Qualifications for Overseers
the 1 Timothy 3 Parent's version
I think it’s both funny and terrifying that God doesn’t require that we take a character test before becoming parents. He just gives us babies whether we think we’re qualified or not. He must think that it’s okay to learn skills along the way.
If there was a list of skills parents ought to acquire on this journey, what might that look like? I think 1 Timothy 3 describes just this. In it, Paul tells Timothy what qualifications to look for when appointing overseers in the church. Paul tells Timothy that overseers ought to be able to manage their children and household well because if they can’t do that, how will they manage the household of God. This draws a parallel between parenting and being a church overseer. It’s like parenting helps prepare men and women to overseer God’s family. How cool is that!
By the way, I used the ESV as my original text, but I did add and alter quite a bit to this passage. Check your Bibles to see just how much.
1 Timothy 3:1-5 (The Parent’s Version)
“This saying is trustworthy, “If anyone aspires to overseer a family, that person desires a noble task.”
Therefore, a parent must never be guilty of doing what they tell their children is wrong. They must be committed to one spouse, not jerked around by their own emotions, be of sound thinking, be orderly of ways, hospitable to friends and strangers, able to teach simple-mind people, not addicted to alcohol, porn, chocolate, or steamy romances, not violent when angry but gentle, not prone to quarreling about every little thing, not idolizing what they’re good at and not pursuing as their first love wealth, knowledge, a career, or fame.
A parent must manage well whatever is in their care, with all dignity, keeping their young children in check and obedient, for if someone does not know how to manage their own household, how will they then care for God's children in the church?