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1 Timothy 3:5

ESV for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
NIV (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?)
NASB (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),
CSB (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God's church?)
NLT For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?
KJV (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

What does 1 Timothy 3:5 mean?

In the previous verse, Paul required overseers to be able to manage their own "household" well, including children. This verse uses a rhetorical question to explain his reasoning. Why would the church select a leader to oversee a larger group of people if a man could not lead the few people in his own family well? In modern society, job applicants build upon past job experiences to show why they are qualified for a job. In ancient culture, the family was the "past experience" to show whether a person was ready for greater responsibility.

This qualification also stressed the church's identity not as an organization, but as a family. In verse 15, Paul calls the church "the household of God." The first church met in both public spaces and in homes (Acts 2:42–47), a practice common throughout the New Testament period. In John 1:12, believers are said to become part of God's family. Family was of central importance in ancient culture, with family serving as the basis for all other leadership, including church leadership.
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