A STUDY OF THE TERMS “ELDER,” “BISHOP,” AND “PASTOR” AS USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

 by Bill Wachtel

Acts 11:30  “and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. The first mention in Acts of church elders, those of the church in Jerusalem.

Acts 14:23 “when they had ordained them elders in every church” Paul and Barnabas named elders for every church, presumably the churches  located in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch—cities in Asia Minor.

Acts 16:4  “they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem” The elders of the Jerusalem church, in a leadership role with the apostles.

Acts 20:17 “he [Paul] sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church” Paul, being in Miletus, sent a messenger to Ephesus to call the elders of that church to come and meet with him in Miletus.

Acts 20:28 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers [episkopous, bishops], to feed [poimainein, to pastor or to shepherd] the church of God”

From this text (as well as 1 Peter 5:1,2) the elders are identified as being synonymous with bishops or pastors. 

No distinction is made within the eldership, as though some elders are not bishops or pastors.

1 Peter 5:1-3 “The elders which are among you I exhort. . . .  Feed [poimanete, serve as pastors to] the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof [episkopountes, being bishops]. . . . Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.”

The elders, as Peter describes them, are per se also pastors and bishops.  Again, he makes no distinction as to these functions within the eldership.  This suggests that ALL N.T. elders are ALSO both pastors and bishops, as well as elders. 

1 Timothy 3:1ff. “If a man desire the office of a bishop [episkopes, overseership, bishopric].

No mention is made here of the term “elders,” but it is assumed from the above texts that these “bishops” are also the same men elsewhere called elders and pastors, within a given congregation.

1 Timothy 5:17 “Let the elders that rule well. . . .”

Paul ‘s words suggest the possibility that not all elders do well in the task of leadership or overseeing the congregation, but they do not imply that there are SOME  elders who do not have the responsibility of overseeing.  Taken at face value, his words imply that ALL elders have that responsibility, i.e., they as elders are automatically “bishops” and “pastors”—that is, they as teachers and guides of the flock are responsible to lead by example and by teaching.  We have already seen that their leadership must not be coercive, as would be that of “lords” or “masters” over the brethren.  But nevertheless it is seen that “elders” are, by virtue of being elders, men with pastoral and supervisory responsibility.  In other words, elders are bishops and are pastors.  I see no way to escape this conclusion, based on the textual evidence and sound hermeneutics.

Philippians 1:1 “To all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.”

“Elders” are not mentioned here, as the deacons are.  This suggests that Paul is simply using the term “bishops” as referring to those whom he also calls “elders” and “pastors” in other contexts.   

It is hard to escape the fact that Paul seems to use the terms “bishop” and “elder” and “pastor” as synonyms referring to the same men.

Titus 1:5,7 “That thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city. . . .  For a bishop must be blameless. . . .”  

It is clear that in this context Paul is using the term “elder” and “bishop” synonymously.  He is not implying that there are “elders” who are not at the same time “bishops.”  Thus, in Paul’s total usage, a man who is an “elder” in the congregation is likewise a “bishop” and a “pastor.”  Any attempt to see that there are congregational “elders” who are not therefore “bishops” and “pastors” seems fruitless.

Notes on the word “pastor” [poimen, shepherd]

Ephesians 4:11 “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers [poimenas kai didaskalous—this construction makes it likely that “teachers” is epexegetical to “pastors,” yielding the idea “pastor-teachers”].

Since the terms “elders” and “bishops” is absent in this text, the term “pastors” must be understood to be referring to the same men also called “elders” or “bishops.” Compare also Heb. 13:20, where Christ is called “that great Shepherd [poimen, pastor] of the sheep” and 1 Peter 2:25, where He is called “the Shepherd and Bishop [episkopon] of your souls.”

In 1 Peter 5:4, Christ is called the “chief Shepherd [archipoimen], who at His return will reward the under-shepherds of His flock, the “pastors-bishops-elders” who serve Him and His church faithfully during the present age.