Rules for Choosing Leaders and Deacons

¹Here’s a saying you can trust: Anyone who wants to be a leader in the church wants to do something good.

²But a leader must have a good reputation. He must be faithful to his wife. He must be restrained, self-controlled, and worthy of respect. He must welcome people into his home, and he must be able to teach.

³He must not get drunk or push people around; instead, he needs to be gentle. He must not be a person who likes to argue or who loves money.

⁴He must manage his own family well and make sure that his children obey him and treat him with respect.

⁵After all, if someone doesn’t know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?

⁶A leader must not be a new believer. Otherwise, he might become proud and go wrong, just as the devil did.

⁷A leader must also have a good reputation among those who are outside the church. If it turns out that he’s done a lot of wrong things, he’ll be embarrassed, and the devil will be able to ruin his work.

⁸In the same way, deacons must be worthy of respect. They must be honest. they must not drink too much wine, and they must not try to get money by cheating other people.

⁹They must hold on to the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

¹⁰They should be tested first, and then, if there’s nothing against them, they can serve as deacons.

¹¹In the same way, the women must be worthy of respect. They shouldn’t be people who say things that hurt others. They must be restrained, and they must be worthy of trust in everything.

¹²A deacon must be faithful to his wife. He has to be able to manage his children and family well.

¹³If anyone serves well as a deacon, they will earn the full respect of others and strengthen their faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s Reasons for Giving Instructions to Timothy

¹⁴I hope I can come to you soon. But I’m writing these instructions to you now

¹⁵so that if I have to put off my visit, you’ll know how people should act in God’s family, the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

¹⁶Without question, true godliness comes from this great mystery:

Jesus came as a human being,

and he was declared right with God by the Holy Spirit.

He was seen by angels,

preached among the nations,

believed on in the world,

and taken up in glory.