Qualifications of Overseers

3 This saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to become an overseer, he desires a noble task. ² It is necessary, then, for the overseer to be above reproach, the husband of only one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not a drunkard, not a violent man but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ It is necessary that he manage his own household well, with all dignity making sure that his children obey him. ⁵ (If a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?) ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he might become conceited and fall into the same condemnation as the Devil. ⁷ In addition, he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap.