If you search your Bible for the word “pastor,” you’ll be hard-pressed to find it. One of the most popular English translations today, the ESV, does not contain it all. The KJV, NIV, NASB, and NLT only print it once in the New Testament, at Ephesians 4:11.
Pastor is a Latin word; it means shepherd. The New Testament, written in Greek, contains numerous references to shepherds. Because the word “shepherd” communicates more clearly in English than does the word “pastor,” most English translations have “shepherd” instead of “pastor.”
Does the Lord’s church have pastors? The answer to this question really depends on what we mean by “pastor.” In the denominational world, the pastor is usually the primary officer of the local congregation. He may answer to a board, even an elder board, upon which he may sit but over which he does not have authority. He crafts the vision for the church, and under the denomination’s framework, may set the doctrinal tone and stances of his congregation. These details vary by denomination, of course. If this is what we mean by pastor, then no, the Lord’s church does not have pastors.
According to the New Testament, the Lord’s church does have shepherds. In Acts 20:17 Paul calls the elders of the church in Ephesus. He tells them in Acts 20:28, “Be on guard for yourselves and for 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” (NASB). In this chapter we see the three aspects of congregational leaders: we learn from the term elder that they are to be experienced (mature), from the term overseers that they are to watch out for the congregation (oversee), and from the phrase “shepherd the church” that they are to care for the congregation (shepherd). Elsewhere, we find local leadership called elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5), overseers (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1), and shepherds (Ephesians 4:11; cf. 1 Peter 5:1–2). Thus, we can appropriately refer to men who meet the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9 as elders, shepherds, or overseers.
Since the New Testament always presents local congregations under the care and oversight of a group of men, it is not appropriate (or biblical!) for a congregation to have only one elder, shepherd, or overseer. Biblical congregations do not have a pastor, but they should have elders/shepherds (pastors)/overseers if there are qualified men available to serve in this good work.
The work of the evangelist is a separate work. His role is to “keep a close watch on [himself] and on the teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16) and to “preach the word…in season and out of season…with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). Unless he has also accepted the role of elder/shepherd/overseer, the preacher is not a pastor.
Clay Leonard
