URC Daily Devotion 22 September 2025
1 Timothy 3: 1 – 7
The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way – for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be 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 and the snare of the devil.
Reflection
We might be tempted to ignore this passage because the United Reformed Church doesn’t have the office of bishop (although we do have a few people who served in roles with that title in global ecumenical partner churches). It could, just as easily, have been translated as “anyone with oversight”, but more pertinently, Paul’s words were really aimed at anyone with leadership responsibilities in a church, whether we call them Elders, Ministers of Word and Sacraments, Church-Related Community Workers, or simply servants of the Church. The point is not the title but the character of the person called to lead.
Leadership in the Church is not about status or control. It is, as Paul says, a “noble task”, because it requires humility, integrity, and spiritual maturity. Paul’s list isn’t a checklist for perfection, but a portrait of spiritual health. Leaders should be trustworthy, calm under pressure, generous with their hospitality, wise with their words and actions, and grounded in faith. These are not extraordinary virtues for a spiritual “elite,” but qualities all Christians are called to grow into, leaders simply model them more visibly.
It’s telling that Paul begins and ends with a concern for how leaders are perceived, both inside and outside the Church. Christian leadership is about witness. It’s not just about managing a church’s internal life, but reflecting Christ to the world.
This passage speaks clearly to all churches. We are all part of the body, and those who take on responsibility, whether formally or informally, are called to do so with integrity. Leadership begins at home, extends into the church family, and reaches into the wider community.
Whether or not you serve in a leadership role, how are you cultivating the kind of life described here? How can you support and encourage those who serve your church with faithfulness and care?
Prayer
Living God, thank you for calling leaders not by title, but by character. Raise up faithful leaders in our churches, and give them even more wisdom, kindness, and integrity. Teach us all to live lives worthy of trust, shaped by your Spirit. Help us support all who guide us, and become leaders in grace wherever we are. In Christ, our true Shepherd, we pray. Amen.