In chapter three, Paul addresses the need for godly leadership within the church. The lists of the character qualities in verses 2-7 (elders) and 8-13 (deacons) should not be taken legalistically nor as being complete. You will notice that in the lists nothing is mentioned of prayer or of worship.
The point of the chapter is that the church needs godly shepherds to care for his people. You can see from the list of specific qualities what some of the issues were in the early church: they were quarrelsome and violent toward one another (1 Timothy 3:3), lovers of money, and drunkards.
The women were devilish in their talk (cf. 1 Timothy 3:11 - the greek word for slander is "diabolous') creating suspicion and sowing seeds of discontent and doubt through rumor, innuendo and outright malicious talk.
If the leaders were to come from within this people group, someone needed to change and become an example of the godly life in Christ!
The point of this chapter is really in verses 14-16. The church needs leaders that embody and manifest the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to its people. Just as God became incarnate in the flesh and dwelt among us, emptying himself and taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:1-11), so should the church manifest the living Christ in their behavior. This is the mystery of godliness (3:16).
This is a sobering word for all of us, since none of us are perfect. The Spirit of the living God dwells within us as a mark and seal of our salvation in Christ (Ephesians 1:13). We struggle daily against our sinful desires (Romans 7), yet we have the ability to overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13). This struggle alone drives us back to prayer and the heart of God asking for his strengthening and encouragement so that we might live for him.
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