pastor

pastor — noun

1. a Christian church leader who leads a church and cares for the people in it.

1.nounB2
Definition

a Christian church leader who leads a church and cares for the people in it.

Example

Pastor Kim welcomed three new families after the Sunday morning service.

title before a name: Pastor Kim

The small town pastor visited Rosa in hospital after her surgery.

Common collocations
  • local pastor
  • senior pastor
  • youth pastor
  • the pastor of the church
  • ask the pastor for advice
Synonyms
  • minister

    wider church term; often more formal and not always used as a title in daily speech

  • preacher

    focuses on giving sermons rather than caring for a church day by day

  • clergyperson

    formal and broad; includes many kinds of Christian religious leaders

Grammar Patterns

Pastor + name

the pastor of a church

ask a pastor for advice

Usage Note

Common in Protestant contexts and often used as a title before a name, as in Pastor Kim. Catholic churches more often use priest instead.

Common Mistakes

The pastor at the Catholic cathedral led Easter Mass.
The priest at the Catholic cathedral led Easter Mass.
pastor is mainly used for Protestant churches, while Catholic churches usually use priest.

pastor — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Pastor is most useful for a Christian leader who cares for one church or congregation, especially in Protestant settings. Minister is wider: it can mean a pastor, but it can also be a formal title in some churches and does not always stress personal care of members. Preacher focuses on speaking sermons, so a visiting preacher may not lead the church every day. Priest belongs to Catholic, Orthodox, and some Anglican traditions, and it carries different duties and church structure. A woman who leads a Baptist church is usually called a pastor. The speaker at a revival meeting might simply be called a preacher.

pastor ↗minister ↗preacherpriest ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Pastor comes from Latin pastor, which meant a shepherd. The church meaning grew from the idea that a religious leader cares for people in the same way a shepherd cares for sheep.