I’ve really appreciated the feedback I’ve received lately from people who are following along as I explore this “eldership” role in more detail, especially the critical comments that point out the gaps I’m missing in all this.
I want to address one of the most common critiques because it was helpful for me to wrestle through, so hopefully it is for you, too.
The critique is best theologically summarized by my friend, Sonny Silverton, who commented on an earlier post:
Do you delineate between πρεσβύτερος and ἐπίσκοπος or ποιμήν? Have you considered that Paul might be talking about ordained overseers vs older dudes who are merely wise and righteous?
The heart of the question is this: “Tim, you’re talking about eldership as if it’s something for every God-fearing man out there, but the Bible doesn’t seem to treat it that way. The Bible talks about elders as men who are specifically selected and ordained by the laying-on of hands.”
The honest answer? I hadn’t worked through the details of it yet, so I’m glad he pushed me in that direction. I’ve been writing about city elders and elder qualifications more generally because I still believe they are noble qualifications and roles that every man can aspire to live by (1 Timothy 3:1).
But Sonny’s question forced me to dig a bit deeper into what Scripture actually means when it uses these three terms for elders. What I discovered brings a lot of clarity to what we’re aspiring towards as God-fearing men.
Three Words, But One Trajectory
Very briefly, scripture uses three primary Greek words that English translations render as elder, overseer, or shepherd.
Presbyteros refers to an older man, someone with age, maturity, and experience. The guy has authority simply because of accumulated years and demonstrated character. These are the men at the city gates in Proverbs 31:23, the respected voices in community decisions, the ones younger men seek out for counsel.
Episkopos means overseer or guardian. It’s someone who watches over others with authority. Paul uses this term interchangeably with presbyteros in passages like Titus 1, suggesting these aren’t separate offices but overlapping roles. The overseer holds responsibility for the welfare of those under his care.
Poimen is shepherd, the one who feeds, protects, and guides the flock. Peter uses this image when he tells elders to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (1 Peter 5:2). The shepherd doesn’t just manage — he knows his sheep, understands their needs, leads them to good pasture.
Scripture often blends these terms together. The ordained elder (presbyteros) serves as an overseer (episkopos) who shepherds (poimen) God’s people. An elder carries all three dimensions: maturity, authority, and care.
The Office vs The Character
Yet scripture does create a distinction between the office and the qualifications of eldership. The office of elder (presbyteros) in the church requires ordination, the laying on of hands by apostles or those they appointed. Timothy himself was charged to appoint elders in every town (Titus 1:5), establishing them with authority to teach, correct, and shepherd the congregation.
Not every mature man holds this office. Paul is clear: these men must be appointed, recognized, set apart for this specific work.
But the qualifications? Those belong to every God-fearing man who want to engage in this noble pursuit. Mature in the faith. Self-controlled. Hospitable. Able to teach. Managing his household well. Not a drunkard, not violent, not quarrelsome. Respected by outsiders.
These aren’t requirements set aside solely for church government. They’re the portrait of biblical manhood at its fullest expression. They describe the kind of man who fathers well, works with integrity, speaks wisdom into difficult situations, and earns the trust of his community whether or not he ever holds an official church position.
This is why Paul writes that aspiring to the office of overseer “is a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1). The nobility isn’t in the title. It’s in the character formation required to serve that way. It’s in becoming the kind of man whose life qualifies him for such responsibility.
What this means practically: not every mature man will be ordained to church leadership. But every mature God-fearing man should be growing toward elder-level character. The qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 aren’t just for those who might someday serve as church elders. They’re the target for masculine development for all of us.
City Eldership in the Old Testament (and us today)
So where does this leave city eldership, the idea of men serving as fathers to their communities, not just their congregations and homes?
As far as we know, the city elders at the gate in Scripture weren’t ordained religious leaders. They were respected men whose character gave them natural authority in community decisions. When Boaz needed witnesses for his transaction with Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer, he gathered ten elders from the city gate (Ruth 4:2).The Hebrew word used in Ruth 4 (and throughout the Old Testament) is zaqen (זָקֵן), which primarily means “old man,” “aged,” or “bearded one.” The meaning is consistently about age and the natural authority and wisdom that comes with it.
