‘Timothy! Here’s how to manage the elders of the flock!’ (1 Timothy 5:17-25)

If we understand  Paul’s letter to Timothy as a ‘Handook on Church life’ then Timothy must have been glad to have this section written to him. As a young man, called to be the pastor of the Church at Ephesus, Timothy would need to know how he should manage and care for the other appointed elders he was to work with. Among the instructions that Paul gave were reminders of how elders were to be supported financially, disciplined carefully and appointed cautiously. Above all, Paul directed Timothy to manintain his own personal purity and holiness which is what his people, the flock, would most need. Holiness matters because the gospel matters and the witness of the church can be seriously impaired by a lack of it.