According to the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, the Greek words episkeptomai and episkopeo are closely related in their usage and application. Rabbis frequently used these terms to mean visitation, such as visiting the sick. Jesus knew the high estimation of visiting the sick in Rabbinic ethics, and thinking of the Jewish works of love, He places all men under the same command:
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited [episkeptomai] Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Matt. 25:35-36
'For I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit [episkeptomai] Me.' Matt 25:42-43
James, the Lord's brother, adopts both the tradition in Rabbinic ethics and the command of Jesus for practical love to our neighbours:
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit [episkeptomai] orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27
The Jewish works of love in Rabbinic ethics included visiting the sick, sheltering the strangers, helping newly married poor, comforting sorrows, etc. Hebrews 13:1-3 agrees with these ethics. The Bible provides clear information as to how the Church is to care for widows and those in need.
A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. Psalm 68:5
Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:17
You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. Exodus 22:22-24
Israel was to give special care to widows, orphans, and the poor. In fact, part of their tithe (their taxation system) was to go toward providing for those in need (Deut. 14:28-29). In Acts 6, seven men were chosen to care for the large population of widows in the Church, providing food for them. In Galatians 2, Paul and Barnabas were encouraged to remember the poor (i.e., the poor believers in Jerusalem who were struggling). In 1 Timothy 5, Paul gives specific instructions on how the Church was to care for widows. This mercy ministry would also include single moms, trafficking victims, and anyone else in desperate need.
So what exactly is an Episkopos?
The Greek word episkope, found in 1 Timothy 3:1, comes from episkopeo. The Greek word episkopos, found in 1 Timothy 3:2, comes from the same root words as episteptomai, with the sense of episkopeo. The word episkopos denotes someone who is a watchman, an overseer, or an inspector, but does not tell us anything of what he watches, oversees, or inspects. According to the whole of the New Testament, however, it quite obviously refers to those who watch over men and women in reference to their spiritual life (cf. Heb. 13:17). According to 1 Peter 5:1-4, it is connected to the idea of shepherding.
What are the responsibilities of a shepherd? The responsibility of shepherds is the safety and welfare of the flock. They are not to drive the flock (rule over it), but to lead the flock (by example; see 1 Pet. 5:1-3). They are to feed the flock, keeping a watchful eye out for poisonous plants. They are to protect the flock from predators, being willing to lay their life down to protect them. They are to bring healing to the flock.
First Peter 2:25 refers to Jesus as the Shepherd and Watchman of our souls.
So what exactly is a Presbuteros?
Elder (presbuteros) is not a separate function within the Church. The use of the word in 1 Tim. 5:1, 2, 19; 1 Pet. 5:1, 5; 2 John 1:1; and 3 John 1:1 is an adjective! An adjective is a word or phrase that names an attribute. It is added to a noun in order to modify it, such as "red car" or "blue hat." If elder (presbuteros) were a separate function within the Church, then why is it not listed along with watchman (episkopos) and servant (diakonos) in Philippians 1:1, where reference is made to those saints who were functioning in those roles? First Timothy 3 gives qualifications for watchmen and servants, but never for elders. So what exactly are elders?
Elders are mentioned in 1 Timothy 5:17 in connection with "preaching and teaching," (though the word for preaching is not used here). They are also mentioned in Titus 1:5, where Paul continues to describe characteristics of a watchman (v.7). The watchman described to Timothy (1 Tim. 3:2) and the elders of 1 Timothy 5:17 and 1 Peter 5:1 have the same shepherding functions as the elders of Acts 20:17 (cf. v.28, where they are called watchmen). In Ephesians 4:11, "shepherds and teachers" are the same function. Teachers are shepherds. An episkopos, then, is a presbuteros who teaches the flock by shepherding it and being an example to them (see 1 Pet. 5:1-4). An episkopos is not a title, an office, or a position; it is a function.
So what exactly is a Diakonos?
A diakonos is a servant to the Church, whether male or female (Rom. 16:1; 1 Tim. 3:11), who ministers to the needs of others. A diakonos is never connected with prespubteros in the Bible. A diakonos is not a title, an office, or a position; it is a function.
Is an Episkopos a leader of the Church?
How do we know that the function of a watchman was not a title, an office, or a leadership position?
Do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Matt. 23:8 (In other words, do not call yourself "Pastor" or "Reverend" [especially since reverence belongs to God alone] or any other title, and do not call other men by such titles, because you are all equal.)
Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. Matt. 23:10
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord [katakurieuo] it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Matt. 20:25-28
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording [katakurieuo] it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 1 Pet. 5:1-3
For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 1 Cor. 12:12-26 (If the entire body were one mouth and many ears, where would the body be? There is to be no division within the Body. One individual, or group of individuals, should not be elevated on a platform for the rest of the Body to passively and quietly look on. Exegete the placement of things and people within your "church" and take note of what things and people are given greater importance and what things and people are given less importance. This all goes against the entire New Testament.)
Our Protestant denominations enjoy proof-texting Matthew 23:9 against Catholics—Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven, but fail miserably in the application of this passage and what it is teaching to themselves. You are not to call yourself "Pastor" or anything else, and you are not to call other men "Pastor" or anything else. Pay attention to the full context!
So if there were no independent leaders lording it over the rest of the flock, how did the early Christians actually function?
What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. ... Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 1 Cor. 14:26, 29-31
The assembled congregation of the early Christians was every-member functioning, and they met from house to house. Because Christ Jesus is the Head of His Church, that means that each member of the Body was free to participate and contribute to the meeting as the Lord Jesus moved him/her. The meeting was a dialogue, not a monologue. Notice the instructions for the meeting in verses 29-31. Could you imagine trying to interrupt a service in modern "churches" in order to share what God has moved you to share? They would either silence you, or have you removed. Modern "churches" and the structure they follow by tradition has effectively strangled the Headship of Jesus. The "church" structure we are so used to has stifled spiritual transformation because the Church cannot benefit from the gifts, knowledge, and experience of the entire Body of Christ the way it is supposed to. Instead, the Church is limited to the gifts, knowledge, and experience of a single individual. Christians are taught to value lesser things by sitting quietly and passively in the pews, watching the monologue performance of a single individual. When Paul talks about the purpose and function of the body, he makes it clear that every member needs to participate for the entire body to be edified. The body does not consist of a single mouth and many ears, the way most denominations are structured today.