9: ‘Pastor’ And Other Words The Bible Uses To Describe An Overseer

Welcome to the Ready for Eternity podcast. I'm Eddie Lawrence. In the last episode, we started a series on what the

Bible has to say about pastors. In this episode, I want to talk about the terms the

New Testament uses to describe this important role in the church. Pastor is probably the most popular term, but let's talk about pastor and the other words the

Bible uses to describe an overseer. This saying is trustworthy.

If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work. First, Timothy 3 verse 1.

Christians from different church traditions use various terms to describe the role of the person who leads, oversees, or shepherds their congregations.

Sometimes these descriptions can refer to the person behind the pulpit, or they may apply to positions within a church leadership hierarchy.

More often than not, we use them as titles. However, we use these words differently than the

New Testament does. The opening verses of 1 Timothy chapter 3 describe the qualifications of those who may serve as pastors, but before we consider those qualifications, let's first understand how the

New Testament describes pastors and the duties they are supposed to perform. Now, based on the title of this episode, you may be wondering what is an overseer and what does that have to do with the pastor?

Well, simply put, the words pastor, elder, overseer, and steward are not talking about four different roles.

The New Testament authors use all of these words interchangeably. They all refer to the same function.

These are not titles. They are job descriptions. Each term helps to better describe the function of the role.

The complete list is elder or presbyter, overseer or bishop, pastor or shepherd, or steward.

Some of these words are redundant. For example, elder and presbyter are synonyms.

The same is true of overseer and bishop, and likewise, pastor and shepherd are different words which mean the same thing.

Let's take a look at how the Bible uses these terms. As you listen to these verses being read, notice how all of these descriptive terms apply to the same leadership role in the church.

These are not different roles, but one single leadership role in the local church.

In Acts chapter 20, Paul was passing through Miletus, and from there he called for the elders of the

Ephesian church. Listen to how he refers to the same men as both elders, overseers, and shepherds.

Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church. Acts 20 verse 17.

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

Acts 20 verse 28. In Titus chapter 1, we again see elders and overseer referring to the same role, but Paul also adds the term steward.

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.

For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant, or quick -tempered, or a drunkard, or violent, or greedy for gain.

Titus 1 verses 5 and 7. And like both Luke and Paul in Acts and Titus, Peter in 1

Peter chapter 5 also uses the same words to refer to the job of overseeing a congregation or a flock of Christians.

So I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly.

1 Peter 5 verses 1 and 2. Just a casual reading of these passages show that these terms are not referring to different functions, nor to different levels of leadership in a hierarchical chain of command.

They all refer to the same role in the church. They refer to those who have the spiritual oversight of a single congregation of Christians.

So why does the New Testament use different words for the same role?

The different terms describing this role, elder, overseer, shepherd, or steward, all say something about the qualities and responsibilities of a pastor.

For example, the word elder or presbyter both come from the same

Greek word, and it means an older man, someone who is senior, and the emphasis is upon life experience.

An overseer or a bishop comes from a different Greek word. The definition is supervisor or guardian, and the emphasis is upon oversight.

Likewise, shepherd and pastor come from a third Greek word, which means one who tends a flock, and the emphasis there is upon care or protection.

And finally, the word steward comes from a fourth Greek word. The steward was the manager of a household, and the emphasis was upon faithfulness and trustworthiness.

As you can see, the term elder implies an older person who has gained the wisdom and life experience necessary to carry out the important work of overseeing a church.

The word overseer suggests a supervisory or a guardianship role. A shepherd, also known as a pastor, is a person who tends a flock of sheep.

This term pictures a person who protects his congregation from danger and cares for those who are spiritually weak or sick.

Finally, a steward is a manager of someone else's property. One who stewards a group of Christians is taking care of those who, in reality, belong to Jesus.

Such a person must be faithful and trustworthy to be given so much responsibility.

Interestingly, pastor seems to be the most frequently used word for the person who leads a church, but it is the least used term in the

New Testament. The word pastor only appears in Ephesians 4 .11. Overseer, elder, and shepherd are the most frequently used terms in the

Bible. Now, why would we zero in on the least used biblical description?

Well, maybe it's because we expect titles. The words pastor, bishop, and elder are almost always used by Christians as titles.

The authors of the New Testament never used these terms as anything other than descriptions.

You see, titles tend to set the title holders apart from the regular people.

They only serve to make a distinction where God has not made a distinction. The most prominent and respected leaders of the early church considered themselves to be servant leaders.

One should think about us this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 1

Corinthians 4 verse 1. Biblically speaking, a pastor is the same as a shepherd, an elder, an overseer, or a steward.

While God has delegated them the role of oversight, he has also told them how to exercise this leadership role.

Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 1

Peter 5 verse 3. To lead in an unbiblical way puts the reputation of the role and the church at risk.

We heard 1 Timothy 3 1 read at the beginning of this episode. This saying is trustworthy.

If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work. Does it strike you as odd that Paul needed to tell the

Christians in Ephesus that overseeing a congregation is a noble work? The fact that Paul wrote these words to Timothy suggests that corrupt church leaders in Ephesus had soiled the reputation of the role of overseer.

Maybe they had even so tarnished the image of the role of a shepherd or a pastor that respectable

Christians didn't want the job. They may have feared ruining their good name by being in that position.

Unfortunately, this is also true in our day. Not a week goes by that there isn't some scandal associated with a pastor somewhere in our country.

To lead unbiblically puts the reputation of the role of pastor and the reputation of the church at risk, just as what appears to have happened to the church in Ephesus.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. We hope this episode has deepened your understanding of Scripture.

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