Pastor
A
pastor is the head
minister or
priest of a
Christian church. The word itself is derived from the
Latin word
pastōr which means
shepherd.
The usage of
pastor comes from its use in the
Bible. In the
Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament), the
Hebrew word
רע" (
transliterated: ra`ah) is used. The word is used 173 times, and is used to describe feeding sheep like in
Genesis 29:7 and also in regards to human beings like in
Jeremiah 3:15, "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding" (
KJV).
[ ]In the
New Testament, the
Greek word
ποιμην (
transliterated: poim"n) is used and is normally translated
pastor or
shepherd. The word is used 18 times in the New Testament. For example,
Ephesians 4:11, "And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (KJV).
Jesus also called himself the "Good Shepherd" in
John 10:11.
[ ]New Testament writers seemed to use
pastor as a synonym for the office of church
elder (presbuteros) or
Bishop (episkopos). For example, in
Acts 20:17, the
Apostle Paul summons the
elders of the church in
Ephesus to give a last discourse to them; in the process, in Acts 20:28, he tells them that the
Holy Spirit has made them
bishops, and that their job is to
pastor their church.
Peter uses much the same language in
1 Peter 5:1-2, telling the
elders among his readers that they are to
pastor the flock in their charge, acting as
bishops.
Paul also gives a list of characteristics that men serving in this office ought to possess. In
1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul gives a list for those serving as
bishops. In
Titus 1:5-9, a remarkably similar list is given, this time directed to
elders, also referred to in 1:7 as
bishops.
According to many scholars, the practice of separating the offices of
pastor and
bishop did not originate until at least the
2nd century. At this time, single bishops (as opposed to the body of bishops, or elders, that churches had in the 1st century) began to oversee an entire city's group of believers, even if they met in different locations around the city.
[Bercot, pp 44-45.] By the
3rd and
4th century, some of the most prominent cities' bishops began exercising control over an entire region of churches, in the familiar
parish or
diocese arrangment of many Christian groups today.
[History of Christianity, pp 118-119.]Around 400 AD,
Augustine, a famous
North African 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, 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.
In Protestantism
Many
Protestants use the term
pastor as a title (e.g., Pastor Smith) or as a job title (like Senior Pastor or Worship Pastor). This usage is particularly common among Protestants who believe in the
priesthood of all believers, and, therefore, they reject the use of the term
priest for their leaders. Such
denominations include the
Lutherans,
Mennonites,
Methodists,
Presbyterians,
Reformed tradition churches, and
Baptists.
The use of the term
pastor to refer to the common
Protestant office 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 Catholic
priest in the minds of their followers, although the Pastor was still considered separate from the board of presbyters. Few Protestant groups today still view the
pastor,
bishop, and
elder as synonomous terms or offices; many who do are descended from the
Restoration Movement in America during the
1800s, such as the
Disciples of Christ and the
Churches of Christ.
In other traditions
Catholic,
Orthodox, and
Anglican churches typically refer to their leaders as priests (although the term
pastor may also used, particularly in North America). In a Catholic
parish large enough to have more than one priest, only one of them will bear the title of pastor. This person will be the head of the parish. Anglican churches rarely use the term "pastor", preferring the words
rector and
vicar.
*
Minister of religion*
Pastoral care*
Pastoral counseling*
Herr Pastor*
*
New Advent. The Catholic Encyclopedia's entry on the term
pastor.
*
Gumpoint. A
Pentecostal view on the term
pastor.
*
Personal Life of a Pastor. The personal life of pastors is often overlooked by their church. This link directs you to a collection of resources about keeping a pastor's personal life vibrant.
*
Pastor's Role. A collection of articles about the role of a pastor in a church.
*
Pastoral Administration. Articles about a pastor's role as administrator of a church.
zh-yue:牧師
