1 Timothy 3:1

Paul cited another well-known saying (cf. 1 Timothy 1:15) to introduce and give support to what he was about to teach.

"Overseer" (Gr. episkopes) is a term that emphasizes this leader’s leadership and management responsibilities and is evidently synonymous with "elder" (presbuteros; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Peter 5:1) and "pastor" or "shepherd" (poimen; Ephesians 4:11). Paul used the term "elder" more frequently, so I have chosen to use it in commenting on this pericope. At the time Paul wrote the Pastorals the office of elder was common in the churches since he had appointed elders in churches that he had founded (Acts 14:23). The history of the elder office in the church goes back to the elder office in ancient Israel. The Jews continued this organization in their synagogues, which they began during the Babylonian Captivity. [Note: See Alexander Strauch, Biblical Eldership, pp. 137-52.]

". . . while the synagogal eldership did influence church eldership, the influence was of a general nature." [Note: David A. Mappes, "The ’Elder’ in the Old and New Testaments," Bibliotheca Sacra 154:613 (January-March 1997):92.]

Paul did not say that each congregation of Christians required at least one elder to be a church. Moreover there appears to have been more than one elder in some churches (e.g., Acts 20:17; Philippians 1:1) but not necessarily in all. Elder was an official position of leadership in the church that carried with it pastoral responsibility (1 Peter 5:1-2). "Elder" describes the maturity of those who normally hold this position, primarily spiritual maturity. "Overseer" describes the major responsibility inherent in the position, namely, oversight of the church. "Pastor" describes the gift and work necessary to fulfill this position, the gift and work of a shepherd.

A person can aspire to hold an office out of good or bad motives. The "trustworthy statement" Paul cited assumed good motives: the desire to do a worthy work, not personal aggrandizement. Church congregations should be careful to investigate the motivation of men who aspire to become elders. Such an aspiration can lead a young man to study, labor, and sacrifice to prepare for leadership in a church. Some do this by enrolling in seminary.

"The saying in fact focuses less on the person than on the position. Thus Paul is not commending people who have a great desire to become leaders; rather, he is saying that the position of overseer is such a significant matter, a noble task, that it should indeed be the kind of task to which a person might aspire. Thus, despite the activities of some, he does not for that reason negate the position itself." [Note: Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy . . ., p. 79.]