Scott Attebury: How Many Words Does It Take to Describe a Pastor?

What is a pastor? Three words in the New Testament are used interchangeable to describe this office in the church: Pastor, Elder, and Bishop. Is it strange that the Bible uses multiple words to describe this office? Not any more than for Americans to describe our leader as, “President,” “Commander in Chief,” and “Leader of the Free World.”

So why would the Bible use more than one term to describe one role? Perhaps to describe the multi-faceted nature of the job. Keep reading