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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Interesting, you have “faithful to his wife,” which I’m guessing comes from “husband of one wife.” If so, we have the same view. I have encountered other views, such as never being divorced and remarried.
Hey Frank!
That’s just what the NIV says. Other translations may offer a different bit of the semantic range. I would say that an Elder or Deacon must be the husband of one wife, and be faithful to her. As for being divorced and remarried, we do instructions for that in other passages… and those passages provide different instructions based on the specific circumstances.