The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God’s church?
–1 Timothy 3:1-5
“A noble task?” Yes, to be a successor of the apostles is a high calling indeed. But as one wag quipped, these days, “[i]If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he’s crazy![/i]”
David Handy+