Everything about Pastors totally explained
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A
pastor is an official person within a Protestant group of people, and related to the positions of
priest or
bishop within the
Anglican,
Roman Catholic and
Orthodox Churches. The word itself is derived from the
Latin word which means
shepherd. The term pastor is also related to the role of
elder within the New Testament, but isn't synonymous with the biblical understanding of
minister.
The usage of
pastor comes from its use in the
Bible. In the
Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament), the
Hebrew word (
raʿah) is used. The word is used 173 times and can describe the feeding of sheep as in
Genesis 29:7 or the spiritual feeding of human beings as in
Jeremiah 3:15, "And I'll give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding" (
KJV).
In the
New Testament, the
Greek word ποιμήν (
poimēn) 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, pastor(s) and teachers" (KJV).
Jesus also called himself the "Good Shepherd" in
John 10:11.
Sometimes "pastor" was used in the New Testament as a reference to
presbyters, but it was used mostly as a title for
Bishops (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
shepherd their church.
Peter uses much the same language in
1 Peter 5:1-2, telling the
elders among his readers that they're to
shepherd not "lord over" the flock in their charge, acting as
bishops willingly.
Paul also gives a list of characteristics that men serving in this capacity ought to possess. In
1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul gives a list for those serving as
shepherds. In
Titus 1:5-9, a remarkably similar list is given, this time directed to
elders which may lead some to believe them to be the same.
Arguably from the earliest centuries of Christian history, the Church had three orders which were considered divinely ordained:
Bishops,
Priests (or Presbyters) and
deacons. Each was only considered authoritative and able to administer the
Sacraments if one had valid
apostolic succession (for example, traceable lineage of ordinations back to the original bishops, the Apostles themselves). However, Protestant communities since the reformation generally disregard this practice, or deny the existence of apostolic succession.
Historical usage
Around 400 AD, Saint
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, 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.
Current usage
In Protestantism
Many
Protestants use the term
pastor as a title (for example, Pastor Smith) or as a job title (like Senior Pastor or Worship Pastor). Some Protestants contend that utilizing the appellation of
pastor to refer to an ordained minister contradicts the Protestant doctrine of the
priesthood of all believers, and, therefore, reject the use of the term
pastor for their leaders. These include some parts of the
Mennonite,
Methodist,
Presbyterian, American
Churches of Christ, the
Assemblies of God, and
Baptist traditions.
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 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 synonymous 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.
The term pastor is sometimes used for missionaries in developed countries to avoid offending some people from the industrialized countries who may think that missionaries go only to less developed countries.
Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican
Catholic,
Orthodox, and
Anglican/
Episcopalian churches typically refer to their local church leaders as parish priests (although the term
pastor may also be used, particularly in North America). However, Anglican/Episcopalian Churches rarely use the term "pastor", preferring the words
rector and
priest.
Every
Catholic parish is entrusted to the care of a single pastor, who must be a priest according to the 1983
Code of Canon Law. The associate pastor is called a parochial vicar and also must be a priest. In U.S. Catholic parishes, a
lay ecclesial minister who fulfills many of the non-sacramental functions of an associate pastor is often called a pastoral associate, parish minister, or pastoral assistant.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Pastors'.
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