If a relatively young person introduces himself as an "elder"?

[Jerry Lee]

is that deceptive? What if they then talk about "eternal life"? Might some suppose that the person is in fact old, but aging slowly?
@Kelly: Seems like if the particular church has many "elders", the term loses significance, and if many of those meeting the public are in fact young, it is even more ironic.

 

[??lly]

Depends on what context he used "elder" in. A church elder is defined as "one of the governing officers of a church, often having pastoral or teaching functions". A person doesn't have to be old to be an elder.