This is closer to what I mean by city eldership. Not running for city council (though some men will be called there too), but becoming the kind of man the community knows they can trust. The father who helps other fathers navigate raising teenagers in a digital age. The business owner who mentors younger men building their own companies. The grandfather whose home becomes a gathering place where wisdom flows freely.
These aren’t ordained shepherds of God’s flock in the appointed sense, but they’re men living out elder-level character in their spheres of influence.
What Eldership Looks Like in the Kingdom
For me, this all connects directly to Jesus’ principle that faithful stewardship today is the training ground for authority in the Kingdom in the age to come.
I know I use this passage a lot, but in the parable of the minas (Luke 19), Jesus rewards the faithful servants not with retirement or rest, but with responsibility. The servant who proved faithful in managing one mina receives exousia (authority) over ten cities.
Some dismiss this as “just a parable,” and we shouldn’t read too much into it, but Jesus isn’t the only one teaching this principle. Paul states it as settled fact in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3:
“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? ... Do you not know that we will judge angels?”
And in Revelation 2:26-27, Jesus promises directly:
“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.”
I don’t think Jesus’ parable in Luke 19 is just a metaphor. Scripture repeatedly affirms that faithful believers will exercise actual governing authority in the age to come. The only question is how much authority, which seems to depend on how we steward what God entrusts to us now.
The Progression Scripture Describes for Men
Notice the progression Scripture lays out:
The zaqen at the city gate earned natural authority through decades of faithful living. And some of those men are appointed to a be the presbyteros in the church.
The faithful steward in Luke 19 receives Kingdom exousia, the ruling authority over cities, as a reward from Jesus himself based on how they managed what He entrusted to them.
The overcomer in Revelation 2 who perseveres in faithfulness receives exousia over entire nations, ruling alongside Christ with the authority to govern.
The saints in 1 Corinthians 6 will judge not only the world but even angels, exercising authority that extends beyond human affairs into the spiritual realm itself.
It’s the trajectory that starts in Genesis 1 to “rule and reign, to be fruitful and multiply.” And all of it rooted in one principle: present management determines future authority.
Why This Matters
This is why elder qualifications matter for every man, not just those pursuing church office. You’re in training for rulership.
The father managing his household well today is being prepared to govern cities and nations in the Kingdom.
The business owner treating employees with justice and mercy is learning how to exercise authority righteously.
The man navigating conflict with wisdom and patience is developing the character required for judging between people—and eventually, even judging angels.
Peter connects these dots when he reminds elders that “when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). Crowns are worn by rulers. Present faithfulness as an elder—whether ordained in office or living out elder character in your sphere—is rewarded with future glory.
God is looking for men He can trust with nations because they first proved faithful with minas. Men who learned to serve before they’re given authority to rule. Men who became zaqen-level leaders in their communities before receiving exousia-level authority in the Kingdom.
Answering Sonny’s Question
So where does this leave Sonny’s original critique? He’s right. There absolutely is a distinction between ordained church elders and “older dudes who are merely wise and righteous.” The office requires ordination. Not every mature man will hold it, and that’s ok.
But I don’t think that distinction minimizes what I’m after here. The elder qualifications are a character blueprint for every man headed toward Kingdom rulership, whether you’re ever ordained or not.
Paul assumes the Corinthians already know this. “Do you not know?” he asks, almost incredulously. God-fearing believers will rule. The only variables are scope and timing, and those seem to depend entirely on present faithfulness.
The question is: am I becoming the kind of man whose character qualifies me for Kingdom responsibility? Am I managing my household in a way that proves I’m ready for tomorrow’s city?
My family isn’t the finish line. Neither is a church office. They’re training ground for authority that stretches into eternity—over cities, over nations, over the world, even over angels.
