Christian Challenge International

"Ask the Pastor"

We frequently receive questions in email from people about doctrine, practice, etc. From time to time we will post the questions and the answers here on the web page. If you'd like to submit a question, simply email our pastor at Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org or use the form below.

June 3, 2003

> Question:

> The Bible states that a bishop or pastor should have one wife. Many
> point to this verse to say he can not be divorced. I would like some
> clarification on it if you would.

Charley,

It is best to put things into context. Paul gives a broad picture
about pastoring, in saying....

"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of
overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must
be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent,
respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or
pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.
He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his
children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to
manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of
God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited
and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil." (1 Tim 3:1 -6)

You can see how great the obligations of a pastor are. But to
answer your question about the pastor should 'have one wife,' the
Greek can be literally translated as 'a man of one woman.' The
implication is that a pastor can only be married once. (This would
likely preclude a widowed pastor being allowed to remarry. But not
in the case of a divorced man.)

How can a divorced man be said to be a manager of his own
household well, especially if his children may not even be with
him? How can a pastor be an example to other believers, if his
own home is not above reproach? The list goes on.

I realize this sounds difficult, but being a pastor is a special
placement in the body of Christ. Paul was instructing Timothy of
the things he must look for when setting aside elders. The list is quite
extensive.

Hope this helps a bit.

Buddy

Bro. Buddy Martin - Ask the Pastor

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Lawrence "Buddy" Martin
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org

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(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

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What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
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PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (ex: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (ex: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2005 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (ex: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2005 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (ex: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2005 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (ex: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2005 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (ex: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2003 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (ex: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

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Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2003 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (ex: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2003 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (e.g.: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2003 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (e.g.: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2003 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300

What would you like to "Ask the Pastor?"

Your full name:
Your email address: (e.g.: you@aol.com)
PLEASE include your email address or we won't be able to send the answer to you.

Your question

(Note: Please include your full name and email address. Answers will be sent by return email. Christian Challenge reserves the right to reprint your question and edit it for clarity and content on our "Ask the Pastor" web page. Please note that we will not divulge your full name nor your email address. Typically we'll use your first name only. Not all questions are posted on this page - many more are responded to privately. Please let us know if you do NOT want your question listed or if you'd prefer it to be listed anonymously. We respect your privacy and will NOT sell/give/loan your name and email address to any other organization/business/entity.)

Back to the Christian Challenge International home page!

Copyright � 1999-2003 Christian Challenge International. All rights reserved.
Christian Challenge International
300 Pearce Road
Pineville, LA 71360
318-640-4300