Why are congregations requiring preachers to be married?
Question:
I have noticed on some web sites where congregations list qualifications for their new preachers. Most of them require their preachers to be married, which is absurd! Where in the Bible does it say that a preacher must be married to preach? I can't find it and I've searched. What about I Corinthians 7:8 when Paul is saying that it is good for the unmarried to remain unmarried? Paul was not married and he preached. The only leaders in the church that are required to have been married to "one wife" are elders and deacons. That is it!
Answer:
Of course, it is absurd, but when men try to alter the will of God by imposing additional rules, the result is generally wrong. That is why there are warnings not to add to God's word. "Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar" (Proverbs 30:6). This is how the Pharisees ended up in trouble -- they added additional rules to God's laws (Matthew 15:1-9). Their intentions were probably good. I suspect they thought they were making God's laws clearer and easier to follow, but the result was a mess of contradictions.
Preachers are not required to be married and you pointed out the proof -- Paul wasn't married, though that didn't stop people from holding it against him. "Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?" (I Corinthians 9:5).
