1 Timothy 5:17-25; Elder, Overseer, Pastor Shepherd all refer to the same office. The biblical eldership model is for multiple men to rule over the local church in accordance with God's word and for those who devote themselves to preaching and teaching to be provided an income. The fruit of a man's life is to be tested before he is appointed as an elder as it is a position of great trust and influence. Elders are to be held in high esteem and their reputation guarded, but those who persist in sin are to be publicly rebuked.