Qualifications for Overseers

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

Paul is saying, if anyone desires to take on the task of being an overseer of a Church than he is desiring an admiral task and he must be ready for it! He must be one that is humble and teachable, one that realizes he is just as great of a sinner as the one’s he is teaching and overseeing. I’m so grateful for the “overseers” of our churches that display and live out these qualities daily. We are richly blessed!

4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?

John Piper does an excellent job of explaining these two verses:

He must manage his own household well…
“What Paul is saying is that the way a man manages his own household is a good test of whether he can provide what the church really needs, namely, leadership that has a caring heart, and a caring heart that has the strength to lead.”

“If he succeeds, he will be judged more fit for church leadership, and if he fails, he will be judged unfit for church leadership. The fathers are addressed and the fathers are responsible for the children’s submissiveness and respect.”

With all dignity keeping his children submissive….
“The Bible says that children are responsible to honor and obey their parents. (Ephesians 6:1) If they don’t, there will be trouble, and if they do, there will be reward. Children are addressed and children are responsible for their submissiveness and respect.”

How are we to put these two things together: that the children are responsible to obey, and that the fathers are responsible to have obedient children?

“Children are responsible before God to honor, and obey, and respect, and be submissive to their parents. And parents—especially fathers—are responsible to have honoring, obedient, respectful, and submissive children.”

6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

He must be mature in his faith and have a right standing with God before going into the ministry. He must bear much fruit in his life and others lives. He must be one that is viewed as a means of grace to others. He should not be one that would bring others into sinful temptation. Though Paul is speaking directly to overseers of the Church, this is something that we should all take to heart as well. We have all been instructed to “build” each other up with encouragement to further our relationships with God. (Ephesians 4:29) Just as Paul instructed the overseers of the Church, we should not be a temptation to others! If we are being a temptation to others, than we need to check our own hearts and see where the "root" of that temptation is coming from!