pastor

The word “pastor” means a minister or priest who leads a church congregation. In plain terms, a church leader, especially in Protestant traditions — think shepherd for a congregation of people rather than sheep.

“Pastor” is pronounced PAH-stuh (/ˈpæs.tɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “pastor” used in a sentence: “The pastor delivered a moving sermon on forgiveness.”

Depending on how it is used, “pastor” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “pastor” comes from Latin. From Old French pastor, "shepherd," from Latin pastor — the religious sense grew out of the image of a pastor as a shepherd guiding a flock.

“Pastor” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Pastor” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a minister or priest who leads a church congregation.

A pastor is a minister who leads a church congregation, and the title is most common in Protestant churches. A priest is an ordained member of the clergy in traditions such as the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches, where the role centres on administering sacraments. The same person can be both, since some priests serve as pastors of a parish.

Pastor names a role — the minister who leads a congregation — while Reverend is an honorific title placed before a member of the clergy's name, as in "the Reverend Jane Smith." A pastor may be addressed as Reverend, but reverend does not itself describe a job.

Yes. To pastor a church means to lead or minister to its congregation, as in "he has pastored the same congregation for twenty years." The verb is common in church contexts, though the noun remains far more frequent.

Minister is a broad term for a member of the clergy who conducts religious services, while pastor specifically describes the minister who leads and cares for a particular congregation. In practice, many Protestant churches use the two words interchangeably.