The New Testament uses the terms "elders," "overseers," and "pastors" to mean the same thing, namely, a group of men recognized to serve as officers in the church, charged with the tasks of teaching the Word of God and providing oversight to the members of a local congregation (see Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4). Some elders are vocational elders, meaning the church provides them financial support so that they can dedicate more of their time and energies to this task. Other elders may be non-vocational, supporting themselves financially through work done outside the church. Yet all of our elders share equal authority in leading our congregation.