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.