1 Timothy 5:17
1 Timothy 5:1717Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
The Watchtower cites to affirm its body-of-elders structure at the local Kingdom Hall — "the elders who preside in a fine way" maps naturally onto a JW elder body, and the honouring of teaching elders lines up with how circuit overseers and study conductors are treated. The verse also tacitly supports the wider hierarchy: if elders "preside," then (on the Watchtower reading) presiding authority transmits upward to circuit overseers, branch committees, and ultimately the Governing Body as the top "presiding" body over the global congregation.
The word is plural — "elders" — and the next move should be to count elders everywhere Paul sets up leadership: (elders "in each congregation"), (elders "in city after city"), (the Ephesian overseers, always plural), (Peter calls himself "a fellow elder," not a chief shepherd). In every New Testament church, leadership is a local plurality, not a monarchical or regional office.
The kind, specific question on the doorstep: "I see in that elders — plural — preside in a fine way. Can you show me a New Testament verse that authorises any layer above the local body of elders? Circuit overseers, branch committees, a Governing Body — where does the Bible build those layers?" The verse that sets the structure only sets one layer: local elders under the chief shepherd Christ (). Everything stacked above that in the Watchtower structure is human invention, not scripture.