You Will Know how People Ought to Conduct Themselves in God’s Household

In I Tim 3 Paul writes out the qualifications of church officers.  He gives both overseer and deacon pre-qualifiers. Both are noble offices... the two offices are similar ...but they are also a little bit different.  Most biblical scholars agree that the overseer (or elder) is a teaching officer. The deacon is a serving officer. 

The qualifications of the two offices are similar in the follow things:
Respectable,
Light or no use of alcohol,
Good reputations,
Experience in their Christian walk,
Able to manage their own family.

The elder seems to be more stringent in the requirements.  It makes sense if someone is in a teaching position ...they would be under greater scrutiny. They would also be mentoring/ modeling life to their students. The following adjectives describe the overseer:  temperate, self-controlled, hospitable, able to teach, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 

Paul wrote these instructions so that, these first church officers would know how to conduct themselves in the Church.  In the last paragraph Paul defines what the officers are stewards of... it is
the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. This is why these are serious qualifications...not to be taken lightly....this is the church of the Almighty God.  Pretty serious stuff!!!