Ten reasons the greatest minister in history wouldn’t pass the qualifications of a modern pastoral search committee
Have you ever wondered whether St Paul would get a job as a pastor today? I imagine his candidate CV would be rejected by the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software as not matching the right keywords. It would be dismissed by AI without even landing on a search committee’s desk in a pastoral interview process.
Paul had a violent past, was frequently jailed, often sick, constantly travelling, doctrinally, he doesn’t seem to fit any modern mould, he is emotionally raw, sometimes abrasive, not married, financially unconventional, and not at all committed to any institution. Some of his references are not at all complimentary. His missionary methods are not like ours at all. Would St Paul make it as a church planter today?
How would that application ever get to the “shortlist” pile? Would your church ever vote to hire St Paul?
Help When Life Hurts
This article is part of a growing collection, drawing from Adrian Warnock’s medical and psychological expertise, lived experience, and Christian faith.
Click the type of pain you or a loved one are experiencing right now
General suffering & disappointment
Financial difficulties
Feeling disqualified
Chronic illness & disability
Divorce & family pain
Depression & mental health
Bereavement & end-of-life
If Paul were alive today, he would break all our expectations, contradict our values, and his preaching would be nothing like our favorite conference speakers. This article will explain why the Apostle Paul would not fit in today’s church culture.
Paul is profoundly Christ-centred, Spirit-led, mission-driven, and resurrection-shaped. But he is not “safe” according to the criteria our modern systems often prize.
Paul would fail a pastoral search committee not because he lacks pastoral qualifications such as character, holiness, or gifting but because our church leadership expectations are shaped more by human culture than by apostolic authenticity.
Paul wrote the biblical elder qualifications, how ironic that he would fail most of our additional requirements today.
I am not the first to ask would the Apostle Paul be a good candidate for a pastoral role today? Cambray Church put it this way:
“There is the hope that any prospective pastor will have decades of life experience, while still being youthful; a great preacher; spiritually mature; adept at administration; able to coordinate the childrens’/youth work; have the business acumen to restructure church organisations, while bringing the best out of a largely volunteer workforce. It is an intriguing and amusing thought that the Apostle Paul would probably not get shortlisted (let alone appointed) for most church vacancies” READ MORE.
Here are ten reasons why Paul wouldn’t get the job. They are not merely observations about Paul, but instead hold a mirror to our assumptions about what makes a good pastor, and our processes to appoint one. Think of them as reflecting modern criticism of the Apostle Paul, and why he offended people then and likely would now. We should ask ourselves what would Paul say to the modern Church?
Quick vote – no judgement � BE HONEST!
Would your Church Pastoral Search committee hire St Paul? Or would the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) reject him? Would he get the job?— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) November 17, 2025
1. Paul is a theological misfit and wouldn’t pass any modern church’s doctrinal test.
How can we keep him to our doctrinal statement and the way we do things around here? He doesn’t fit into any of our modern church denominations or Christian tribes.
Paul is proud that he speaks in tongues more than anyone else (1 Corinthians 14:18, NLT) and he also has strange mystical experiences. Both of these are criticized by the Reformed. But he emphasizes theology too much for most charismatics to feel comfortable either.
He says he doesn’t like to baptize people which offends the Baptists:
“For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News” (1 Corinthians 1:17, NLT).
He is not remotely woke claiming that everyone even victims has sinned, this will offend the progressives:
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23, NLT).
He talks a lot about forgiveness which is potentially a very dangerous subject. This could itself raise safeguarding concerns about his preaching, although to be fair he does also mention justice too.
He likes to quote from the pagan culture and be “missional”. He sometimes sounds a bit too ecumenical for our liking:
“Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about” (Acts 17:22-23, NLT)
All this risks Paul appearing compromising to many Evangelicals (Acts 17).
Paul has several female friends on his ministry team and even encourages them to prophesy in church which offends the complementarians (1 Corinthians 11 ). But he refuses to allow them to actually preach which makes him look like he is still living in the first century, and offends the egalitarians:
“I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly” (1 Timothy 2:12, NLT).
Paul seems to think he is bigger than any of our modern christian tribes and won’t be domesticated by any of them. For many of modern Christians he is just a bit too much.
2. Paul is not nice: He is abrasive, confrontational, and argumentative
We are looking for a leader who is conflict averse, emotionally neutral, and a good team player. Paul is not that man.
His blunt communication style puts many people’s backs up. He is known for being severe. If we challenged him on all this, I am sure he would say that he is just not interested in flattering people.
He has a trail of relational conflicts some of which are public and ongoing. He rebuked the Apostle Peter, known as the Rock. He also had such a strong argument with his mentor Barnabas that they parted company (Acts 15:36-41).
