiment well stating,

 “[This] is the world that we have, not the world we wish we
had. In one sense yes the world changed yesterday (Sept. 10) but in another
sense no we just had our blinders ripped off. This is the world we are in and
we've been in for quite a while. It's just now the pretenses are less
convincing . . . and we've been forced to look at what we didn't want to admit
before.”

 Last Sunday Mattered

 Last Wednesday shocked us. Seeing an innocent man gunned
down in broad daylight in front of thousands of college students affected all
of us. Many young people, including me, compared it to the way we felt 24 years
ago as we watched the second plane hit the towers on 9/11. Others likened this
news to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Even
before Krik was confirmed to be dead people were calling this a political
assassination. As pastors we need to recognize that Kirk’s influence was
massive especially with young conservatives. He wasn’t just some guy on
YouTube, he came to their campuses and challenged the arguments they knew were
wrong yet heard every day. Charlie Kirk fought for them, and many now feel like
they’ve lost a close friend and brother. While every murder is an egregious
crime, this death in particular has gripped America’s youth in a unique way.

 In talking with friends, family, students, and fellow
pastors last week it became evident that while we all saw the same news, we
experienced it very differently. It became clear to me this past Sunday that,
as a 30-year-old high school teacher with young children of my own, I had been
affected more by this news than many in my rural and mostly older congregation.

 Many of the older individuals I’ve spoken with first saw the
news on Wednesday afternoon or evening. They saw the video cut for TV
broadcast. Younger people like myself heard about it first on social media
where the video lasted a few seconds longer and was not censored. It made the rounds across social media platforms Wednesday evening and if your teenager has
a smartphone, they saw it too. 

Beyond the graphic video, since outrage fuels engagement
algorithms, the videos of people celebrating Kirk’s death were the next to go viral. I probably scrolled through videos for two hours Wednesday night and almost every single one of them was about Charlie Kirk. Though many by that time were honoring his life and asking for prayer, every 4th video or so showed blatant hatred of him or tried to justify his death.

Young people on Sunday, particularly young men, came to church with softer hearts than ever because their world was shaken. I was just 6 years old on Sept. 11th, 2001. I remember watching the towers fall and knowing we were under attack, but I couldn’t grasp what that really meant. 9/11
is not a good comparison because 2,976 people were killed in coordinated attacks that day by multiple terrorists. Charlie Kirk, as far as we know right now, was killed by one shooter acting alone. We compare last Wednesday to 9/11 though, because it’s the only similar experience we have for reference. My
generation has only felt this fear on the national level twice, first on Sept.
11th 2001, and now on Sept. 10th, 2025. The teens and college students who followed Kirk closest, didn’t really have a frame of reference for this at all.

Many who were moved by Kirk’s death came to church this past Sunday, some for the first time. They were looking for answers and for comfort.
They came in part because they’re scared, in part because Charlie Kirk was a Christian, and in part because Charlie’s widow told them to join a church. Some saw God’s man behind the pulpit address the issues heavy on their hearts. The pastor prayed for Charlie’s family, referenced his assassination tied it to the Gospel and then preached Christ! Others for whatever reason stayed silent about
Kirk’s death. Even though it wasn’t said, young men got the message that
sacrificing your life for truth doesn’t matter to these people.

Christians have lamented for the past several years that young men are looking for role models in all the wrong places. They’ve flock to Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate and pastors have prayed fervently that they would
follow godly examples instead. But pastor, when they came to hear you preach last Sunday, and you ignored the tragedy that brought them to your services, you didn’t speak to them. They came with broken hearts that weren’t acknowledged so they tuned you out. Even if you preached an excellent Gospel message and proclaimed the truth they needed most, if you ignored the concerns
that brought them your words probably didn’t connect like they could have.

This Sunday Matters

If you’re a pastor who blew it last Sunday fix it this week.
I’m not suggesting that Kirk’s assassination has to be the theme of your sermon, but mention it. Shed the light of the Gospel on this tragedy. Explain why God allows these things to happen. Invite young people to come discuss the pain and anger in their hearts with you and help them harness it properly. In God’s providence you might have another chance. Either way the young people already in your church need you to say something. If you ignored their needs last week, you need to fix it this week and you may need to repent because you failed to mourn with those who were mourning.

 If your pastor didn’t talk about the news last Sunday, don’t
just hastily leave a church you’ve been part of for years. This man probably
prays for you regularly, he’s been there for you time and time again, but he
made a mistake. Talk to him. Explain what you’re going through. He might not realize how deeply this has affected you, but he will if you talk to him. If you’re in a good church, your pastors love you. They’re praying for you and striving diligently to shepherd your soul well. Let love cover a multitude of sins and be back in your seat this Sunday. If you feel like you can’t talk with your pastor there’s a problem. Maybe you think he’s too busy or won’t understand, or maybe it’s just a little outside your comfort zone. Give him a chance to make this right. Sometimes though, there are pastors who really shouldn’t be in ministry. If he doesn’t know your name, he isn’t really your pastor. Get to know him so he can be, or get to a church where you can.

 If last Sunday was the first time, or first time in a while
you’ve been to church, go again. Find a church that preaches the Gospel boldly and handles God’s Word with precision and care. Your life may not change overnight, but God will use His Word day by day and year after year to shape you into the godly man or woman He wants you to be.

 God is using Charlie Kirk’s death as a spiritual turning point in this nation and beyond. I pray it will be for you personally as well.  

If you’re looking for a church to visit, here’s a great place to start.