If you've ever seen a large tree fall in the forest,

you know that smaller trees in its path can be damaged or destroyed.

When the same way when sin brings down a church leader, others are hurt as well.

Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg explains why choosing the right leaders for the church is so vitally important.

What are the traits we should be looking for? We'll find out today.

One Timothy 3 and verse 1. Let's read together.

Here is a trustworthy saying, if anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.

Now the overseer must be above reproach. The husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.

If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

He must not be a recent convert or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.

He must also have a good reputation without ciders so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. Amen.

Now we continue our studies here in this letter of Paul to Timothy.

Within the context, as stated in the 15th verse of this third chapter, instruction provided so that people will know how to conduct themselves in God's household, which is nothing other than the church of the living God.

And we have seen that these instructions on practical matters are of primary importance and certainly as we come to this matter of leadership within the context of the local church.

All of us, I'm sure, understand the vital importance of leadership.

It's virtually impossible to live life without being aware of the fact that strength in leadership is a vital aspect of the way in which we conduct our day-to-day affairs.

And therefore it would be a surprising thing if the same were not to be true within the context of the church.

Indeed, it is vitally so. The Church of Jesus Christ does not progress beyond the spiritual progress of its leaders.

And that is why the New Testament has a tremendous amount to say about the vital nature of leadership within the church.

And it describes the role or the function of leadership, the authority which attaches itself to leadership, which is a derived authority from the risen Christ mediated through the scriptures, and then the characteristics which are to be represented in the lives of those who are entrusted with the responsibility of leadership.

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