1 Timothy 3:1-13 ▼

1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires [to do].

2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.

4 [He must be] one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity

5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),

6 [and] not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.

7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside [the church], so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

8 Deacons likewise [must be] men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain,

9 [but] holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

10 These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.

11 Women [must] likewise [be] dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

12 Deacons must be husbands of [only] one wife, [and] good managers of [their] children and their own households.

13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.