Lessons from the First Church: Character before Talent (Acts 6: 1-3)

If I walked into your church and asked, “Do you want your church to grow?” no one would say no (at least not out loud). Every church wants to grow. Often, however, churches are not willing to do the one thing that brings growth: change.

Change is hard. Change is loss. No matter how big or small, change involves letting go of something—or maybe even someone. For change to go well, it requires leadership. The church needs leaders. So, who should lead in the church?

This question comes with some trip wires. Here’s what I’m not addressing in this piece: the debate between complementarian and egalitarian leadership, church government structures like elders (that’s coming), or committee-led models. Instead, we’re going to look at what we see in the first church in Acts—specifically Acts 6.

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.”

The church in Jerusalem was growing rapidly, and with that growth came problems. Some widows were being unintentionally overlooked. So the apostles gathered the church and asked them to appoint seven people to handle the distribution of food.

But don’t miss the qualifier in verse three: “…of good repute.”

Character is the primary qualification for leadership in Acts 6. And this isn’t unique to this passage. When we turn to Paul’s letters—especially 1 Timothy and Titus—we see the same emphasis. Leadership qualifications are not centered on education, experience, or even theological knowledge. Instead, Paul begins with this: “If anyone is above reproach…” What follows is a list focused almost entirely on character.

Those who lead in the church are meant to be men and women of high character—people who love and care for their spouses, disciple their children, are slow to anger, humble, not given to drunkenness, not greedy, not violent, hospitable, and devoted to God’s Word, believing it to be true. This is the kind of person who should lead in the church.

So how do we recognize these kinds of leaders? When considering someone for leadership, we should ask three questions:

1. Are they actively a part of the church?

Are they present? This may seem obvious, but it needs to be said. Leaders—from volunteers to deacons—should be consistently engaged in the life of the church. That includes Sunday mornings, but it doesn’t stop there. They should be involved in smaller environments like Sunday School, Life Groups, or men’s and women’s gatherings.

Leadership is not just about showing up—it’s about being invested. If someone is not actively participating in the life of the church, they should not be leading in it.

2. Is their life blameless?

Blameless does not mean perfect. Only one person has ever lived a perfect life—Jesus. Blamelessness means a life marked by holiness rather than habitual sin.

A blameless person takes sin seriously. They actively seek to avoid it and pursue righteousness. When you observe their life, do you see that pursuit? Do you see intentionality in how they live?

This doesn’t mean they never fail. It means that when they do, they repent, take responsibility, and continue pursuing Christ. That kind of life is what we should look for in our leaders.

3. Are they the same everywhere?

Anyone can look the part for an hour on Sunday. But what about the rest of the week?

Is their life consistent? Is it visible? How do they treat their spouse, their children, their coworkers—or even a server at a restaurant?

Character shows up in the everyday moments. If someone’s public life doesn’t match their private life, they are not ready to lead. The church doesn’t need performers—it needs people of integrity.

Our leaders must be men and women of good repute—people who lead by standing on Scripture and kneeling before their Savior.

Character must come before success.
Character must come before talent.
Character must come before education, experience, or intellect.

Because in the church, who someone is will always matter more than what someone can do.