When we read the New Testament, we find three different words used for the men entrusted with the leadership of a local church. At first, that can make it sound like Scripture is describing three different positions. But when we look at how these words are actually used, we discover that they refer to the same office. Each word simply emphasizes a different aspect of who these men are and what they are responsible to do.
1. Elder — πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros)
The first word is presbyteros, usually translated “elder.” At its most basic level, the word refers to an older man, which is why it doesn’t always refer to a church leader when it appears in the New Testament. But when it is used for those leading a church, it carries the idea of maturity and experience. For example, Acts 14:23 says that Paul and Barnabas “appointed elders for them in every church.” So when Scripture describes these men as elders, the emphasis is on the kind of men entrusted with this responsibility: mature, proven men who can be trusted to lead God’s people.
2. Overseer — ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos)
The second word is episkopos, usually translated “overseer” and sometimes “bishop.” While “elder” emphasizes the maturity of the man, “overseer” emphasizes the responsibility he has been given. An overseer is someone who watches over something entrusted to his care. This is the word Paul uses in 1 Timothy 3:1 when he says, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” So when Scripture describes these men as overseers, the emphasis is on their responsibility to watch over, lead, and take responsibility for the church entrusted to their care.
3. Shepherd — ποιμήν (poimēn)
The third word is poimēn, which means “shepherd.” This is where our word “pastor” comes from. Pastor is the Latin word for shepherd, which is why some English translations use “pastor” in Ephesians 4:11 while others translate the Greek more directly as “shepherd.” The picture of a shepherd emphasizes how these men are to care for the people entrusted to them. Just as a shepherd feeds, guides, watches over, and protects his flock, the men entrusted with leading a church are responsible to care for God’s people. They aren’t merely administrators or decision-makers; they are shepherds entrusted with the care of Christ’s flock.
How Do We Know These Three Words Describe the Same Office?
One of the clearest places to see this is Acts 20. In verse 17, Paul assembles the elders [presbyteros] of the church to give them his farewell message. Then in verse 28, speaking to those same men, he says, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos], to care for [shepherd, poimainō] the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” So the same men are called elders, described as overseers, and commanded to shepherd.
Peter does the same thing in 1 Peter 5:1–2. He begins by addressing “the elders [presbyteros] among you.” Then he tells those same men to “shepherd [poimainō] the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight [episkopeō].” Once again, the same men are called elders, commanded to shepherd, and told to exercise oversight.
Putting It Together
These passages make it clear that elder, overseer, and shepherd are not three different offices or three different levels of leadership. They are three different ways the New Testament describes the same office. Each word brings a different aspect of that office into focus.
“Elder” emphasizes the maturity of the man. “Overseer” emphasizes his responsibility to lead and watch over the church. “Shepherd” emphasizes his responsibility to care for God’s people. Put together, the picture is straightforward: the elders of the church are the overseers of the church, and their responsibility is to shepherd the people God has entrusted to their care.
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