One of the biggest misunderstandings about elders is thinking that the pastor and preacher are the same.  As a result, I am often called a pastor by denominational people before I correct them.  In the denominational realm, the one who does all the preaching is the pastor.  In the New Testament, there is a distinction between the pastor and the preacher or evangelist.

Ephesians 4:11 (NKJV)
^{1 1}And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

Clearly, there is a scriptural difference between an evangelist and an elder, but it must be observed that this is not just the case because they appear distinctly in the same passage.  Preachers and pastors have distinct works to do.  This can be seen by the different instructions Paul gave them to do.  Notice what Paul told the elders of Ephesus.

Acts 20:28 (NKJV)
²⁸ Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Elders are to take heed to the flock because it is under their care.  They will have to give account for the job that they do in that regard.

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Preachers do not keep watch over souls, nor will they have to give account for it.  Why not?  It is because that is not a part of their work.  Paul tells us what the work of an evangelist is.

2 Timothy 4:1–2 (ESV)
¹I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ²preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

This helps us to understand why Paul gave Timothy, who was a young evangelist, instructions that were different than the ones he gave the elders of Ephesus.  Listen to what Paul told Timothy.

1 Timothy 4:13–16 (NKJV)
¹³ Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. ¹⁵ Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. ¹⁶ Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Most people think that Timothy was a pastor, but he was not.  He was an evangelist and was responsible for preaching the word.  In keeping with this, Paul told him to take heed, not to the flock but to the doctrine that he was obligated to preach.

If denominations were just getting terms mixed up, calling preachers pastors instead of evangelists, that would be one thing, but by not understanding that these are two different roles in the Lord’s church, they end up having unqualified pastors watching over their local flocks.  This results in more than just mistakenly calling preachers by the wrong term; it results in sin by not abiding by the doctrine of Christ and causing them to have churches that do not resemble the Lord’s church in the New Testament.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.