1 Timothy 3

Can Women Be Bishops and Elders?

1 Timothy 3:1–13 ESV

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The Greek word for overseer is ἐπισκοπή (episkopē) and it refers to elders who rose in prominence and oversaw multiple congregations. They gradually replaced the apostles in the second century AD.

The Greek word for deacon is διάκονος (diakonos) and it refers to men and women who serve and minister in the church. They do practical things like take care of the widows (Acts 6).

Paul is assuming that the majority of overseers in his day would be men. However, this does not bar all women from becoming overseers and deacons.

Phoebe was called a deacon (not deaconess) of the church at Cenchreae in Romans 16:1-2. Many translations put “servant” there because she is a woman, but minister for those who are male deacons. This is an obvious translator bias. Phoebe was a minister, someone who was in the office of a deacon in her local church.

This list is not meant to be a strict list of requirements, otherwise even Paul would not be qualified to be one!

Katia Adams in her book Equal rightly states that If we take these as strict requirements, then we would have to make sure that each overseer and deacon would be:

Men who are not married.

Men who have been widowed and have remarried. (For we cannot literally use ‘one-woman man’ as an argument for the exclusion of women if we will not then follow its further literal translation to exclude those who have been with more than one woman—whatever the reason.)

Men who have divorced and have remarried.

Men who are married but don’t have children. Men who are married but only have one child. (Note, all the verses in relation to children are plural.)

Men who have children who are rebellious. (Which parent of a toddler or teenager would be exempt from this, I wonder?)

Men who have children who are not saved. (Which would presumably mean men with very young children are excluded because how are they to prove that their children are saved?)

Men who are not hospitable. (This might not be fashionable in our current-day understanding of introverts, but any elders who are not opening their homes to people in the community stand in direct contradiction to this.)

Men who are quarrelsome or violent.

Men who drink too much alcohol. (Who is to set the bar on this, I wonder? I know a number of church leaders who drink more alcohol than the medically recommended limit.)

Men who are recent converts.

Men who are not self-controlled.