When having a Biblical discussion with someone today, phrases you may often hear are ones such as “Well, my pastor said...” or “Let me ask my pastor about that”. The name “pastor” is used in many denominations today when they are referring to the man that is commonly called the “preacher”. This is not meant to attack others, but to look back to the Bible to make sure we are all truly following the Bible. I encourage everyone to look honestly and openly at what the Bible has to say about this topic. This all starts with turning to the Bible. Things should be handled similarly to how it was discussed during the restoration movement. One of the sayings that should still be used by Christians today is that we should, “Speak where the Bible speaks and be
silent where the Bible is silent”. This phrase is usually followed by, “Calling Bible things by Bible names”. This is the principle we should follow in everything we do within the church. In this article, we will discuss what these terms mean, how they are used in the Bible, and look at what words we should be using.
The Greek word for the word “pastor” found in Ephesians is “poimēn”. That word is defined as, “A shepherd (literally or figuratively)” (Strongs). Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “a spiritual overseer”. This term is found in several places in the Old Testament, such as Jeremiah 23:2, “Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people”. It is also found once in the New Testament, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;” (Eph. 4:11). Many use the word in reference to their preacher, no matter what his age is, if he’s married, what kind of qualities he has, or in some cases, what gender they are.
Shepherds are individuals that must “feed the flock”. That command is given to a group of men called by another Greek word, which is translated “Elders”.
“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” (1 Peter 5:1-4)
The word used in 1 Peter is “presbuteros”. This is defined as, “Christian ‘presbyter’: - elder” (Strongs). The elders that are being addressed are to be shepherds, ultimately submitting themselves to the chief Shepherd, Jesus (John 10). They were also only to have authority over those that were among them, an individual congregation. This shows that the same people that were called “pastors” are also ones that can be called “elders”. Something else that should be noted here is that since this is the same group that can have interchangeable names, if there is going to be an elder in a church, there is to be a plurality of them, “And when they had ordained them elders in every church” (Acts 14:23). So, if there is going to be a pastor in a church, there should be a plurality of them. The reason there is not to be just one is because that is putting all of the power in one man’s hands, but there is only to be one authority, the Head of the church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; Col. 1:8). It can also be clearly seen by example that there is a plurality of “pastors”. McGarvey wrote, “There is no proposition in reference to the organization of the primitive churches upon which scholars and critics are more perfectly agreed than that every fully organized church had a plurality of Elders” (1950, p. 66).
The third word that can be used interchangeably with “elder” and “pastor” is “bishop”.
“This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A
bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good
behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” (2 Timothy 3:1-7)
The Greek word used is, “episkopē” and it is defined as, “Christian officer in general charge of a (or the) church (literally or figuratively” (Strongs). Note that there are certain things that an individual must have or do to be called by this name and be in this office. So, if they do not meet the qualifications, they should not be called by that name. If someone has not graduated from medical school or has the proper qualifications needed to be a doctor, he has no right to be called a doctor. Becoming the President of the United States is a great honor and the position should be respected, but there are certain qualifications (Age, citizenship, etc.) that are required to be placed in that position, so if a man does not meet those qualifications, he should not be called the President. On an even bigger scale, if someone does not meet the qualifications of a bishop (elder, pastor), then they should not be placed in that office or be called by that name. As stated before, some in the denominational world will call the preacher a pastor, no matter what their age, gender, or marital status is. As seen from this passage in 1 Timothy, an elder must be an older man with a wife and family. This description, found in the Bible, is not the same one used to describe preachers today. A preacher can also be a pastor, in the fact that a preacher can be an
elder, but there is no other reason to call a preacher a pastor.
There are already names for a preacher (Rom. 10:14), evangelist (2 Tim. 4:5), but only some can be given the title of pastor (Eph. 4:11). So, we must be careful who we bestow the title of pastor upon. Let each of us truly strive to completely live by the Bible, in everything that we say and do.
Works Cited
The King James Bible: King James Version .
Strong, James. The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: with Main Concordance,
Appendix to the Main Concordance, Hebrew and Aramaic Dictionary of the Old
Testament, Greek Dictionary of the New Testament .
McGarvey, J.W. (1950), The Eldership (Murfreesboro, TN: Dehoff Publications).