Leadership in the Church

1-7 If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he’s talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.

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not given to drunkenness,(A) not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome,(B) not a lover of money.(C) He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect.(D) (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 3:4 Or him with proper