Presbyter

Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, a synonym of episkopos, which has come to mean bishop. In modern usage, it is distinct from bishop and synonymous with priest, pastor, elder, or minister in various Christian denominations. Its literal meaning in Greek (presbyteros) is "elder."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The earliest organization of the Christian Churches in Judea was similar to that of Jewish synagogues, who were governed by a council of elders (presbyteroi). In Acts 11:30 and 15:22, we see this collegiate system of government in Jerusalem, and in Acts 14:23, the Apostle Paul ordains elders in the churches he founded. Initially, these presbyters were apparently identical with the overseers (episkopoi, i.e., bishops), as such passages as Acts 20:17 and Titus 1:5,7 indicate, and the terms were interchangeable.

Bishop: A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority....

Priest: :This article is about religious workers. For other uses of the word, see priest (disambiguation)....

Pastor: A pastor is the head minister or priest of a Christian church. Pastor comes from the Greek word "poimen" (Strong?s 4166) meaning shepherd, as used in Ephesians 4:11: "And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." From a New Testament perspec...