
Podcast 155: Choosing Elders (Rev. Hobie Wood)
From Before You Quit by Before You Quit
January 22, 2026 · 30 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the importance of choosing qualified elders for church leadership with insights from Rev. Hobie Wood.
Choosing godly elders is essential to the health of the church. Pastor Charles Swindoll writes, Every church is the lengthening shadow of those who lead it. Therefore, no issue is more important in any church than having the most-qualified people who model true spirituality serving in leadership as elders. This explains why the lists of qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9 are so strict and demanding. Unfortunately, in most churches of America, the method of appointing and selecting those who lead is skewed. In those churches, leaders are chosen by majority vote, having been selected because the candidates are good businessmen or popular among the congregation or wealthy or long-time members or well-known, impressive individuals in the community. Nice and important as those factors may be, they have nothing to do with whether a person is qualified to be a servant leader and to be able to guide the flock of God in a way that honors the Lord Jesus Christ. In this podcast, I interview Pastor Hobie Wood of Christ Presbyterian Church in Clarksville, GA, on his 14 years of experience choosing the right elders for your church. Hobie is married to Hannah, and they have 3…
People in this episode
Host: Charles Swindoll
Guest: Rev. Hobie Wood
Topics covered
- choosing elders
- church leadership
- spiritual qualifications
- Christianity
- pastoral experience
Keywords
- elders
- church leadership
- spirituality
- qualifications
- Pastor Hobie Wood
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Christ Presbyterian Church, Clemson University, Reformed Theological Seminary, Campus Crusade for Christ, Cru
Places: Clarksville, GA, Tiger, Ga., Appalachian State
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