The qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1

A close reading of the two lists, what each qualification is intended to protect, and how councils and congregations should weigh them without reducing them to a checklist.

Outline

• “Above reproach” as the heading over all that follows.
• Household, hospitality, temperament and money: the qualifications that concern ordinary life.
• “Able to teach” and “holding firm to the trustworthy word”: what these require and what they do not.
• How the lists should shape nomination, and how they should shape a man’s own self-examination.

For discussion

1. Which qualification do congregations most often overlook?
2. Is any of this a standard for elders alone, or is it simply the ordinary Christian life described plainly?