CONSUMING FIRE FELLOWSHIP
Qualifications For Leaders

2 Corinthians 6:3  Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed...

 

These are the qualifications for leadership at Consuming Fire Fellowship.  A Church will never rise above the spiritual caliber of its leadership.  It is imperative that the leaders of this local church live what they profess so reproach will not come against Christ or His church.  It is better not to have a ministry than to have its leaders not live in accordance with their profession.  Thus, it becomes essential that we demonstrate the truth that we preach.

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Leaders are defined as those who, in any capacity, lead the saints in the local church.

 

The first and highest responsibility rest upon the ordained pastors, elders, and deacons who currently serve in leading the flock.

 

The second tier or responsibility would be those who would have opportunity to minister from the Scriptures from the pulpit who are called in the five-fold ministry (Eph 4:11-12) but are in training.

 

And finally, those who would minister in music from the platform.

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1. Leaders must be born-again and be a member of Consuming Fire Fellowship.

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2. Unless the Pastor is already familiar with the new member, the potential leader may be required to attend Consuming Fire Fellowship a minimum of six (6) months (and perhaps much longer) before being used in leadership.  It often takes that long before a Pastor can know what kind of character and spirit a person has.

 

3. To be used in leadership there can be no present involvement in any secret lodge or organization such as the Masonic Lodge or the Eastern Star.

 

4. Leaders must be an example to the flock, and live a separated life:

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2 Corinthians 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

 

• In Speech, no profanity or gossip.

• No use of alcohol or tobacco in any form.             

• Must not listen to secular music of any type (country, rock, jazz, classical, or 'CCM', etc.)

• Must have a right spirit, walking in purity and love.   

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5. TELEVISION, MOVIES, VIDEOS, VIDEO GAMES, INTERNET, & YOUTUBE:  Leaders are never to patronize the movie theaters. Neither are they to view any video in their home that they would be ashamed of on the day of judgment (absolutely no profanity, nudity, excessive violence, or story line that does not glorify the Lord Jesus Christ). Would Jesus sit in bodily form and watch such videos? If a leader is to have a television set at all, he or she is to stringently monitor and control what is watched. Hollywood, which is one of the greatest enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ, should not be glorified by the church! Internet and YouTube use, for the most part, should be limited to communication, research, commerce, information gathering, etc. Those who spend more time on their I-Phones/Computers surfing the internet, than in prayer cannot possibility be spiritual. Likewise, those who have a reputation of being ‘addicted’ to their I-Phones cannot maintain a sound testimony to lead (Ps 101:3; Eph 5:11). 

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Psalm 101:3  I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes...

 

Ephesians 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

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1 Thessalonians 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil.

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"Entertainment is Satan's counterfeit for joy."  -Doreen Claggett

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6.  Leaders must tithe. This means 10% of your gross income.  A man who is unfaithful in paying tithes disqualifies himself for leadership.

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Mal 3:8  Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offering.  

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Prov 3:9  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase...

 

7.  Leaders are to maintain a steady job (unless retired) and to exhibit good work habits at their place of employment  The leader should adequately provide for his family. Leaders should be monetarily self-sufficient, eschewing a pattern of financial dependence on others in the body. Likewise, leaders, if at all possible, should avoid accepting financial help from the government.  We cannot preach faith and then refuse the path of faith in our own lives.  We must not only confess that God is our source we must also live like He is our source.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 

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2 Thessalonians 3:10-12  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.  For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.  Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

                                                                                           

8.  Men who show a continued pattern of being  “borrowers” and not “lenders,” or “takers, “rather than “givers” will not be considered leadership worthy.

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9.  Leaders must be "faithful" to the services.  A person who is not faithful to “assemble” with the believers will not be faithful in ministry.  

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Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is…

 

Regular corporate services/assemblies are as follows:

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Sunday Morning:   8:30am  prayer

                                  10:00am  worship service

Sunday Evening:     6:00pm   prayer

Wednesday:             7:30pm   mid-week service

Third Friday:           8:30pm-10:30am   prayer

Special Services:     As scheduled   

 

Likewise, if a leader is going to miss a service, they should inform the Pastor.  Leaders should seek to be prompt if possible. Leaders will provide a good example by arriving at scheduled services on time.                

 

Luke 16:10  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

 

10. A leader should regularly be involved in the corporate evangelistic ministry of the church, open-air preaching ministry.

 

2 Timothy 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

 

Corporate evangelistic opportunities:

 

Tuesdays:                      B.R. Abortion Mill       

Every other Tuesday:  LSU/SLU Campuses

Special Events:             As scheduled

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11. Leaders must be loyal to the Pastor and vision of the local Church. A man or woman must be properly submitted to authority before they can be given authority.

 

Hebrews 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give

account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

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This does not mean that the servant-leader must believe everything that the Pastor believes, or even agree with everything that the church does.  However, it does mean, that as long as there is no moral issue involved, the person will cooperate with the Pastor as he leads the Church under God’s authority.

 

12. Leaders must agree to the The Doctrines of the Church.  If a teacher, you must only teach what this local church teaches and teach nothing that conflicts with the doctrine of the church.

 

13. Leaders must believe the King James "Authorized Version" Bible to be the perfect, infallible, and divinely preserved Word of God.  He must not use modern translations, which are all corrupted.

 

14. A leader must have "resiliency", this means, the leader is able to recover quickly from any discouragements or rebukes and still maintain a high spirit.  He or she should be able to work through problems and not lose his or her spiritual victory.

 

15. A leader must be willing to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ” (2 Tim 2:3) battling through personal and family attacks of trials, tests, temptations and sickness while keeping a thankful and victorious attitude of faith.

 

16. A leader must have a teachable spirit.  If they are unable to receive counsel, they will be future problems in the church.

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James 3:17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of

mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

 

17. A leader must be neat in appearance.

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• Ladies are to be modest.

• Men on the platform are not to wear blue jeans at formal services (Sunday, Wednesday, special services) and must maintain a neat an appropriate appearance.

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18. If you are scheduled to minister in any capacity, try and give at least 3 days notice if you will be absent and unable to minister.

 

19. DEACONS & ELDERS: You will be delegated authority for the service and ministry that God has called you to.  Notice what the Word has to say concerning Elders and Deacons of the church:

 

1 Timothy 3:8-11  Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;  Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.  And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers sober, faithful in all things.

 

Deacons and Elders are expected to be filled with the Holy Ghost and be faithful to the services.  A deacon or elder must be faithful to the various church prayer meetings. A deacon or elder that will not come and pray will not be able to have the mind of God on decision-making.

 

20. A leader should regularly pray for the church and the Pastor.

 

21. A leader should have compassion for others. A lack of patience and rigid and harsh treatment of others can wound the sheep.

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22. A leader will not be judged by his or her past history, but by his or her present day character.

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Psalms 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

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Isaiah 43:25  I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

 

23. A leader's family must be in order.  Husbands loving their wives as Christ loves the church, women submitted to their husbands, and children obedient to their parents ("in subjection" – not accused of being unruly).

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Ephesians 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

 

Titus 1:6  If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

 

 

 

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