The Lord places a strong priority on the care of orphans and widows, both in the Old and New Testaments. In his epistle to Timothy, the Apostle Paul laid out clear, practical guidelines as to discerning which widows were and which ones who were not to receive regular gifts of charity from their local church.

It should be pointed out that exclusion from regular support in no way implied that other widows who did not meet the guidelines were unimportant. However, they had other means of support within their own abilities and within their own families. These widows were still loved, honored, and cared for by all individual believers within the Body of Christ.

Let’s look at the guidelines in I Timothy regarding a widow’s qualification for support from her local church.

Widows should be at least sixty years old

Paul wrote, “Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old” (I Timothy 5:9). This age is not merely a random number. Paul, carefully and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, provided a guideline for the age that a woman could be expected to support herself in other ways. She could be a tentmaker as Priscilla was or a seller of purple similar to Lydia’s trade.

There were plenty of ways, even in Bible times, that a woman could support herself, when necessary, through honest labor. When a widow has the health and strength to do so, it is appropriate that she support herself.

As to the younger widows under the age of sixty, Paul expressly encouraged them to marry again if the Lord opened that door.

Widows should have been married to one man

Paul continued in his letter to Timothy to say that a woman supported by the church should also meet this qualification: “having been the wife of one man” (I Timothy 5:9). If a woman was widowed and then remarried, her new husband was responsible for her care.

Many Bible scholars also hold that this phrase excludes women who were divorced and remarried. We must consider this phrase in the light of the entire counsel of God’s Word, realizing that there are faithful Christians who may differ in how they interpret various passages concerning divorce and remarriage. An argument could be made in light of other Scriptures that a widow who had been deserted or “put away” by an unfaithful husband—and that man later died—would be worthy of church support if she herself was committed to being a “one husband” woman.

Out of many complicated possible situations, Paul urged that widows receiving church support be women who were faithfully married to one husband.

Widows should have a reputation of good works

Regular church support was not just for any widow; it was for Godly widows. Paul gave careful instruction on this matter. “Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work” (I Timothy 5:10).

These attributes are desirable in all women. They are particularly noted as a demonstration of faith by those widows who are appropriately supported by the church. Good works can never merit salvation, but a Godly life well lived by these widows merited the due reward of regular church support, if needed.

Widows should not have other family members able to care for them

Ideally, an aging widow will have sons, nephews, and sons-in-law who are able to care for her and meet her needs. If this is the case, the church was not to provide regular financial support, leaving the church free to send available resources to the support of other widows, missionaries, and the advancement of the Gospel. Paul wrote, “If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed” (I Timothy 5:16).

We can apply these qualifications in our own churches today. God, in His wisdom, laid down these guidelines in such a way that they are applicable in every society in every age. Widows who are elderly, who have a Godly testimony, who have been faithfully married to one man, and who have no other means of support should be especially cared for by the Body of Christ. To care for these ladies is not only our duty, but such ministry is also our privilege.