Pastor-Teacher Series: Different Terms for the Pastor-Teacher

There are many terms used in the Greek New Testament for the pastor.

The first one we will note is the noun episkopos, “overseer,” which emphasizes the pastor’s role as the protector of the souls of his congregation from the false doctrine that permeates the cosmic system of Satan (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Pet. 2:25).

Episkopos is a compound word composed of the preposition epi, “over, upon” and the noun skopos, “one who watches,” hence, “one who watches over someone.”

The word means “guardian, overseer, supervisor, superintendent.”

Acts 20:28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopos), to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (NASB95)

1 Timothy 3:2-3 An overseer (episkopos), then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. (NASB95)

Titus 1:7 For the overseer (episkopos) must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. (NASB95)

In the Greek New Testament, episkopos means, “guardian, overseer, supervisor, superintendent, one who watches over others.”

The episkopos is responsible for the protective care of his congregation’s spiritual life and specifically, the pastor-teacher is responsible for the protective care of the souls of his congregation.

He is to keep watch over their souls through the consistent daily communication of the Word of God, which roots out any false doctrine that has invaded the souls of his congregation from contact with the cosmic system.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. (NASB95)

Presbuteros, “elder” is an adjective which means, “elder” and emphasizes the pastor’s role as chief policy maker of the church since he is the one delegated by the Holy Spirit with authority to communicate the Word of God (Acts 20:17, 1 Tim. 5:1, 17, 19; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1).

Presbuteros is used to refer to pastor-teachers (1 Tim. 5:17, 19; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1, 5; 2 John 1; 3 John 1) and it is synonymous with episkoposin the NT epistles.

In Acts 20:18-28, both episkopos and presbuteros refer to the pastor-teacher who presides over a local assembly of believers.

They are not two different offices in the church but one in the same.

This is attested to by some of the greatest scholars that the church has ever produced, such men as Lightfoot, Thayer, and Jerome.

The verb poimaino means “shepherd” and emphasizes the function of the pastor in feeding and nourishing his congregation with the Word of God (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 9:7; 1 Pet. 5:2).

1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd (poimaino) the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness. (NASB95)

The fact that episkopos, “overseers”, poimaino, “shepherd,” and presbuteros, “elders” are synonymous is attested to by the passage in Acts 20 where the apostle Paul calls for a meeting with the pastor-teachers in Ephesus.

Acts 20:17-28 teaches that episkopos, poimaino and presbuteros are synonymous terms and Jerome, who lived from 347 A.D. to 419 A.D., and was one of the greatest scholars that the church has ever produced wrote, confirms this rather forcefully in his Letters (The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2nd series, volume 6, page 288).

There is another word in the Greek New Testament that is used to describe the pastor-teacher and it is the noun diakonos, “minister.”

This word emphasizes the pastor’s responsibility to the Lord in being devoted and faithful in studying and teaching the Word of God to his congregation and praying for their spiritual growth (1 Cor. 3:5, 2 Cor 3:6, 6:4, Eph. 3:7, 6:21, Col. 1:7, 23, 25, 4:7, 1 Thess. 3:2, 1 Tim. 4:6).

Our Lord teaches His disciples to be the diakonos of each other meaning that they are not to be self-absorbed and self-centered but to serve each other as He served them by dying for their sins (Matt. 20:26, Mark 9:35, 10:43; Jn. 13).

The noun diakonos is used in reference to those men who hold the office of deacon in the local assembly (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8, 12).

Ephesians 6:21 But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister (diakonos) in the Lord, will make everything known to you. (NASB95)

Colossians 1:7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant (diakonos) of Christ on our behalf. (NASB95)

Colossians 4:7 As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant (diakonos) and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. (NASB95)

1 Thessalonians 3:2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker (diakonos) in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith. (NASB95)

When diakonos is applied to the pastor-teacher, it refers to the pastor’s devotion and faithfulness to studying, teaching bible doctrine to his congregation and praying for their spiritual growth.

Diakonos is synonymous with episkopos, presbuteros, didaskalos, and poimen when referring to the pastor-teachers with each describing a different aspect of the pastor-teacher’s role in the body of Christ.

The apostle Paul describes himself and Apollos, who was a pastor-teacher, as a diakonos (1 Cor. 3:5).

The fifth word that we will note that is used in the Greek New Testament for the pastor-teacher is the noun apostolos.

This word does not always signify the office of apostle but at times refers to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has delegated the pastor as the spiritual commander of his congregation (Acts 14:14; 2 Cor. 8:23; Phlp. 2:25; 1 Thess. 2:7; Rev. 2:2).

The sixth word that we will note that is used of the pastor-teacher is hegeomai, which emphasizes the pastor’s role as the spiritual authority in the congregation whose function is to watch over the souls of his congregation by feeding them the Word of God and praying for them (Heb. 13:7, 17).

Just as the physical body has many members with each having a different function so the body of Christ has many members with each having a different function (1 Cor. 12).

Just as the physical body has joints, which give it freedom of movement, so the pastor-teacher gives the body of Christ freedom of movement by abundantly supplying his congregation the Word of God (Eph. 4:11-16).

Ephesians 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers. (NASB95)

The expression tous poimenas kai didaskalous, “pastors and teachers” is a figure of speech called hendiadys, where these two nouns are used to express one idea or concept.

The noun poimen, “pastor,” emphasizes his role of feeding his congregation the Word of God, which nourishes and cares for the spiritual well-being of his congregation (Eph. 4:11).

The noun didaskalos, “teacher” emphasizes the pastor’s responsibility to systematically impart his technical knowledge of the Word of God to his congregation on a regular or sustained basis (Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; James 3:1).

Ephesians 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature, which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (NASB95)

Haphe, “joint” refers to the pastor-teacher who is the intermediate agency that the Lord uses to affect the spiritual growth of the individual members of the Body of Christ.

The word is found only twice in the NT (Eph. 4:16; Col. 2:19).

Colossians 2:18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on {visions} he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. (NASb95)

The noun haphe, “joint” is a metaphorical term which emphasizes the importance of the pastor-teacher’s function in the body of Christ since the Word of God which he supplies the congregation is essential to their spiritual growth, function of their spiritual gifts and protection of their souls from the lies of the cosmic system of Satan (Eph. 4:16; Col. 2:19).

Paul employs haphe metaphorically for pastor-teachers in the church who are to abundantly supply their congregations the Word of God, which gives the congregation the capacity to grow to spiritual maturity and gives them freedom of movement to serve the Lord and the body of Christ (Eph. 4:16; Col. 2:19).