The three letters, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus have been known as Pastoral Epistles. They are the manual for church leadership. These letters contain practical instructions on how to take care of the church of Jesus Christ. There is no evidence in the scriptures that Timothy and Titus were the ordained bishops. Timothy and Titus were sent to the Churches of Ephesus and Crete by Apostle Paul to instruct the believers how to conduct themselves in the Church. The church is the household of God that upholds and supports the truth that God has revealed through His Son Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:15). 

Authorship, Date and place of writing:
There is general agreement among scholars that 1 Timothy is the first pastoral letter written by Paul. 2 Timothy was written just before Paul’s death under Nero.  Paul was released from his first imprisonment at Rome in A.D. 63 and allowed to travel.  Many scholars believe that during this period (63-64 AD), Paul probably wrote First Timothy from Greece. Paul identified himself as the author of this epistle (1 Timothy 1:1, 13, 15).  The doctrine of the letter is Paul’s doctrine.  The early church as a whole received this letter as authoritative and canonical.

To Whom It was written:
This epistle was addressed to Timothy who was ministering at Ephesus. He was sent to set a standard of behavior for the believers in the church.  He was a young resident of Lystra (Acts 16:1-3).  His father was a Greek and mother was Jewish (2 Timothy 1:5). He had a godly upbringing. Timothy most probably came to know Christ through the ministry of Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:8-20). During Paul’s second missionary journey, he decided to take Timothy with him as a fellow worker. Timothy was the beloved son of faith and there was no one like-minded to Paul as Timothy ( Philippians 2:20).

Purpose:
Timothy was Paul’s personal envoy to the Church of Ephesus. Being a young man, he was facing opposition from false teachers (3:14, 15).  So Paul wrote this letter to instruct and encourage young Timothy in his ministry.  He had to silence the false teachers and to set a standard behavior in the church.  Believers need to know what is expected of them in the church and how to behave properly. Also Paul wrote this letter to validate Timothy’s credentials for the ministry. Many of the problems Timothy faced, the leadership in the Church face today.  So First Timothy is Paul’s best manual for Church leadership.