“… and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you … a bishop … a steward of God…” (Titus 1:5-9) “… take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of God, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God…” (Acts 20:28)
As we prepare to biblically recognise Shepherd-qualified men to join the eldership at SYPC, we look today at the role itself. Helpfully John Macarthur draws together the main biblical terms that speak of the Elder’s role in the life of the church.
Such a man is also referred to as a pastor, overseer, prebyter, shepherd, and bishop. “Elder” refers to the spiritual maturity of the individual; “bishop” and “overseer” refer to his leadership responsibility; and “shepherd” and “pastor” refer to his responsibility to nurture the flock. Each term describes a different facet of the same office (cf Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet 5:1-2).
“Bishop” is an unfortunate translation of ‘episkopos‘ because it carries modern ecclesiastical implications that are not consistent with its biblical meaning. I prefer the translation “overseer” because it more accurately reflects the idea of a leader or ruler.
In the Greek culture, an ‘episkopos‘ was a city administrator or finance manager. Some scholars believe that the New Testament usage of ‘episkopos‘ is based on that usage. But also there was a monastic group of Jews known as the Essenes or Qumran community who lived at that time near the Dead Sea. The men who preached, taught, and exercised care and authority were called ‘episkopoi‘.
It is likely that the biblical meaning of ‘episkopos‘ got its definition from the Qumran community rather than the Greek culture because in that culture its definition was limited to a narrow administrative role.
The biblical overseer had the responsibility of leading, instructing, and shepherding the people. They also received contributions from the people, heard and verified accusations against believers, and administered church discipline where appropriate.