Pastor/Elder & Women???

I came across the below thoughts from a recent post on the M Blog. I am preaching through the book of First Timothy and will be dealing with some very difficult subjects (from a woman's role and speaking in the church to the office of bishop vs. the term pastor). Is the word pastor and elder/bishop used interchangeably or is a pastor a gift/role and not an office? Is a woman allowed to speak in an assembly meeting (according to the Bible)? Here's a QUESTION... Could a woman be a pastor and NOT a bishop/elder? Meaning... Could a woman have a pastoral role and never speak in an assembly? Read the following and share your thoughts?


In the New Testament, a pastor (or shepherd) is one who provides spiritual care for the flock, the local gathering of believers; it is a role or function or gifting. An elder is a local church leader; it is a biblical office and includes the functions of shepherding, teaching, and overseeing (ruling as an authority in the local church).

Alexander Strauch explains further in Biblical Eldership as follows (p. 31-32):

Although the term elder is the predominate New Testament term used to local church leaders and is especially suited to the nature of the new Testament churches, it conveys to the overwhelming majority of Christians and non-Christians today ideas that are different from those found in the New Testament. People today think of church elders as lay, church-board members who are separate and distinct from the professional, ordained pastor (or clergyman). I refer to these elders as “board elders;” they are not true New Testament, Christian elders. They are advisors, committee men, executives, and directors.A true biblical eldership is not a businesslike committee. It’s a biblically qualified council of men that jointly pastors the local church. So to communicate the New Testament idea of eldership, we need to reeducate ourselves as to the New Testament usage of the term elder, and in some cases choose a different term.The New Testament uses [another] to describe local church leaders. The term is overseer [or bishop], and it comes from the Greek word episkopos. The term overseer was a common designation used by Greeks for a variety of officials. In contrast to all priestly or lordly titles, nothing in the title overseer (or elder) violated the local church’s family character, humble-servant nature, or priestly and holy status. The fact that the apostles and first Christians used the term overseer as a synonym for elder demonstrates flexibility in the use of leadership terminology and the desire to communicate effectively among Greek-speaking people.