A love of spiritual things: A minister of Christ, whether Pastor or Deacon/Deaconess, must feel drawn to God and all things of God. He or she enjoys spending time in prayer or reading the Scriptures or learning about God in the study of theology. The Liturgy and other Services are opportunities (not obligations) to know, love and serve God -- even if the music is a bit off key, the flowers are wilting or the vestments are poor -- the minister of God sees beyond physical appearances to spiritual realities -- while doing his or her best, of course, to make the physical appearances worthy of our divine Creator.
A will conforming to God's Providence: Apart from our Lord, all humans are sinners, but a minister must be a man who rarely breaks God's law in a serious way; s/he breaks it by accident or inadvertence and not by design. One must remain in the state of grace through frequent recourse to the celebration of or the assistance in the Holy Eucharist ans well as the other graces God supplies. One must be able to draw strength in completing difficult tasks from the knowledge that one is doing God's Will.
A seeker of humility: "The Son of Man had no place to lay His head." The minister is "another Christ", who must not desire to be greater than his master. While upholding the dignity of the office, he or she shows no desire to lord it over his charges.
An adequate education: A minister of Christ, whether a Pastor or Deacon/Deaconess, must have a good understanding of the Christian faith -- what he or she believes and what one asks others to believe. One must be able to assimilate the learning that is necessary to teach the entrusted people from the pulpit, in counseling and pastoral care. One must be able to build rapport with all parishioners – the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the wise and the foolish, the educated and the illiterate. A minister does not have to be a genius, but will acquire a professional education. One must want to know and teach about the God whom one loves.
Emotional stability: The minister is called on to guide by means of both, advice and example. One must not be given to moods of depression or flights of fancy, nor to intemperate drinking or bouts of argument. One must not be hiding from the responsibilities of parenthood or family life. One must be of such disposition as to bear up under the pressure of a calling where the hours can be long and the material rewards few or nonexistent.
Good health: A minister must possess the physical stamina to carry out one’s ministerial duties, often without the luxury of having other clergy "fill in" when he feels below par.
Responsibility and Dedication: Like St. Paul, one must be ready to see to one’s own necessities -- even though "the laborer is worthy of his hire", for God's innocent ones may not always have the means to support him or her.
Freedom from incompatible obligations: Family, business and social relationships must be such as to allow the minister to perform his or her duties. One’s family and friends must not be a source of scandal to those entrusted to him or her. Saint Paul describes the qualifications of pastors and deacons in his Epistles to Saints Timothy and Titus. His observations are equally applicable to those who are clergy in modern days.