August 19, 2026 | Be Connected
Qualifications for All Leaders
Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:11-13(NIV)
11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
Devotional
These verses are addressed to both women and men who are leaders in the church. The women are either the wives of deacons or perhaps deaconesses themselves. The deacons are their counterparts. I take this whole section (verses 8-13) to apply to both.
Male and female deacons were those called to take roles of servant leadership. This goes back to the early years of Christianity, when there were both Hebrew speaking and Greek speaking widows to be cared for. The Church in Jerusalem now had thousands of people who had to meet from house to house, because of pressure and persecution. They had no organizational structure for caring for widows. So the apostolic leaders and preachers appointed servants to oversee the distribution of food. These deacons were expected to be “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3).
This makes me think of those in our church who help in our food pantry, serve as a Stephen Minister, visit the prisons, call on folks in nursing homes, provide for the homeless, volunteer to help with home projects, and assist with scores of other ministries designed to serve others. If all of these were left to the pastors, staff or church board members to carry out, there would be more burned-out people and less people served.
However, both church leaders and church servants are equally important roles. And both are spiritual roles. Both are expected to look and live more and more like Jesus as they grow in the faith.
In Ephesus, this was vitally important. Everybody was watching the Christians. How would the leaders live? How would the servants behave? Did they just talk a big game, or did their words match their walk?
It’s the same for us. The world is watching. And so is God. Let us commit be more and more godly in our lives and our lifestyles. 1 John 4:17 says, “In this world we are like Jesus.” Amen.
