What is an archbishop? Is the office of the archbishop biblical?

Archbishops are senior leaders in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican (or Church of England) traditions. Each archbishop oversees the bishops and churches in a particular region. Although many churches have archbishops, the office is not mentioned in the Bible. Those who support the office believe the role is an application of Scripture rather than an explicit teaching of it.

The word archbishop combines the Greek word episkopos with the Greek word archon, meaning “chief” or “ruler.” Although the title does not appear in Scripture, some in the early church adopted the office as a practical way to supervise groups of churches. The New Testament, however, uses only two words for church leaders: presbyteros and episkopos. Presbyteros is usually translated as “elder,” while episkopos is translated as “overseer” or “bishop.”

In the centuries after Jesus' death and resurrection, the church faced the challenge of preserving the apostles' teaching. After the apostles died, a new generation of leaders guided the churches. At the same time, false teachers began spreading doctrines that contradicted Scripture. As false teaching spread, bishops from across the Roman Empire met at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 to defend orthodox doctrine and clarify the church's teaching about the Trinity. As the church grew during the fourth and fifth centuries, it developed a more formal structure for governing the churches. Bishops came to oversee major cities, and some bishops were given responsibility for supervising other bishops. These leaders became known as archbishops.

Many Protestants concluded that bishops and archbishops were not biblical offices because of the way the New Testament uses the Greek terms mentioned above. Paul, for instance, often appears to use these words interchangeably. In Titus 1:5–9, for example, he describes the same office while instructing Titus to appoint elders in every church. Both terms refer to those who lead and teach the church. For this reason, many Protestants concluded that the New Testament describes one office of elder or overseer for each local church rather than a hierarchy of bishops and archbishops.

During the Middle Ages, the Western church continued to develop its system of church government. As Christianity spread throughout England, France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and Norway, the pope appointed archbishops to oversee the churches in these regions. When the Protestant Reformation began in 1517, Protestants differed over the role of bishops and archbishops. The Church of England retained both offices. Many Lutheran churches kept bishops, while most Reformed and Baptist churches rejected the office as lacking clear biblical support. Instead, they placed the leadership of local churches in the hands of pastors and elders.

During the Reformation, however, many Protestants believed that Roman Catholic archbishops were promoting doctrines that conflicted with biblical teaching. As a result, Lutherans often limited the authority of bishops, while most Reformed and Baptist churches eliminated the office altogether. They believed the New Testament teaches that local churches should be led by pastors, elders, and deacons, with church leaders cooperating voluntarily rather than through a hierarchy.

Among the major Protestant traditions, the Church of England retained the office of archbishop. The Archbishop of Canterbury became the senior leader of the Church of England, while the Archbishop of York continued to oversee northern England. In 1559, Queen Elizabeth I kept the system of bishops and archbishops in place after the English Reformation. She preserved these familiar offices in part to provide continuity for those who had previously belonged to the Roman Catholic Church.

Today, the Roman Catholic Church has more than 600 archbishops serving around the world. The Anglican Communion also has dozens of archbishops who oversee churches in England and many other countries. Church history shows that the office of archbishop developed after the time of the apostles rather than being established in the New Testament. Many Christians in history have viewed the office as a practical way to organize and supervise churches. Most evangelical Protestants, however, conclude that Scripture identifies pastors (or elders) and deacons as the regular leadership offices of the local church, making the office of archbishop a later development rather than a biblical requirement.