Language Studies

Difficult Sayings

When is a Pastor not a Pastor?
Ephesians 4:11

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." (Ephesians 4:11) = elders (e.g., Acts 14:23; 15:2,4,6,22; 1 Timothy 5:17,19; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1)

episkopoi (επισκοπος, Strong's #1985) = overseers, bishops (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-2; Titus 1:7)

hêgoumenoi (ηγεομαι, Strong's #2233) = rulers (Hebrews 13:7,17,24; 1 Clement, 1.3; 61; Hermas, Visions, 2.2.6)

kyrioi = lords (Barnabas 19.7)

poimenas (ποιμην, Strong's #4166) = pastors, or shepherds (Ephesians 4:11; Hermas, Similitudes, 9.31.4-5).

kubernêseis (κυβερνεσις, Strong's #2941) = those who steer (akin to Latin), administrators (NKJV), governors (AV) (1 Corinthians 12:28)

archontes = notables (1 Clement, 60)

What we don't read about is priests other than our common priesthood (1 Peter 2:5,9), male and female, as believers. We are all priests but not all are apostles or pastors. All of the above titles may have been mutually interchangeable terms. For example, Acts 20:17,28-30:

"From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church." (Acts 20:17)

"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28)

Here we have a group of gathered elders whom the Holy Spirit has made 'overseers' and whose function is to "shepherd the church". Now 'shepherd', in this instance, is simply the verb ποιμαινω poimainô (Strong's #4165) related to the noun 'pastor' (Strong's #4166) and describes what a pastor does rather than what is written on his badge of office.

In 1 Peter 2:25 'shepherd' and 'overseer' are used synonymously with respect to Christ as guardian over our lost-sheep-like souls.

Again, later in his epistle (1 Peter 5:1-5), Peter uses language similar to Paul at Miletus:

"Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;" (1 Peter 5:2)

He describes overseeing-elders who 'pastor/shepherd'. This triple linking of pastor/shepherd, elder, and bishop/overseer occurs again in a twofold form in the c.110 A.D. writing of bishop Ignatius. In, to the Romans, 9.1-3, he writes "Remember in your prayers the church, which is in Syria, which instead of me, has now for its shepherd the Lord...and He alone will oversee it...". So we have a bishop speaking of his replacement by a shepherd who will 'oversee' it, the verbal form of 'overseer/bishop'.

Any early concept of monoepiscopacy (the rule of one bishop or archbishop) is far away, for the chief elder, overseer (episkopos), shepherd (archipoimên) or great shepherd (mega poimên) is Jesus himself (1 Peter 2:25; 5:4; Hebrews 13:20).

In the early church writings there is little mention of a 'pastor' and by 110 A.D. the shift was all but to bishop(s) with a gradual further change to one single bishop as a focus of unity emerging. In the spurious epistles of Ignatius, to the Antiochians, 13, we read of salutations from "Onesimus, the pastor of the Ephesians,..." and the pseudonymous author continues with greetings from various bishops as if bishop and pastor were interchangeable depending on local titular preference. In the Epistle of Maria the Proselyte to Ignatius, 5, she describes him as a pastor and shepherd, whereas elsewhere he is called bishop of Antioch.

Later in the second century, or perhaps earlier if the allegedly spurious Ignatian epistles are very late, Irenaeus writes his tractate Against Heresies and introduces chapter 20 with the following:

"THOSE PASTORS ARE TO BE HEARD TO WHOM THE APOSTLES COMMITTED THE CHURCHES, POSSESSING ONE AND THE SAME DOCTRINE OF SALVATION; THE HERETICS, ON THE OTHER HAND, ARE TO BE AVOIDED. WE MUST THINK SOBERLY WITH REGARD TO THE MYSTERIES OF THE FAITH.
1. Now all these [heretics] are of much later date than the bishops to whom the apostles committed the Churches;"

The clear repetition of the phrase "committed the churches" with at first the mention of 'pastors' and then 'bishops' demonstrates their historical affinity. Other that these rare references the office of pastor is not mentioned in the earliest church writings.

Joachim Jeremias^F1 points out that the Qumran office of mebaqqêr also means 'overseer' and that the duties were similar including teaching, discipline and financial management. In particular, their role outlined in some of the Dead Sea Scrolls literature, included pastoring as a father or a shepherd (Damascus Document [CD], 13.9) and loosing (cf. Matthew 16:19).

So, in conclusion, when is a pastor not a pastor? When he/she is a bishop, overseer, elder or shepherd. I purposefully wrote "he/she" as we will examine the gender of this initially single but variously titled church office in a future column, indeed it is still being discussed avidly on the StudyLight forums:

"I am not sure if this has been posted or not, but I was wondering what everyone's view is on a female Pastor? Is it Biblically O.K. to have female Pastors..."

As a result of this article the hotly debated forum question also relates to female bishops.

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FOOTNOTES:
F1: Jeremias, Jerusalem in the time of Jesus, (London: SCM, 1969), pp.260ff.

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