Scriptural Names for Overseers1Peter 4:11

•Understand that God chose the words Himself to convey His message in the Bible, 1Cor.2:12-13 and Luke 21:14-15.

•This makes the words, and names, important.

Six English words translate three Greek God chose to describe the office

• “Presbyter” or “Elder”

>comes from the Greek presbuteros which is a derivative meaning “one advanced in life, an elder, a senior…”

>Some words have both primary and official usages. The words judge and major can be used as verbs, adjectives, and nouns. But the noun forms can be official designations. So too it is with Presbyter and Elder.

Six English words translate three Greek God chose to describe the office

• “Bishop” or “Overseer”

>comes from the Greek episkopos- from epi- upon, the presence of, over; and skopeo- to look at,

consider, hence to oversee.

>Thayer defines the office as “an overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by

others are done rightly” cf. Acts 20:28; Phil.1:1; 1Tim.3:2; Titus 1:7; and 1Pet.5:2.

Six English words translate three Greek God chose to describe the office

• “Shepherd” or “Pastor”

>comes from the Greek poimen- and means “a shepherd, one who tends herds or flocks”. Poimano, another form of the same root, adds “to rule, govern… to furnish pasturage or food; to nourish”

>Our English word Pastor is found only in Eph.4:11 in the noun (official) form. But the Greek poimen (or derivatives) is found some 18 times. cf. Acts 20:28 and 1Pet.5:2

So, what does all this mean?

• God chose and used words to name the office which described the function and duties of it.

• The words are therefore key to our understanding of what Presbyters/Elders, Bishops/Overseers, and Shepherds/Pastors are supposed to be and do.