1-2. Which better work elders de do for congregation?

 IF YOU don be ministerial servant for some time, you fit don de work hard to fit qualify to be elder. You go like become elder so that you go fit help your brothers and sisters?—1 Tim. 3:1.

² Which kind work elder de do for congregation? E de set better example for the preaching work, e de work hard to shepherd and teach brothers and sisters for congregation, and e de use wetin e de talk and do make their faith strong. Na all this one make Bible call elders for congregation, “gifts” from Jehovah.—Eph. 4:8.

3. Wetin brother go do to fit qualify to be elder? (1 Timothy 3:​1-7; Titus 1:​5-9)

³ How brother fit qualify to become elder? No be wetin person sabi do go make-am qualify to become elder. Many times, wetin person wey de look for work need, na to sabi the work. That one go make them fit employ-am. But to become elder dey different. To become elder, you no only need to sabi how to preach and teach. But you still need to get the better-better character wey dey 1 Timothy 3:​1-7 and Titus 1:​5-9. (Read-am.) This article go talk about three important things wey go make brother fit qualify as elder. (1) E go need to get good name for inside and outside congregation. (2) If e don marry, e go need to be better husband and better papa. (3) E go need to ready to serve brothers for congregation.

MAKE PEOPLE KNOW YOU AS BETTER PERSON

4. Wetin e mean for you to be “person wey nobody fit talk say e de do bad thing”?

⁴ To fit qualify to become elder, you must be “person wey nobody fit talk say e de do bad thing.” This one mean say, people for congregation de see you as better person because of your good character. Another thing be say, you go be “person wey people for outside de talk well about.” Na true say people wey no de serve Jehovah fit talk bad about things wey you believe from  Bible, but them no suppose get any better reason to talk say you be bad person or say your way no straight. (Dan. 6:4, 5) Ask yourself say, ‘My brothers and sisters for congregation and even people wey no de serve Jehovah, de see me as good person and person wey im way dey straight?’

5. Wetin e mean for person to “like good thing”?

⁵ If you be person wey “like good thing,” na the good things about people you go de put mind and you go de praise them for their better character. Another thing be say, you go happy to de do good things for people, even things wey them no expect say you go do for them. (1 Thess. 2:8; check the study note (For English.) for Titus 1:8 wey be “lover of goodness.”) Why e dey important make elders get this better character? Because them de use plenty of their time shepherd brothers and sisters for congregation and care for other work wey them de do for congregation. (1 Pet. 5:​1-3) Even though say all this one na big work, them de really happy as them de help their brothers and sisters.—Acts 20:35.

6. How person fit show say e de use all im heart de welcome people? (Hebrews 13:2, 16; still check the picture.)

⁶ If you be person wey de use ‘all im heart de welcome people,’ e mean say you de do good things for people, even for people wey no be your tight friends. (1 Pet. 4:9) When one book wey de explain words for Bible de describe person wey de use all im heart welcome people, e talk say: “The person de do good even for people wey e no know and e de sweet-am to invite them come im house.” Ask yourself say, ‘People know me as person wey de welcome people?’ (Read Hebrews 13:2, 16.) Person wey de use all im heart welcome people de share wetin e get with different kind of visitors. For example, poor people, people wey come give talk for im congregation and assembly, and circuit overseers.—Gen. 18:​2-8; Prov. 3:27; Luke 14:​13, 14; Acts 16:15; Rom. 12:13.

7. How elder fit show say e “no like money too much”?

⁷ Elder suppose be person wey “no like money too much.” This one mean say, no be to get money and property dey important pass for im life. Whether e dey rich or poor, wetin dey important pass to-am, na God Kingdom. (Matt. 6:33) E de use im time, power, and other things wey e get to worship Jehovah, care for im family, and help brothers and sisters for congregation. (Matt. 6:24; 1 John 2:​15-17) Ask yourself  say: ‘Which kind eye I take de look money? If na only the things wey I need to survive each day na im I get, I dey okay with this one? Or na to get more money and property dey my mind?’—1 Tim. 6:6, 17-19.

