Church leadership is often a contentious topic. Whether the issue has to do with women who preach or with the qualifications – or disqualifications – of ministry, we should see what Scripture says first. The standards for Christian leadership are not unreachable, but they are high… because there’s a lot at stake.
This table compares what 1 Timothy and Titus (two books in the New Testament) say about the qualifications for elders and deacons. 1 Timothy 3 uses episkopos (overseer) for church leaders and diakonos (deacon) for servants. Titus 1 uses both presbyteros (elder) and episkopos (overseer) interchangeably.
| Elders | Deacons |
| above reproach | worthy of respect |
| faithful to his wife | faithful to his wife |
| temperate | not indulging in much wine |
| self-controlled | – |
| respectable | – |
| hospitable | hospitable |
| able to teach | – |
| not given to drunkenness | not indulging in much wine |
| not violent but gentle | – |
| not quarrelsome | – |
| not a lover of money | not pursuing dishonest gain |
| manages his own family well | manages his children and household well |
| children obey him | – |
| not a recent convert | first be tested; then serve if nothing against them |
| has a good reputation with outsiders | – |
| – | sincere; keeps hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience |
| – | women likewise worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything |
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