Pastor - Definition and Overview

A pastor is the head minister or priest of a Christian church. Pastor comes from the Greek word "poimen" (Strongs 4166) (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?strongs=4166&page=1&flag_full=&bgcolor=FFFFFF&textcolor=000000&linkcolor=0000FF&vlinkcolor=A000A0&language=&hr=&icon=) meaning shepherd, as used in Ephesians 4:11, “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers”. The term is often used to denote one who gives spiritual guidance and counsel, as opposed to the leader of a worship service.

Many Protestant denominations use pastor as a title (e.g. Pastor Smith) or as a job title (e.g. Senior Pastor, Pastor of Worship, Children's Pastor, meaning the church leader in charge of those areas). This usage is particularly common among denominations that believe in the priesthood of all believers and therefore reject the use of the term priest for their leaders. Such denominations include the Mennonites, Presbyterians and Reformed tradition churches, and Baptists.

Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches typically refer to their leaders as priests, although the term "pastor" is used. In a Catholic parish big enough to have more than one priest, only one bears the title of pastor, and he is the head of the parish.

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia article 'Pastor' (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11537b.htm)
• Teaching on the origins of the word Pastor and on what it means to be a pastor (http://www.gumpoint.com/church/pastor.html)

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