Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

 Many of the qualifications of the deacon are the same as for the episkopos ( G1985) . They are to be men of dignified character; they are to be abstemious; they are not to soil their hands with disreputable ways of making money; they have to undergo a test and a time of probation; they must practise what they preach, so that they can hold the Christian. faith with a clear conscience. 