Got Witnesses?

“Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (1Tim 5:19).

Stories of law enforcement falsely accusing someone of a crime seem to be everywhere these days. The controversial documentary series “Making a Murderer” alleges cops and prosecutors cooked up the murder conviction of Steven Avery. And just about every week, shows like “Dateline” and “48 Hours” pull back the curtain on investigations gone horribly wrong. These heartbreaking stories usually involve circumstantial evidence and questionable witnesses.

In a letter to a young pastor named Timothy in Ephesus, Paul establishes a standard for any investigation into leaders in the church. “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (v19). He’s simply reiterating and applying a longstanding principle of God’s law. If you’re going to publicly accuse anyone of sin, much less an elder, you need evidence. Not rumors. Not whispers. Not innuendo. It’s going to take real forensic evidence. Got witnesses?

This is going to be an important tool for Tim. His mentor is on the road to Macedonia and has put him in charge of getting the Ephesian megachurch back on track. A team of spiritual con artists have weaseled their way into leadership and distracted folks from following Jesus with a combination of urban legends, goofy theories, and doctrine that’s downright demonic (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:1-3). 

Paul already kicked two of these knuckleheads to the curb (1Tim 1:20). The apostle set the bar for leadership integrity going forward (1Tim 3:1-13). And now he establishes clear guidelines for investigating charges against them.

In the previous verses, Paul talks about “elders who rule well” (1Tim 5:17), so it makes sense that he brings up those who don’t. Just to be sure, we’re NOT talking about incompetent leadership. We’re talking about a leader who willfully sins. That’s obvious from verses 20-24 where the apostle warns elders to avoid sinful activity like a Justin Bieber concert. 

You don’t kick out leaders just because you don’t like them. Poor performance isn’t grounds for dismissal. The standard for removal from the church office of elder must be sin which can be proved.

There may well be a few more false teachers serving in the Ephesian leadership who need to hit the road. If there’s more trouble at the top, Paul gives Tim the means to send them packing. The yardstick is clear. He can’t even consider cranking up an investigation without a minimum of two witnesses. 

If the evidence is there, dig a little deeper. Find out the truth. See if there are folks who are willing to testify to what’s going on. It has to be more than a random Twitter post or an anonymous online comment. You need real witnesses. And one witness won’t cut the mustard. Two is better. Three would be awesome.

God established the requirement of multiple witnesses when He gave Moses the law. “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established” (Dt 19:15). That’s especially true in death penalty cases (Num 35:30; Dt 17:6). 

Fast forward from the Torah to the kangaroo court that convicted Christ. “Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put Him to death, but they found none” (Mt 26:59-60; Mk 14:55). It was only through perjury that Jewish leaders were able to cook up enough evidence to get Him crucified.

Jesus told His followers to use this same forensic principle when handling cases of between believers. The Lord says we’re to sit down one-on-one with the person who sinned against us. “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Mt 18:16). 

Interestingly, that’s REALLY the meaning behind a verse that’s regularly quoted for small worship attendance. “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them” (Mt 18:20). In other words, when two or three of His followers agree together on the evidence as witnesses, Jesus stands with them. Christ is actually talking about church discipline, NOT the minimum requirements for a worship service.

Before making his third visit to the church in Corinth, Paul warns believers to build the proper case against anyone who needs correction. “Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (2Cor 13:1). We’re not to deal with gossip, hearsay, whisper campaigns, internet rumors, and urban legends. 

Confronting a fellow follower of Jesus is a big deal. I mean a BIG hairy deal! It’s not to be taken lightly. It’s going to take a minimum of two people to testify against them before any action can be taken. Got witnesses?

Another important factor is that leaders are easy targets. As a matter of fact, Paul has just described the need to reward top shelf elders “who rule well” (1Tim 5:17). He uses a Greek word (Gr. proistemi) that means to place yourself in front. In other words, leaders put themselves out there. 

Elders are exposed. It’s just part of the package when you step into leadership. You become a punching bag of blame for anyone who doesn’t like the volume of music, the color of the carpet, the temperature in the baptismal pool, or the quality of the free coffee.

You see this petty garbage in the political system all the time. The candidate from the Not-Your-Party gets elected. They haven’t even taken their hand off the Bible at the inauguration when the opposition cranks up the impeachment machine. The U.S. Constitution may allow those sort of shenanigans but not Scripture. 

If you’re thinking about raising a stink about one of your church leaders, you’d better slow your roll. What’s the basis for your complaint? Is it really sin? Got witnesses?

A little closer look at the original language here helps us out. The word “charge” is the Greek noun kategoria, which means an accusation. The word literally describes a rumor that moves “through (kate-) the marketplace (-goria).” Dirt and gossip spread like wildfire in public settings and large gatherings. 

The Apostle John uses a very similar term when he calls Satan “the accuser (Gr. kategoreo) of the brothers” (Rev 12:10). In other words, there has to be more than a whisper campaign of people hiding behind an anonymous web profile or unsigned letter to remove an elder from office.

It’s interesting that the only other uses of kategoria in the Gospels have to do with the crooked and unrelenting investigation against our Savior. Religious bigwigs never took their eyes off Jesus so “they might find an accusation (Gr. kategoria) against Him” (Lk 6:7 NKJV). 

When they eventually trumped up charges of treason against Christ and took Him to the governor, Pilate wanted to know, “What accusation (Gr. kategoria) do you bring against this Man?” (Jn 18:29). Just in case you haven’t heard, they had nothing (Jn 18:28. 19:4, 6). Zip. Zero. Zilch.

A local church can head a lot of these problems off at the pass if it just follows the process of selecting leaders which God lays out in His Word (1Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). Let’s review that vetting process quickly. A candidate must be “above reproach” (1Tim 3:2), which means not just scandal-free but scandal-proof. 

Paul goes on to tell Titus that an elder is “not open to the charge (Gr. kategoria) of debauchery or insubordination” (Titus 1:6). Just down the page, we’ll see the apostle warn against rushing to find new leaders and “not be hasty in the laying on of hands” (1Tim 5:22).

There’s a good chance that if someone has a legit accusation against an elder, the church may not have done its due diligence in his selection. You can go a long way to avoid a messy investigation by checking out a potential leader’s marriage, family, work performance, and personal finances ahead of time. 

Is it hard work? Will it take a while? You betcha. But it sure beats one of your elders doing a perp walk or seeing your church leading the local newscast. Remember, we’re about spreading the Good News not getting bad press.

A quick but necessary note to anyone in church or ministry leadership. This principle is NOT a shield to hide behind. We’re NOT to use this as some sort of teflon coating insuring charges will never stick. (As a matter of fact, Paul gets to that in the very next verse!) 

There’s also the idea of shared servant/leadership or what theologians call the plurality of elders. That just means there’s not one dude flying solo in leadership. Just about every mention of elders in the NT describes them as a team (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:17, 28; 21:18; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1Pet 5:1-2). Teamwork creates openness and accountability. Multiple elders help to provide checks and balances.

The bottom line here is that Paul seems to believe that charges against church leaders are going to come. It’s probably not a case of “if” but “when.” Pastors and elders are easy targets. So let’s establish a standard for investigation. 

Don’t waste your time chasing down every rumor. You need real evidence. Not opinion. Not innuendo. Are there any witnesses? There needs to be more than just one. Two is the minimum. Three is better. Got witnesses?