He has been accused of being domineering. He won’t be able to work in harmony with other staff team members or submit to our elder board. He will provoke a church split. How can we recruit someone who speaks like this?
“Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.” (1 Corinthians 15:34, NLT)
“Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you?” (Galatians 3:1, NLT).
“The leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me)” (Galatians 2:6, NLT)
“When Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.” (Galatians 2:11, NLT).
“I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you” (2 Corinthians 7:8, NLT).
“Should I come with a rod to punish you?” (1 Corinthians 4:21, NLT).
“Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16, NLT).
Meanwhile Paul claims that Jesus himself was strong as well as kind.
In an article which asks “Would Paul be welcome in your church?” Ty Pery explains,
“Such reprimands must have been hard to take; and yet, Paul issued them in his apostolic authority, not to condemn them, but to lovingly push them to maturity in Christ.” Read More.
3. Paul has a violent history and a criminal record
This is the same man who has hunted and killed Christians, and has recently been arrested several times for starting riots. There is no way he will pass our background checks because of his criminal record. His references are not at all complimentary:
“In person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless” (2 Corinthians 10:10, NLT)
“These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here” (Acts 17:6, NLT).
“Soon the whole city was filled with confusion” (Acts 19:29, NLT).
“What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” (Acts 17:18, NLT).
Even Paul’s own words condemn him:
“I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13, NLT).
“I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death…” (Acts 22:4, NLT).
Let’s be honest, we don’t really believe that people can change all that much. Can “a leopard remove its spots?” (Jeremiah 13:23, GNB). Given Paul’s past what makes us think he is a suitable candidate to even be interviewed for the role?
Meanwhile he claims that Jesus resurrection has transformed him, but still describes himself as the greatest sinner and says he is just a beggar telling other beggars how to find bread.
4. Paul’s preaching is all wrong for modern churches
How would Paul’s preaching be received today? His sermons are not polished and professional. He is not smooth on the ear, but rebukes the hearer making them uncomfortable.
“My preaching was very plain, rather than using clever and persuasive speeches” (1 Corinthians 2:4, NLT)
“I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:1, NLT).
He does not preach expository messages working verse by verse, and he is too focused on stories at times. He preaches like Jesus rather than us.
At times Paul’s sermons are way too complicated, full of theological terms and confusing even to great leaders like the Apostle Peter:
“Some of his comments are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16, NLT).
He goes on for far too long, and his preaching is boring enough to send someone to sleep. Quite simply, we need someone with better communication skills. Imagine how difficult it would be to get anyone to watch his sermons on YouTube.
“As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below” (Acts 20:9, NLT).
Given all this, it is fair to ask, would St Paul even be allowed to speak at your church?
But some today argue we should learn from what Paul’s preaching has to say to modern churches today. Calvary Chapel proposed 5 Preaching Tips From The Apostle Paul
“Paul preached Christ
Paul preached the Scriptures
Paul preached in the Power of the Holy Spirit
Paul preached with a clear conscience before God and people
Paul preached with a love for God and a compassion for souls.” READ MORE
5. Paul is too emotionally raw and weak
Paul’s thorn in the flesh and ministry weakness are well described. Some would say he is quite simply not positive enough. He talks openly about his health concerns, his depression, his sleepless nights, his stress, and complains about all his troubles. This is no inspirational example of the blessed life.
“I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3, NLT).
“We faced conflict from every direction… with battles on the outside and fear within” (2 Corinthians 7:5, NLT).
“Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News” (Galatians 4:13, NLT).
“I have lived with… hunger and thirst… and shivered in the cold” (2 Corinthians 11:27, NLT).
“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8, NIV).
Paul claims that God told him, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT). That message does not fit in with our approach to Christian maturity and emotional stability. We do not want to encourage those in our midst who like to talk about their struggles instead of putting on a brave Christian smile when they come to church.
6. Paul will not be a good employee of our church
He has told us in advance that he won’t sign a contract, and he won’t even take a salary. He expects to be allowed to moonlight by continuing to work at his secular job alongside working for us. Whoever heard of a tentmaker pastor? He won’t commit to staying here long term. As far as we can tell, the longest he has stayed anywhere before in ministry is only just over two years! (Acts 19:8-10).
“I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be” (2 Corinthians 11:9, NLT).
“Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was” (Acts 18:3, NLT).
“We worked night and day… so we would not be a burden to any of you” (1 Thessalonians 2:9, NLT).
“We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News” (1 Corinthians 9:12, NLT).
7. Paul is single, and doesn’t promote marriage
As he has no pastor’s wife, who will lead our women’s and children’s ministries? We are a family church, how can we be expected to employ a single pastor? He even promotes singleness as the most spiritual way to live, claiming that if it was good enough for Jesus it is good enough for him.
