I Timothy 3

III Qualifications for Church Leadership
A. vs 1-7 Qualifications for Elders
B. vs 8-13 Qualifications for Deacons and their wives
C. vs 14-16 The mystery of Godliness

He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
I Timothy 3:7

Here is a good standard not just for elders, but for any christian. I have in my business had to at times make hard choices concerning how to proceed on certain jobs. I have had to not pay people who did not perform as contracted and had to bring in another team to finish jobs. I have had to tell customers that certain things fall outside the scope of work we agreed on when they are feeling otherwise. I have been in many situations that have at sometimes gotten heated, and the one thing that has always come up is "But you are a christian!" Usually this is said with the expectation that because I have invited them to church, or shared my faith, or just let them know I'm a Youth Pastor, that automatically means that I have to do whatever they want regardless of how much it costs me. I am never sure how to respond. Once they know I'm a christian, I know that I now represent Christ to them and should be a good example. On the other hand, I want to be a good business man and a good steward of what God has given me. I often find myself wondering where the line is, if sticking to my guns dishonors Christ. I know one thing for sure, every time it happens I renew my commitment to communicate clearly the expectations on every job to both the customer and the worker. I realize that it is honoring Christ in crisis situations that most honors and glorifies Him. I guess my prayer will be to know what to say in every situation so that Christ is always honored and I will have a good reputation with outsiders.