Views: 1<\/p>
[Note: \u00a0<\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles<\/strong>\u00a0 2 page.]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Those who become upset with people who devote their lives to religious work sometimes call them some very unflattering names. However, that\u2019s a subject for another time. Rather, let\u2019s consider\u2014in light of Bible teaching\u2014a commonly used title applied to those in \u201cfull- time church work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pastor <\/i>may be the word most frequently used to describe a preacher\u2019s work (e.g., \u201cJohn Smith is the pastor of the ___________ church\u201d). This term is also used as a title of address (e.g., \u201cPastor John Smith will now speak\u201d). Roman Catholics and Protestants alike thus employ the word. Does the Bible sanction this usage?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pastor <\/i>is a Biblical term, but the New Testament never applies it to those who work as preachers or evangelists (and certainly not in reference to \u201cpriests,\u201d a special class of which is unknown in Jesus\u2019 church; every member of the church <\/b>is a \u201cpriest\u201d with direct access to the Father through the one Mediator, His Son [1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6]).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Bible distinguishes \u201cpastors\u201d from evangelists\/preachers, apostles, prophets, and teachers (Eph. 4:11). Pastor <\/i>simply means \u201cshepherd.\u201d Pastors\/shepherds are identified with men also known as \u201celders\u201d (Acts 20:17; Phi. 1:1; Tit. 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1; et al.), \u201cbishops\u201d or \u201coverseers\u201d (Acts 20: 28; 1 Tim. 3:1; et al.), and \u201cthe presbytery\u201d (1 Tim. 4:14). Both Paul and Peter use the verb form of pastor <\/i>to describe the work <\/b>of elders\/bishops\/presbyters in a church (i.e., feeding\/tending<\/i>; Acts 20:28\u201329; 1 Pet. 5:1\u20132). Thus the Bible uses pastors, elders, bishops, <\/i>and presbytery <\/i>(but not preacher) <\/i>interchangeably.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n New Testament congregations never had and still do not have only one <\/b>el- der\/bishop\/pastor (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 20:17, 28; Phi. 1:1; et al.). Thus there is no Biblical authority to call a man \u201cthe <\/b>bishop,\u201d \u201cthe <\/b>elder,\u201d or \u201cthe <\/b>pastor\u201d of a church merely because he is \u201cthe preacher.\u201d (John twice identified himself as \u201cthe elder,\u201d but he did so in reference to age rather than congregational office [2 John 1; 3 John 1]). Specific qualifications are required of pastors\/elders\/bishops (1 Tim. 3:1\u20138; Tit. 1:5\u201311). Among them, he \u201cmust be the husband of one wife\u201d and have \u201cbelieving children\u201d (1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:6). Other factors aside, no Roman Catholic priest can ever Scripturally qualify as a \u201cpastor\u201d and be true to his celibacy vow. Further, most so-called Protestant \u201cpastors\u201d have likely not met these qualifications.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe One-man Pastor System\u201d is foreign to the church the Lord built through His apostles. The plurality <\/b>of elders\/pastors\/bishops in a congregation have authority over that entire church\u2014including the preacher (Acts 20:28)\u2014not vice versa.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n [Note: <\/b>I wrote this article for and it was published in the Denton Record-Chronicle, <\/i>Denton, TX, August 14, 2015.]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Attribution<\/b>: From thescripturecache.com<\/i>; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Views: 1 [Note: \u00a0This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles\u00a0 2 page.] Those who become upset with people who devote their lives to religious work sometimes call them some very unflattering names. However, that\u2019s a subject for another time. Rather, let\u2019s…<\/p>\n