“It’s better to stay unmarried, as I am” (1 Corinthians 7:8, NLT).
This severely undermines our attempts to promote the perfect model of a Christian family. But Paul was a single, and at times sickly man who succeeded in starting a global movement almost singlehandedly and without a “First Lady”.
Many divorced pastors today face the same unspoken objection: “How can you lead families if your own family is broken?” If you’ve ever worried that you will never be allowed to minister again because of divorce, I hope you will be encouraged by my interview with Barnabas Piper (a pastor’s kid, divorcee, and still in ministry). I’ve also outlined a spectrum of Christian views on divorce and remarriage.
8. Paul’s ministry goals are not the same as ours
He is not a great fundraiser, telling people not to give if they don’t want to.
“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully” (2 Corinthians 9:7, NLT).
He wants to plant lots of other churches, and expects us to allow him to disappear for months at a time to start churches all over the world. We want him to focus on managing our institution not starting new ones.
He also has a record of taking the best people from a church he leads and transplanting them somewhere else (Acts 16). He is just not going to work with us in the way we want him to.
“My ambition has always been to preach … where the name of Christ has never been heard” (Romans 15:20, NLT).
“I have finished my work in these regions” (Romans 15:23, NLT).
“None of you … will ever see me again” (Acts 20:25, NLT).
9. Paul has no online presence, no brand, and no marketing plan
He has no intention of changing any of this. He just isn’t impressive or influential enough by our metrics. He still communicates through handwritten letters.
“Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul” (2 Thessalonians 3:17, NLT).
“Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting” (Galatians 6:11, NLT).
10. Paul won’t make a ten year plan
He thinks Jesus may have returned before the next elder’s meeting. Rather than focusing on building a long term future here he says he would rather be with Christ in heaven.
“Our present troubles are small and won’t last very long” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT).
“I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me” (Philippians 1:23, NLT).
“The time that remains is very short” (1 Corinthians 7:29, NLT).
“We who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17, LSB).
This might be seen by some as a concerning belief which could even encourage suicidal thoughts in some vulnerable people. Of course that is not his intention. If this section raises a sensitive issue for you, please see my earlier articles Will a Christian who commits suicide go to heaven and What can we do to reduce the risk of Suicide?
Some people might argue that St Paul is too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use. But this is not a fair criticism:
“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.”
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book III, Chapter 10 (“Hope”), first published 1952
CONCLUSION
If the Apostle Paul wouldn’t get hired by our churches today, surely the problem is with us and not with him.
Paul was far from perfect, yet he modeled a style of leadership that embraced weakness, transparency, sacrifice, courage, doctrinal depth, a deep dependence on the Holy Spirit, emotional honesty, and a burning passion for mission.
If this breaks our modern expectations then our expectations need to change. We have come a long way from the New Testament model of the church. Whose methods should we follow, ours or the Apostle Paul’s?
Not everyone thinks St Paul wouldn’t fit in modern churches, instead believing we should fit in with his ideas. As one example, John Piper is far from a critic of the Apostle Paul, and instead speaks of his love and admiration for him:
“I have lived with the apostle Paul for over sixty years — admired him, envied him, feared him, pounded on him, memorized him, written poems about him, wept over his sufferings, soared with him, sunk to the brink of death with him, spent eight years preaching through his longest letter, imitated him. Ha! Imitated him! In ten lives, I would not come close to his sufferings — or what he saw . . . when you get to know him, you will either love him and believe him, or hate him as an imposter, or pity him as deceived” READ MORE
What would it look like for us to value the things St Paul valued? We would actively look for leaders who are imperfect but full of grace. We would demonstrate more kindness towards our leaders, and they would better model true kindness towards us.
If we followed St Paul’s example we would approach ministry, mission, and church leadership structures very differently. More than a century ago, Roland Allen addressed this in his book Missionary Methods: St Paul’s or Ours. His challenge was simple yet profound: Have we replaced the biblical model for the Church with a cautious and controlling management structure?
This book inspired Terry Virgo and others who have founded rapidly growing church families in the last 50 years. His book The Spirit Filled Church is a great place to start exploring this further. I was honored to write the foreword.
At some point I will hopefully explore Allen’s insights further in a future article, discussing how we could recover Spirit-dependence, relational leadership, and the mission-first priorities that shaped St Paul’s ministry. But for now, the contrast is clear. St Paul’s methods were inspired by Christ’s methods. Our task is surely to learn to follow his example.
Paul didn’t ask us to follow him because he was impressive but because he was like Jesus. As he invites us:
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV).
