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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 "" () and "presbyter" () to indicate the ordained leadership in early Christianity. However, the word "pastor" (ποιμήν/ poimēn) is only used one time to describe church leadership in the New Testament in Ephesians 4:11 which says, "that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers" (NRSV). Peter instructs church leadership using the verb, "to tend the flock' (lit. 'to shepherd,' ποιμαίνω /poimainō) of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight ( NRSV). 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 ), or three (bishops, priests/presbyters, and deacons). The first view is affirmed by some Presbyterians. On the other hand, Christians of the Roman Catholic, Persian, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Moravian Church, Scandinavian Lutheran, Anglican, Old Catholic and other Presbyterian traditions maintain the latter view, with all but the Presbyterians affirming the doctrine of apostolic succession.
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 (1 Timothy 2:11–14), 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".
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." It occurs 173 times in 144 Old Testament verses and relates to the literal feeding of sheep, as in Genesis 29:7. In Jeremiah 23:4, both meanings are used ( ro'im is used for "shepherds" and yir'um for "shall feed them"), "And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD." (KJV).
English-language translations of the New Testament usually render the Greek language noun ποιμήν ( poimēn) as "shepherd" (18x) and the Greek verb ποιμαίνω ( poimainō) as "to herd a, shepherd" (11x). The two words occur a total of 29 times in the New Testament, often referring to Jesus (11x). Most notably in John 10, 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:
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.
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
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
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 Catholic Church parishes, the duties of an assistant pastor can be broken up into duties performed by deacons and non-ordained lay people.
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