“The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17 CSB).
There is a lot of information contained in this verse. For example, it necessarily implies that not all elders are good leaders. If the ones who are good leaders are worthy of double honor, this means there are some who are not worthy because they aren’t good leaders. In addition, double honor, as v. 18 reveals, means that the elders who are good leaders deserve financial compensation for their work. Further, there are some elders who teach and preach. This suggests that there are some elders who do not preach.
What is meant by elder? As I have pointed out elsewhere, elder is a term the New Testament uses interchangeably with the descriptions overseer, shepherd, pastor, and steward. In short, an elder is a pastor.
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