1 Timothy 4:12
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
A common misconception goes as follows: Timothy was a young man placed by the apostle Paul in a position of authority, and was told to make sure nobody disrespected him or discounted him because he was a young guy. The idea being that because he was young, many in the church might be inclined to look down on him by thinking "You are just a youngster, what do you know? I'm your elder, so you need to sit down and listen to me (us)." And, as if Timothy was supposed to whip out this epistle from the apostle and say "No, the apostle put me in charge, right here in black and white, and I'll not tolerate you disrespecting me or my ministry. Cause my age has no bearing on my ability or on my authority."
The possibity of being despised because he was a youngster was very real, especially in that day and age where it was customary to respect elders and where young people were always expected to defer to their elders.
However, a closer look at Paul's instruction shows a different take on the situation. Timothy was told not to let or allow anyone to despise his youth BUT INSTEAD he was to BE AN EXAMPLE. He was to demonstrate maturity, he was to make sure that he gave no reason for anyone to discount him as a mere youth.
So the apostle's advice to young ministers or would-be ministers is to act maturely, beyond what people commonly expect of young and otherwise immature men. Be an example in all things: in your speech, in your conduct and lifestyle, in your attitude, in your faith, in pureness and holiness.
By acting like a seasoned, mature, sober and serious saint, you give no reason for anyone to look down on you.
And by doing this, you learn how servant leadership works: people will follow your lead not because of your position, but because you give them
something that is worth following.