Not Quick-Tempered: When Leadership Slows Down to Love
"For a bishop as God’s steward must be blameless, not arrogant, not quick-tempered..."
—Titus 1:7
We live in an angry world.
Turn on the news, scroll through social media, or sit in traffic long enough and you’ll see how short our fuses have become. And yet, when Paul lays out the kind of person who should lead God’s people, he includes this requirement early on: “not quick-tempered.”
For Paul, anger wasn’t just a personality flaw—it was a disqualifying trait for spiritual leadership. And that tells us something important: how we handle our emotions—especially anger—reveals what’s really going on in our hearts.
What Does “Not Quick-Tempered” Mean?
The Greek word used here is ὀργίλος (orgilos), meaning:
“prone to anger”
“easily provoked”
“having a hot temper”
This isn’t about someone who occasionally gets frustrated. Paul is warning against someone who lives with a simmering edge, whose default mode is tension and whose reactions are often out of proportion. Someone who leads from volatility, not virtue.
The Church doesn’t need explosive personalities—it needs steady, Spirit-filled shepherds.
Why It Matters
Anger in leadership is dangerous because it often disguises itself as strength.
It can look like boldness, confidence, or decisiveness. But underneath it, quick-tempered leadership tends to produce fear, insecurity, and shame in the people under it.
That’s the opposite of the gospel.
“For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
—James 1:20
Paul’s charge to Titus is this: find leaders who are slow to anger, who are self-controlled, and who reflect the gentleness of Christ. In Catholic moral theology, this is the virtue of meekness—not weakness, but power under control.
The Catechism echoes this in its treatment of the passions:
“Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons... Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action.”
—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1768
A quick temper doesn’t contribute to good action—it tends to cloud it.
Christ, the Slow-to-Anger King
Throughout Scripture, God is described as “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Exodus 34:6). Jesus embodied that in how He led.
He never flew off the handle. He wasn’t reactive. Even when He was angry—like when He cleansed the temple—it was righteous, intentional, and never selfish.
That kind of anger flows from justice and love. But most of us—if we’re honest—get angry because our egos are bruised, our expectations unmet, or our control threatened.
Jesus didn’t lead like that. And neither should we.
A Word of Reflection
This one stings a bit. I’ve had seasons where I was short-tempered. Not always visibly—but internally. Frustrated when people didn’t move fast enough. Annoyed when plans fell apart. Irritated when things didn’t go the way I thought they should.
That kind of internal pressure can bleed out in subtle, damaging ways. In sarcasm. In silence. In passive-aggressive leadership that poisons trust.
If you’ve been there—or if you’re there now—know this: you’re not alone. And you’re not beyond transformation.
We don’t overcome quick tempers by trying harder. We overcome them by letting the Spirit slow us down, and by staying close to the One who is slow to anger Himself.
Final Thoughts
A quick temper disqualifies someone from leadership—not because God expects perfection, but because shepherding requires steadiness.
The people of God need leaders who can pause, breathe, listen, and lead with patience. Whether you're a pastor, parent, boss, teacher, or friend—the call is the same:
Let Christ form in you a heart that is calm, compassionate, and controlled.
Because real strength doesn't explode.
It endures.
Reflection Questions:
When was the last time your temper got ahead of your discernment?
Are there patterns in your life that feed your reactivity?
What practices (prayer, confession, silence) can help you become slower to anger?