FAQ
Would St Paul pass the elder qualifications today?
Was Paul a good pastor? He would meet the Biblical qualifications, provided you didn’t think that they require someone to be married. But many modern churches would reject his violent background, his bluntness, his lack of polish, his willingness to talk honestly about his weakness, and his lack of employment stability in one place. The Gospel Coalition outlines the biblical qualifications.
Does the Bible require elders to have believing children?
Paul does say that elders should have “children who are believers” (Titus 1:6, ESV), so some interpret this verse as requiring all elders and by extension pastors to be fathers whose children follow Jesus. Some godly pastors have wrestled with this when rebellious teenagers walk away from the faith, sometimes temporarily. But since as children grow into adults there is no guarantee they will live as Christians perhaps this is too onerous an interpretation. Some argue the verse has been mistranslated and should instead read:
“the husband of one wife, having faithful children, who are not accused of dissipation, or rebellious” (Titus 1:6, ESV).
Similarly some say that instead of a requirement that an elder is married, it is rather that he be a “one woman kind of guy”.
Why was St Paul so controversial?
He was never afraid to confront hypocrisy and expose sin. He preached in a way that provoked his hearers to either respond or riot. His leadership method echoed Jesus more than our contemporary models.
Should pastors be single?
Many today would argue no. But both St Paul and Jesus were single so it would seem there is no reason not to hire an unmarried pastor.
Was Paul depressed?
He often spoke of his trials, weakness and challenges. Once saying he despaired even of life itself. So yes, at times it does sound like he was depressed. But he never lost hope and spoke about being “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).
Why wasn’t Paul a good communicator?
By today’s standards Pauls preaching and writing just wouldn’t be considered polished, professional, or punchy enough. He preached long story-filled sermons that were sometimes hard to understand and even could send people to sleep. Of course his preaching style matched Jesus more closely than today’s norms so perhaps our criticism is wrong.
Would the Apostle Paul follow the Billy Graham rule today?
Of course it is anachronistic to speak about Paul and the Billy Graham rule since it wasn’t around in his time. The rule says that men should not spend time alone with women, and they certainly can’t be friends across the genders. Paul had many female friends and co-workers who he describes as helpful to him. It seems that he wouldn’t have followed this rule today. St Paul might have been criticized for his women ministry partners by many modern leaders.
Was St Paul really a full-time tentmaker or did he accept money from churches?
There is no question that Paul did make and mend tents, and that he helped provide for his needs by his secular job:
“After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:2-4, NIV).
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 18:5, NIV).
One reason that he spent some time tentmaking was so that he didn’t have to receive a salary. When he was working in some areas he refused to take money from the church he was founding:
“Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you” (1 Thessalonians 2:9, NIV).
“In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14, NIV)
Paul did accept financial support from churches, but generally this was when they were more established and to enable him to plant elsewhere. Paul is therefore both an inspiration to the bivocational pastor or church planter today as well as the pastor who is employed by an established church:
“Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need” (Philippians 4:15-16, NIV.)
Could St Paul Be a ‘Super Apostle’ in a Megachurch Today?
No, rather than being a commanding platform preacher, he was known for being unimpressive in person, refusing to use great oratory. He was also much more interested in moving to areas where nobody was a Christian and starting brand new churches.
Tell me more about Roland Allen’s book Missionary Methods: St Paul’s or Ours.
Roland Allen’s controversial book argued in 1912 that modern missionary and church-planting methods are very different from St Paul’s. It has been hugely influential with the missional wing of the church, and encouraged those who promote the “New Testament Model of the Church” and hence believe in modern day apostles (without the infallible Scripture-writing authority of the originals). Even if you have not read this book, you have been influenced by it if:
- You are part of a church planting movement
- Think local churches should be self-governing and ideally financially independent
- Believe that the work of the Holy Spirit in new converts is to be trusted
- Believe that, especially in new areas, new converts can quickly become leaders even without formal seminary training
- Believe that we must avoid paternalism in our relationships with churches in other nations
- Believe that the job of missionaries is to release local believers to build truly local churches that will be more suited to their local culture and likely to grow faster than any missionary controlled work could do.
- You believe in relational Christianity rather than a business management professional approach
- You believe the wisdom and practices of the New Testament are more to be followed and trusted than the traditions of Western churches.
I aim to write more about Missionary Methods: St Paul’s or Ours? in future articles.
What about Paul’s leadership style vs modern leadership?
Paul was apostolic and mission focussed. More entrepreneurial than managerial. He wasn’t interested in leading a huge organization but in working closely with individuals to start lots of churches.
Read More
Twenty differences between the Psalms and modern worship songs.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In