8. How you fit show say you de ‘behave well’ and ‘de control yourself’?

⁸ If you ‘de behave well’ and “de control [yourself],” e mean say you know where you suppose do reach for everything wey you de do. For example, you no de chop or drink too much, your cloth and hairstyle no be like people own for Satan world, and you de make better decision about wetin you de use enjoy yourself. You no de follow do wetin people for this Satan world de do. (Luke 21:34; Jas. 4:4) Even when person do things wey make you vex, you de fit dey calm. You “no be drunkard” and people no de see you as person wey de drink too much. Ask yourself say, ‘The way I de live my life de show say I de behave well and de control myself?’

9. How you fit show say you “de reason well” and you “sabi arrange things well”?

⁹ If you “de reason well,” e mean say you de sofri think about wetin Bible talk wey concern different-different situation for life. You de sofri think about how Bible advice de affect wetin you want do. This one go make you understand the matter well and help you make better decision. You no de rush make decision just because of small information wey you get. Instead, you de make sure say you get all the information wey you need. (Prov. 18:13) Because of this one, you de make correct decision wey de make Jehovah happy. If you de “sabi arrange things well,” e mean say you de organize things well and de do things for the correct time. People go know you as person wey them fit trust and person wey de follow direction. If you get all this characters wey we don talk about, them go help you get better name with people. Now make we talk about the different-different character wey Bible talk say elders must get, so that them go fit be good example as family head.

DE CARE FOR YOUR FAMILY WELL

10. How husband or papa de show say e de “direct im own family for fine way”?

¹⁰ If you be husband or papa and you want qualify to be elder, your family still need to be good example for other people, if not, you fit no qualify. So you need to be brother “wey de direct im own family for fine way.” This one mean say you go love and de care for your family well and de make better decision. E still mean say na your work to make sure say una de do family worship, una no de miss meeting, and you go help people for your family do their best for preaching. Why this one really dey important? See wetin apostle Paul talk, e say: “If any man no know how to direct im own family, how e go fit care for the congregation of God?”—1 Tim. 3:5.

11-12. How children fit affect brother wey want serve as elder? (Still check the picture.)

¹¹ If you be papa wey get young children, them need to be “children wey de obey and really dey serious.” You need to teach and train them with love. Na true say you want make them de laugh and play like other children. But because you train them well, them de obey, get respect and de behave well. Another thing be say, you must do your best to help your children get tight friendship with Jehovah, follow Bible advice, and qualify to baptize.

¹² Your children need to be “children wey de serve God wey nobody fit talk say them de do bad thing or say them no get control.” If pikin na servant of Jehovah and e still de live with im papa and mama, but e commit serious sin, how  this one go affect im papa? If im papa no train and de correct the pikin well, the papa fit no qualify to serve as elder.—Check October 15, 1996, Watchtower, p. 21, pars. 6-7.

DO YOUR WORK WELL FOR CONGREGATION

13. How brother wey want be elder fit show say e “de accept the ideas of other people” and say e “no de do only wetin dey im mind”?

¹³ Brothers wey get better character for congregation, na blessing to the congregation. Brother wey “de accept the ideas of other people,” de make sure say peace dey between im and people, and e de make peace dey between other people. If you want make people know you as person wey de accept other people idea, you need to de listen to them and try understand how them de feel. For example, just think-am say you don be elder and you dey meeting with other elders, if the idea wey most of the elders support no dey against wetin Bible talk, you go support-am even if you no like-am? Elder wey “no de do only wetin dey im mind” no de talk say things must go the way e want. E de like to get advice from people. (Gen. 13:8, 9; Prov. 15:22) Elder “no de quarrel-quarrel” or “de quick vex.” Instead to dey harsh or no de gree for people, elders de dey gentle and kind. As person wey like peace, person wey be elder de make sure say peace dey even when e no easy. (Jas. 3:​17, 18) E sabi talk for way wey go make the mind of person wey de vex come down, e go sabi do this one even to people wey dey against wetin we believe.—Judg. 8:​1-3; Prov. 20:3; 25:15; Matt. 5:​23, 24.

