The word "blameless" (without reproach) in 1 Timothy 3:2
Elders are to be “blameless” (KJV). The American Standard translation of 1901 says “without reproach.” This term (anepileptos) is found only in the book of First Timothy, and most are especially interested in what the word means in 1 Tim. 3:2. Here Paul said elders are to be “blameless.”
A single word definition for “without reproach” (blameless) is irreproachable. Blameless does not mean a man (elder) is perfect; it simply means there are no glaring faults in his life.
Some have the idea that only elders (church leaders, Heb. 13:17) must be “blameless.” This is not true. Although it is a different term in the original text of the New Testament, Bible students should carefully study 1 Cor. 10:32. Here Paul used a different word (aproskopos) that says all of God’s people to be blameless. The Complete Biblical Library (Greek English Dictionary, 1:413) defined the word in 10:32 as “be blameless before everyone.” All Christians have an obligation to be “blameless.” The term (aproskopos) in 1 Cor. 10:32 is rendered “no occasion of stumbling” in the ASV and “no offence” in the KJV.