5 OTHER NAMES FOR ELDERS IN THE NT

Biblical Eldership

Shepherd the Flock of God Among You

5

Other Names For Elders

in the New Testament

Bishop/Overseer

The English term "bishop" means overseer and is sometimes used to translate the Greek word "episcopos" which means "one who over (epi) sees (scopos)".

There are at least four reasons to consider this term (bishop/overseer) as equivalent to "elder" in the New Testament church.

Reason One: Tit_1:5 compared to 1:7

Tit_1:5-7

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain.

Compare Tit_1:5 with 1:7, where "bishop/overseer" and "elder" are apparently interchangeable terms. Paul begins by saying that Titus should appoint elders (presbuterous) in every town (verse 5). Then he gives some qualifications that they must meet (verse 6), and continues without a break in verse 7 by saying, "For a bishop (episkopon), as God's steward must be blameless." Virtually all commentators agree that the same office is in view in these two terms: "elder" describing the man with reference to his dignity and standing (older); "bishop" describing the man with reference to his function and duty (oversight).

Reason Two: Act_20:17 compared to 20:28

Act_20:17; Act_20:28

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. . . . Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

In Act_20:17, Paul calls the "elders" to come down from Ephesus. Then he says to them in verse 28 that God has made them "guardians" (="overseers/bishops"; episkopous) among the flock. So the "elders" are the "bishops/overseers" in Ephesus.

Reason Three: 1Ti_3:1 ff compared to 5:17

1Ti_3:1

If anyone aspires to the office of bishop/overseer, he desires a noble task.

1Ti_5:17

The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

In 1Ti_3:1, Paul says, "If anyone aspires to the office of bishop/overseer, he desires a noble task." Then he gives the qualifications for the overseer/bishop in verses 2-7. Unlike the deacons, the overseer must be "able to teach" (verse 2), and in verse 5, he is said to be one whose management of his own household fits him to care for God's church. These two functions are ascribed to elders in the fifth chapter of this same book (1Ti_5:17) -teaching and governing. So it is very likely that in Paul's mind the bishops/overseers of 1Ti_3:1-7 are the same as the elders of 5:17.

Reason Four: Php_1:1 compared to 1Ti_3:1 ff and Act_14:23

In Php_1:1 Paul writes, "To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons." These, then, seem to be the two offices of the church just as in 1Ti_3:1-13 the qualifications are given only for these two. But Paul appointed "elders" in all the churches (Act_14:23), and so it is very likely that the elders of the church at Philippi were the bishops/overseers referred to in Php_1:1.

We conclude that the office of bishop/overseer is the same as the office of elder in the New Testament. It is listed beside the office of deacon (Php_1:1; 1Ti_3:1-13) in such a way as to show that these two were the main offices by which the ongoing life of the church was to be managed.

Pastor

The term "pastor" (poimen) occurs in the New Testament only once (Eph_4:11 "He gave some . . . as pastors and teachers"). But there is a verb (poimainein "to shepherd, or feed") closely related to the noun "pastor" which helps us discover how the role of pastor was related to the role of elder and bishop.

Reason One

Eph_4:11 treats pastors and teachers as one group and thus suggests that the chief role of the pastor is feeding the flock through teaching, a role clearly assigned to bishops/overseers in 1Ti_3:2 ("An elder must be . . . apt to teach") and to elders in Tit_1:9 ("He will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict"). This suggests that "pastor" is another name for "elder" and "overseer."

Reason Two

In Act_20:28, the "elders" of Ephesus are encouraged in their "pastoral" duties, thus showing that Paul saw the elders as the shepherds or pastors. (Act_20:28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.")

Reason Three

In 1Pe_5:1-2, the "elders" are told to "tend the flock of God" that is in their charge. In other words, Peter saw the elders as, essentially, pastors or shepherds. (1Pe_5:1-2, "I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you.")

Conclusion

The New Testament only refers to the office of pastor one time (Eph_4:11). It is a functional description of the role of elder stressing the care and feeding of the church as God's flock, just as "bishop/overseer" is a functional description of the role of elder stressing the governing or oversight of the church. We may conclude therefore that "pastor" and "elder" and "bishop/overseer" refer in the New Testament to the same office. This office stands alongside "deacon" in Php_1:1 and 1Ti_3:1-13 in such a way as to show that the two abiding officers instituted by the New Testament are elder and deacon.

Autor: John Piper