14. Wetin Bible mean when e say make elder “no be man wey be new disciple” and make e be person wey “hold God tight”?

¹⁴ For brother to fit qualify as elder, e no go be ‘new servant of Jehovah.’ Even though say e no need to be person wey don baptize for many years, e need time to fit become mature Christian. Before them make-am elder, e must show say e de copy Jesus example. This one mean say e de carry body down, and ready to wait for Jehovah no matter how long e go be before e get any work for congregation. (Matt. 20:23; Phil. 2:​5-8) Elder de show say “e hold God tight” when e de use all im heart support Jehovah and  Im law and e still de use all im heart follow direction from Jehovah organization.—1 Tim. 4:15.

15. Na must say elder go sabi give talk wey go shake ground? Explain.

¹⁵ Bible make-am clear say elder must be person wey “sabi teach well.” This one mean say e must sabi give talk wey go shake ground? No. No be all elders de give talk like that. But when them de preach, and de visit brothers and sisters to encourage them, elders need to sabi use Bible teach well and encourage their brothers and sisters well. (Check the study note (for English) for 1 Timothy 3:2 wey be “qualified to teach.” Still compare 1 Corinthians 12:​28, 29 and Ephesians 4:11.) Even with this one, you still need to continue to de learn how to make your talk better. How you fit do this one?

16. Wetin go help you become better teacher? (Still check the picture.)

¹⁶ “E de really follow the true word.” To fit sabi teach well, make sure say you de follow wetin Bible talk when you de give talk or when you de advice brothers and sisters for congregation. And to fit do this one, you need to de study Bible and our book them well. (Prov. 15:28; 16:23; check the study note (for English) for Titus 1:9 wey be “holding firmly to the faithful word.”) As you de study Bible, make you try understand the meaning of the scripture, so that you go fit use them for the correct way. And when you de teach or give talk, do your best to help the people love Jehovah more and talk wetin go move them to like to do wetin them de learn. If you want make the way you de teach better pass as e be now, tell elders wey sabi teach make them show you how to do-am and follow their advice. (1 Tim. 5:17) Elders need to know how to “fit encourage” brothers and sisters. But sometimes, elders must advice or even “correct” brothers and sisters for congregation. Whether elder de encourage or de correct brothers and sisters, e must treat them with love. If you dey gentle with people, de show them love and de follow wetin dey Bible when you de teach God Word, you go become better teacher and you go show say you de copy our Great Teacher wey be Jesus.—Matt. 11:​28-30; 2 Tim. 2:24.

 CONTINUE TO DO YOUR BEST TO QUALIFY

17. (a) Wetin go help ministerial servants continue to do their best to fit qualify to be elders? (b) Wetin elders suppose put for mind when them de check if ministerial servant qualify to be elder? (Check the box “ No Overdo When You De Check if Other People Qualify.”)

¹⁷ Some ministerial servants fit feel say them no go ever fit qualify to be elder because plenty things dey wey them need to work on. But remember say Jehovah and im organization no de expect us to do all this things like say we dey perfect. (1 Pet. 2:21) And na Jehovah holy spirit de help us fit get all this character wey de make us fit qualify. (Phil. 2:13) You get any area wey you go like to de do more? Pray to Jehovah about-am. Do research about the area wey you go like do more and ask elders for advice about how you fit do-am.

18. Wetin we de encourage all ministerial servants to do?

¹⁸ Make all of us, even brothers wey don de serve as elders, continue to do our best to get the better-better character wey we don talk about for this article. (Phil. 3:16) You be ministerial servant? Do your best to qualify! Beg Jehovah say make e train you to do more for-am and for congregation. (Isa. 64:8) And Jehovah go bless you well-well as you de do your best to qualify to be elder.