The overseer must be “. . . able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict . . .” (Titus 1:9)
The under-shepherd is to guard and hold fast to the faithful word (Titus 1:9a). Elders are to be men who know the Word of God and trumpet the words of God. Since the local church is “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15b), its leaders must be rock-solid pillars of biblical doctrine or the house will crumble.
At a minimum, an elder must firmly adhere to orthodox and historic biblical teaching. The Lord wants elders who are laboring in teaching and preaching the Word of God. This is HIS design! They don’t just sit on a board making decisions, but serve as guardians and teachers of sound doctrine.
To exhort in sound doctrine is to encourage, comfort, and edify believers. To do this, the elder needs to know sound doctrine, because God’s Word and right doctrine encourage, comfort, and edify believers. So an elder must be characterized by doctrinal integrity AND the ability to communicate it in various situations.
It should be noted that the elder must have some ability to teach (1 Tim. 3:3). This does not mean that an elder must be a gifted orator or skilled preacher, but all elders must be able to communicate to others the gospel and sound scriptural teaching.
Paul instructs Timothy: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires . . .” (2 Tim 4:2–3). We need elders sound in doctrine and able to teach it.