A pastor (abbreviated to " Ps"," Pr", " Pstr.", " Ptr." or " Psa" (both singular), or " Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and Anglicanism, pastors are always Ordination. In Methodism, pastors may be either licensed or ordained.
The New Testament typically uses the words "bishops" () and "presbyter" () to indicate the ordained leadership in early Christianity. Likewise, Peter instructs these particular servants to "act like Shepherd" as they "oversee" the flock of God (). The words "bishop" and "presbyter" were sometimes used in an interchangeable way, such as in Titus 1:5-6. However, there is ongoing dispute between branches of Christianity over whether there are two Holy orders (presbyters and deacons), or three (bishops, priests, and deacons). The first view is affirmed by some Presbyterians.
These terms describe a leader (e.g., bishop), one who maintains a careful watch for the spiritual needs of all the members of the flock (i.e., a pastor). The person must meet scriptural qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). For some Protestants, whether called an elder, bishop, or pastor, these terms describe the same service in the church. In the early Church, only a man could be a presbyter, but many Protestant denominations in the 19th and 20th century have changed to allow women to be pastors, though others retained a male presbyterate. Whether man or woman, this person is to be older and experienced in the faith (i.e., an elder), a person who is a decision-maker, and a manager of church affairs.
The actual word pastor is derived from a Latin language word meaning "shepherd".
History
The word "pastor" derives from the
Latin language noun pastor which means "
shepherd" and is derived from the verb pascere – "to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat".
The term "pastor" also relates to the role of elders within the
New Testament, and is synonymous with the biblical understanding of the word "minister". Amongst contemporary Protestant Christians, terms pastor, shepherd, and elder are all the same position.
Present-day usage of the word is rooted in the Bible metaphor of shepherding. The Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) uses the Hebrew language word rtl=yes ( roʿeh), which is used as a noun as in "shepherd", and as a verb as in "to tend a flock."
English-language translations of the New Testament usually render the Greek language noun ποιμήν ( poimēn) as "shepherd" and the Greek verb ποιμαίνω ( poimainō) as "feed". The two words occur a total of 29 times in the New Testament, most frequently referring to Jesus. For example, Jesus called himself the "Good Shepherd" in John 10:11. The same words in the familiar Christmas story (Luke 2) refer to literal shepherds.
In five New Testament passages though, the words relate to members of the church:
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John 21:16 - Jesus told Peter: "Feed My sheep"
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Acts 20:17 - the Apostle Paul summons the elders of the church in Ephesus to give a last discourse to them; in , he tells them that the Holy Spirit has made them overseers, and they are to feed the church of God.
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1 Corinthians 9:7 - Paul says, of himself and the apostles: "who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?"
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- Paul wrote "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"
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1 Peter - - Peter tells the elders among his readers that they are to, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof"
of various denominations often bear a formal crosier in the form of a stylised shepherd's crook as a symbol of their pastoral/shepherding functions.
Historical usage
Around 400 AD, Saint Augustine, a prominent African
Catholic Church bishop, described a pastor's job:
Disturbers are to be rebuked, the low-spirited to be encouraged, the infirm to be supported, objectors confuted, the treacherous guarded against, the unskilled taught, the lazy aroused, the contentious restrained, the haughty repressed, litigants pacified, the poor relieved, the oppressed liberated, the good approved, the evil borne with, and all are to be loved.[Sermon CCIX, cited in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology, Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, John Wiley & Sons, Dec 27, 2011, p.271]
Current usage
Catholicism
In the
Northern America, the term
pastor is used by Catholics for what in other English-speaking countries is called a
parish priest.
The
Latin term used in the Code of Canon Law is
parochus.
Lutheranism
The Church of Sweden has a threefold ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon and those ordained to the presbyterate are referred to as priests.
In the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, ordained presbyters are referred to by various publications, including Finnish ones, as pastors,
or priests.
In the United States, denominations like the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, use the terms reverend and pastor interchangeably for ordained members of the clergy, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), usually just uses pastor. On the other hand, the Lutheran Church - International, a Confessional Lutheran denomination of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship, uses the term "priest" for those ordained to the presbyterate, who are addressed as "Father".
Anglicanism
Ordained presbyters are called priests in the Church of England, as in all other ecclesiastical provinces of the Anglican Communion, and use the title the Reverend if they are
Low church and Father or Mother if they are
High church.
Those leaders who are not ordained, but have a license from their bishop, are increasingly using the title pastor, as well as those office holders who are communicants within the Anglican Communion and participate in lay ministry where a license is not required.
Methodism
United Methodists ordain to the office of deacon and elder, each of whom can use the title of pastor depending. United Methodists also use the title of pastor for non-ordained clergy who are licensed and appointed to serve a congregation as their pastor or associate pastor, often referred to as licensed local pastors. These pastors may be lay people, seminary students, or seminary graduates in the ordination process, and cannot exercise any functions of clergy outside the charge where they are appointed.
Reformed
The use of the term
pastor to refer to the common
Protestant title of modern times dates to the days of
John Calvin and
Huldrych Zwingli. Both men, and other Reformers, seem to have revived the term to replace the Roman Catholic
priest in the minds of their followers. The pastor was considered to have a role separate from the board of
. A "pastor" may be either ordained or commissioned, depending on the methods used to appoint a person into the role, with either way resulting in the same authority and responsibilities to provide shepherding and grace to a congregation.
Baptist
The term "pastor", in the majority of
Baptist churches, is one of two offices within the church,
deacon being the other, and is considered synonymous with "elder" or "bishop" (though in
Reformed Baptist churches, elders are a separate office).
[Erwin Fahlbusch, Geoffrey William Bromiley, The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 4, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, USA, 2005, p. 64]
In larger churches with many staff members, "senior pastor" commonly refers to the person who gives the sermons the majority of the time, with other persons having titles relating to their duties, for example "worship pastor" for the person leading singing.[Steven D. Brooks, Worship Quest: An Exploration of Worship Leadership, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2015, p. 145]
Restorationist
Some groups today view the
pastor,
bishop, and
elder as synonymous terms or offices; many who do are descended from the Restoration Movement in America during the 19th century, such as the Disciples of Christ and the Churches of Christ.
Other religions
Other religions have started to use the term
pastor for their own ordained leader of a congregation such as "Buddhist pastor".
Junior roles
An
assistant or
associate pastor is a person who assists the pastor in a
Christianity church. The qualifications, responsibilities and duties vary depending on church and denomination.
In many churches, an assistant pastor is a pastor-in-training, or are awaiting full ordination. In many instances, they are granted limited powers and authority to act with, or in the absence of, the 's pastor. Some churches that have outreach programs, such as hospital visitations, in-home programs, prison ministries, or multiple Chapel, will appoint assistant pastors to perform duties while the Pastor is busy elsewhere. Some churches use the title brother or ordained brother in place of assistant pastor. In larger Roman Catholic parishes, the duties of an assistant pastor can be broken up into duties performed by deacons and non-ordained lay people.
See also
Notes
External links
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NewAdvent.org, The Catholic Encyclopedia's entry on the term pastor.
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LifeWay.com , Articles to help the pastor in the roles of preacher, missionary, leader, shepherd, and person.
