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“Everything rises and falls on leadership.”[1] That is not a quote from the Bible, but it expresses a principle in life, whether you are talking about a business, an organization, or a local church.

As we set sail back into 1 Timothy, Paul is giving his younger colleague inspired instructions regarding leadership in the local church. Here in chapter 3, he introduces a list of qualifications for church leaders. This third chapter is of great importance, because it establishes the standard for choosing qualified church leaders. We are not just looking for warm bodies. These leaders will determine in large part whether the local church will “rise” or “fall.”

Paul begins with qualifications for overseers. He writes in verse 1, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” I like to think of this as a passion qualification because it indicates the man really desires the office of elder. The words for “aspire” and “desire” are strong, passionate words. You are not twisting his arm behind his back until he surrenders.  

The Greek term here for overseer is episkopē. Other passages give us three different terms for this office (Acts 20:17, 28; Ephesians 4:11; Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Peter 5:1-2). The term elder highlights the dignity and maturity of the office. Pastor (“shepherd”) emphasizes the priority of teaching; pastoring conveys the idea of pasturing the flock in green pastures of biblical truth. This third term, overseer, highlights authority and leadership. In the New Testament, elder is the most common term, but all three terms refer to the same church office.

Elders are typically seen as plural in New Testament churches. Acts 20 refers to plural elders in a singular, local church. However, that does not mean you have to have a plurality of elders to have a biblical church. Many churches are small, and to have one elder—one pastor—is a blessing. Many young pastors appoint elders too quickly in their haste to create a plurality. Paul does not want Timothy to make that mistake. And we know that because Paul now begins his list of qualifications for elders.

The apostle starts in verse 2 by saying the elder/overseer “must be above reproach.” This means there is nothing in his life that can be called into question. It does not mean he is perfect, but it does mean he has progressed to a point of spiritual maturity. You could say this qualification is a categorical heading for every other qualification here—he is blameless in every area.

The first specific area of the elder’s life that is addressed is his marriage. Paul writes that he must be the “husband of one wife” (verse 2). This does not mean he cannot be single or widowed. In fact, a literal translation is “a one-woman-man.” I do not think Paul is speaking specifically to the issue of divorce here, or polygamy either. In fact, given his day, he might be addressing the issue of heterosexual marriage—that he must be married to one woman. What we do know is that the Bible is requiring an overseer to be obviously devoted to the woman he married.

The next qualification is “sober-minded,” and that means sober in judgment—he is clear-headed in his decision making. Then, the elder must be “self-controlled,” a word related to his emotional stability. Next, the word “respectable” refers to having a well-ordered life. He is not running around without any purpose or plan in life.

Verse 2 also says overseers are to be “hospitable.” Literally, the word means “loving strangers.” How does he treat people he does not really know? How does he treat that mechanic or the waitress or people who show up at his door?

“Able to teach” is the next qualification. This, by the way, distinguishes elders from deacons in the lists of qualifications. The lists are virtually synonymous, except for this one requirement for elders. And that is because the primary role of an elder is feeding the flock the Word of God. I know some pastors who would be wonderful deacons. They love the Lord, and they love to serve the flock, but they are not gifted to teach the Word.

Verse 3 adds that the overseer must not be a “drunkard”—literally, “not beside [the] wine.” We would say, he is not known to be a drinker. He would be a bad example, especially to the young people in the flock.

Another qualification is “not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome.” In his disposition the elder should be patient with people, not argumentative and physically aggressive.

Next is “not a lover of money,” which means he is not focused on money or material things. That is a characteristic of worldliness, not godliness.

Paul continues in verse 4, “He must manage his own household well . . . keeping his children submissive.” If his children openly disrespect him without any discipline, this can disqualify him from his role. Paul even adds that if he cannot manage his own household, “how will he care for God’s church?” (verse 5).

The list concludes with two more qualifications in verses 6-7. “He must not be a recent convert,” and he must be “well thought of by outsiders.” His testimony and reputation in the community is just as critical as it is inside the church.  

When the church ignores these qualifications and chooses leaders like the world does—based on outgoing personalities, physical appearance, impressive resumes—it is little wonder the church falls instead of rises.

Paul then moves immediately to the qualifications for deacons. The term deacon simply means “servant.” Broadly speaking, deacons assist the elders by serving the church body in tangible ways like crisis care, benevolence, and helping the widows and needy in the church family.

The qualifications for deacons are very similar to those of overseers. Verse 8 says they are to be “dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.” Down in verse 12 more are added: “the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.”

As I have mentioned, the primary difference is that deacons are not required to be able to teach, as elders are. However, that does not mean deacons are less spiritual or do not know the Word of God. Paul even writes that deacons must “hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (verse 9). In other words, they must stand firm on Scripture and live out the truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

Now because deacons are in the trenches, serving hands-on in ways that will often include their wives, Paul adds in verse 11, “Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.” Some take this to be a qualification list for deaconesses.  

The problem with that is that there is no clear reference in the New Testament to a recognized office of deaconess. However, if women are serving the church, I do not see any problem with them being called deaconesses—so long as they are not assuming the leadership role of elders in the church. In the church I have pastored for decades, more than a thousand women are volunteering to serve. If they did not show up one Sunday, I don’t think we would be able to manage at all.

Paul tells Timothy this information is critical, so church members will know “how one ought to behave in the household of God” (verse 15). Besides, Paul adds, the church is not a social club; it is the “pillar and buttress of the truth.” The church is revealing what Paul calls the “mystery of godliness,” which is the gospel of Christ. It is summarized in the life of Christ in verse 16.

Let me tell you, beloved, it is time for the church to act like the church—to get back to her mission of delivering the gospel. And it is certainly time for elders and deacons to grow up and step up and play their role as godly servant-leaders in the church.

That principle remains true to this day: everything rises and falls on leadership.