I know of no organized conservative/bible-believing/evangelical denomination that makes it a requirement to be married to be a pastor.
IF you are married, you are, in obedience to the SINGLE Church planter/PASTOR extraordinaire, the Apostle Paul, to "be the husband of one wife," but NO (conservative/evangelical) Bible scholar worth his salt understands that--given Paul's state, Timothy's state (the pastor Paul wrote...with lots of greetings to lots of people, but never mentioning a wife...)and the rest of scripture's statements about leadership--to MAKE MARRIAGE A REQUIREMENT FOR MINISTRY. Of course though apparently the Pharisees made it virtually a requirement...
Scripture must be understood in its context--and if Paul meant church leadership must be married in the passage you quote...than he disqualified himself AND the Lord Jesus, and and a few of the Old Testament prophets as well...which is absurd.
Please tell me what this means:
1Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. ...
6But this I say by way of concession, not of command.
7Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.
8But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. ...
32But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;
33but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,34and his interests are divided.(I Cor. 7:1-2, 6-7, 32-34)
Seems to me Paul is obviously saying that if one can handle it, singleness is to be preferred...for dedication to the Lord's sake.
Again, if your understanding of scripture is so obvious, that marriage is REQUIRED of Church leaders, what Christian Churches/denominations today REQUIRE a pastor to be married? Or are all churches other than the church of "WVKayaker" apostate?
Biblical ignorance, close-minded fear and bigotry are behind excluding single men from the pastorate, NOT the holy Word of God!
Requiring pastors to be married is as grave, legalistic and unbiblical an error as requiring them to be single.
Your entire post PRE-SUPPOSES that Paul was never married. Please illustrate your opinion with Scripture, not what a bunch of guys decided was right to them. It is not such a clear line that you draw.
Just because "you do not know of" does not make a good argument. We have a church on earth with a human leader, which says he can decide the fate of Christians. I get in trouble all the time with them, because Christ is the head of the Church, and left no robes nor gold. Further deprecation towards me and others, with your "church of" crap continues in your diatribe of worthless letters jumbled to form incoherency. It is obvious that you are from some cult/group with their own interpretation of Scripture. I posted Paul's words. Debate them, not your "scholarly" OPINIONs! You do know about opinions, don't you?
Try reading my posts and answer the points given, without your puerile attempts as a sophisticated "scholar". Paul explains it quite well, even to the obtuse who wish to argue about the color of the air around himself...
Titus 1: 5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders (GR: presbyters) in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. -NIV