The Qualifications Of Elders

I Timothy three deals with the qualifications of Christian men who want to be elders. 

1 — Wanting to be an elder is a good thing. 

2 — An elder must have a squeaky clean reputation, both inside and out of the church. He also has to be faithful to his wife. A man who isn’t faithful to his wife certainly can’t be faithful to the bride of Christ. 

3 — An elder can’t be alcoholic or violent; he should be known for being gentle and peaceful. He also can’t be materialistic. Since elders who preach, teach, and work hard deserve to be paid (5.17-18), this shouldn’t be a weakness for them. 

4-5 — Are repeats of verse 2, but expands this to an elder’s family. If he neglects his family’s spiritual health, he’ll neglect the church’s spiritual health. 

6 — An elder can’t be a new Christian. 

7 — An elder has to have the respect of people who aren’t in the church. 

Verses 8-13 are the qualifications for deacons. They’re nearly identical to elders, and the faithful-to-their-wives issue is repeated here. This section has been a source of controversy for years, but it’s explained very clearly in 3.11-12: they must be faithful to their wives, and their wives must also have the respect of other people. It also applies to widows in 5.9 — they have to have been faithful to their husbands (and meet some other qualifications) to be financially supported by their church family.