What is an Overseer?
When talking about leadership in the church, you’ll likely hear words like Overseer, Elder, Deacon, and Stewardship Team. This article looks at Overseers/Elders. We’ll briefly examine the Bible’s terms for these leaders, their qualifications, and their responsibilities.
Terminology
The New Testament uses two Greek words commonly translated as "elder" or "overseer" in modern English Bibles. Presbyteros, usually translated "elder," is used 66 times and has two meanings. It can describe older men and women who do not necessarily hold a formal leadership position in the church community but who are nonetheless worthy of dignity and respect (1 Tim 5:1, 2). It can also denote someone appointed to spiritual leadership in a local congregation (Acts 14:23; 1 Tim 5:17; Titus 1:5).
Episkopos, translated "overseer," appears five times (Acts 20:28; Phil 1:1; 1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:7; and 1 Pet 2:25) and literally means overseer or watcher. Peter uses episkopos to refer to Christ as "the Shepherd and Overseer (episkopos) of your souls" (1 Pet 2:25). A shepherd caring for his flock serves as a good illustration of an episkopos caring for his church. In all New Testament uses except 1 Pet 2:25, episkopos appears to be a title ascribed to someone appointed to a position of spiritual leadership in a local church.
Although presbyteros and episkopos are not direct synonyms, Paul uses them together in his letter to Titus. He charges Titus to "appoint elders (presbyteros) in every town" (Titus 1:5). He goes on to give qualifications for these leaders: "Since an overseer (episkopos) manages God’s household, he must be blameless…" (Titus 1:7). Luke tells his readers in Acts 20:17 that Paul "sent to Ephesus for the elders (presbyteros) of the church." When they arrived, Paul told them to “keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopos)" (Acts 20:28).
These two terms reflect both Jewish and Gentile cultural contexts. Presbyteros (elder) was a leadership role familiar to Jewish culture, while episkopos (overseer) was a position more familiar to Greco-Roman culture. Paul often used the terms interchangeably to refer to the same role of leadership in local congregations. This means that responsibilities are more important than titles when it comes to leadership in the church.
Qualifications
Two primary passages give us the qualifications for overseers, 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. It is important to note that while the two lists are similar, they are not the same, which means they were contextualized to Ephesus and Crete. Neither is a comprehensive list of qualifications, and churches in other historical and cultural contexts may need additional qualifications to meet their specific needs. Combining Timothy's and Titus's lists, we see that Overseers must:
Be above reproach
Be temperate
Be respectable
Be an able teacher
Not be violent but gentle
Be free from the love of money
Be able to manage his household well
Be well-thought-of by those outside the faith
Not be arrogant
Not be greedy for gain
Be sensible
Be devout
Be able to give exhortation
Be the husband of one wife
Be self-controlled
Be hospitable
Not be a drunkard
Not be contentious
Be blameless
Not be a recent convert
Have faithful children
Not be prone to anger
Be devoted to what is good
Be upright
Hold firmly to the faithful message
Be able to correct false teachers
Responsibilities
Overseers are appointed to positions of spiritual authority in the congregation. But they must remember that they will give an account of their leadership to the Lord (Heb 13:17). They must also follow the Lord's example and lead out of a servant's heart (Mark 9:33-35; Luke 22:24-30). Their primary responsibility is shepherding or pastoral leadership (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 5:2; 1 Pet 2:25). Shepherding God's flock involves protecting the church from false teachers and false doctrine (Acts 20:28-31), admonishing, preaching, and teaching (1 Tim 3:2; 5:17; 1 Thess 5:12), providing directional leadership (1 Tim 5:17), praying for the congregation (James 5:14), and caring for the weak (Acts 20:35). Practically, this looks like visiting the sick; providing spiritual counsel and guidance; discipling younger believers; praying regularly for the body; setting vision, goals, and direction; teaching and preaching; adjudicating disputes among members; and carrying out church discipline when necessary.
At LakeView, Overseers (aka, Elders) will serve as shepherds of the church. They will fulfill the responsibilities described above primarily in the context of Gospel Communities. A Gospel Community is a smaller group of 5-10 households (about 20-40 people) within the larger church family. An Overseer’s primarily responsibility is to shepherd his Gospel Community, to pray for them, gather them monthly, encourage them, know them, love them, and help them take a next step with Jesus. Initially, not every Gospel Community will be shepherded by an Overseer—we don’t have enough Overseers! But our goal is eventually to have an Overseer in each Gospel Community so that every household has a shepherd assigned to their care.
