Can an elder function as an evangelist and vice versa?<\/p>\n\t
The word “pastor” in\u00a0Ephesians 4:11\u00a0comes from a Greek word referring to a shepherd. This is the man charged with the care and feeding of a flock. As with the office of the evangelist, this office is described by a variety of words. We can see this in\u00a0I Peter 5:1-4:<\/p>\n
“Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd 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; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory<\/i>.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The word “shepherd” in this passage is a form of the word translated in\u00a0Ephesians 4:11\u00a0as “pastor.” Notice the other terms as well. These men are also called elders. This word comes from the Greek word which means an older or senior person. The term indicates that this office is for older men who are experienced with living life as a Christian. The other term is “oversight.” Pastors or elders are also called overseers (which is sometimes translated as “bishops”). The word refers to someone who is a superintendent. Here it describes a man who is capable of watching over and directing a congregation. He is a man who is responsible for the congregation.<\/p>\n
Another passage that shows these terms being used interchangeably is\u00a0Acts 20:17,28:<\/p>\n
“From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. … 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<\/i>.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
An elder \/ pastor \/ overseer should not be confused with the office of evangelist \/ preacher \/ minister. They describe different duties within the church.<\/p>\n
At times a man may perform multiple duties, such as Peter being an apostle, a preacher, and an elder (refer again to\u00a0I Peter 5:1). Provision is made for the support of elders who are also preachers. “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine<\/i>” (I Timothy 5:17). However, do not conclude that every preacher is an elder or that every elder is a preacher. Proof that the jobs can be separate is seen in the apostle Paul who was a preacher, but never was an elder since he did not qualify for the position (he never married) (I Timothy 3:2).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Can an elder function as an evangelist and vice versa? Answer: The word “pastor” in\u00a0Ephesians 4:11\u00a0comes from a Greek word referring to a shepherd. This is the man charged with the care and feeding of a flock. As with the office of the evangelist, this office is described by a variety of words. We…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[123,1511],"class_list":["post-1497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-elders","tag-preachers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":89345,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/protectors-of-the-flock\/","url_meta":{"origin":1497,"position":0},"title":"Protectors of the Flock","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jerry C. Brewer When Luke penned Paul's last words to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, the Holy Spirit guided his hand in selecting a single word that graphically sums up and illustrates the work of elders. That word is, poimaino. According to McClintock and Strong, this word means,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56250,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/five-synonyms-one-office\/","url_meta":{"origin":1497,"position":1},"title":"Five Synonyms: One Office","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 26, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeff Smith In the New Testament, we find at least five words that describe both the office an elder holds and the work that he does. Elder\u00a0is from the Greek word,\u00a0presbuterous. Paul told Titus to \"appoint elders in every city\" in Titus 1:5. The lexicographer, Thayer, comments that this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17635,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/any-advice-for-a-new-elder\/","url_meta":{"origin":1497,"position":2},"title":"Any advice for a new elder?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 28, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a brother in Christ who's been an elder for a short time. There are two older elders who have been in the church for many years and he feels like a junior elder and they are senior elders. The church recognizes it at times because it's being\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18360,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/pastors-and-preachers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1497,"position":3},"title":"Pastors and Preachers","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by James R. Cope via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 3, Jan. 1952. The word \"pastors\" occurs only one time in our English version of the New Testament. More often the original is rendered \"shepherd\" or \"shepherds.\" By implication, the pastoral work is identified with the office of bishops or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41588,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-an-elder-an-elder-for-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":1497,"position":4},"title":"Is an elder an elder for life?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: A brother in our area is claiming to be \"an elder for life\" even though he has moved from one congregation to another and has not\u00a0been a serving elder in either. He was an elder for a congregation, but that eldership was dissolved because of his domineering attitude and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68637,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-an-elder-step-down-from-the-position\/","url_meta":{"origin":1497,"position":5},"title":"Can an elder step down from the position?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: A thing of concern is that elders are not allowed to step down from their positions. The only time an elder can step down is when his wife passes away. What if the elder and his family relocate to a different area or country, or when that elder goes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}