“Men chosen as elders of the church or as deacons will be tempted on some points; but whatever the temptation may be, they may conquer it. Will they fight the enemy? Will they drive him from them, and stand as victor, or will they do the work Satan wishes them to do, by putting into another’s mind the thoughts of evil they have been tempted to cherish? They do good service for Satan by communicating those evil thoughts to another mind, setting him to watch with keen scrutiny, to think and speak evil of his brethren, and to pass along the dish prepared by Satan to poison others… Those chosen as elders [and deacons] of the churches are to be men of experience, who have a knowledge of the truth and are sound in the faith.”

Manuscript Releases, Vol. 5 p. 448, 449
by Ellen G. White