Elders in the Church

Paul continues giving his young protégé instruction on how the people of God ought to behave in the church of God. After instructing men and women in the worship of the church, he turns next to speak to elders and the church. But notice that he moves from what people do, to who leaders are. In Paul's mind, leadership is vital for the ongoing gospel witness of the church. It seems as if these false teachers were not only identified by their false teaching, but also by their disordered lives. So, Paul instructs Timothy on the qualifications of elders that are in keeping with the gospel for the sake of both the believers within and the unbelievers outside the church.