Pastors

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Referring to individuals who lead or provide spiritual guidance within a Christian congregation; serving as caregivers and spiritual mentors to their community; also denoting those who deliver sermons and oversee religious services in places of worship
2. Denoting clergymen or women responsible for the pastoral care and leadership of a church; acting as spiritual advisors and counselors to congregants; and fulfilling roles in administration and worship coordination within a religious context
3. Identifying religious leaders tasked with preaching, educating, and nurturing the faith of their followers; engaging in community outreach and support activities; and often involved in both public and personal ministry within a church setting

Etymology: "Pastors" is the plural of "pastor", which in English is an inflected form, so the substance lies in the singular. The root is Latin "pāstor", meaning herdsman or shepherd, from the verb "pascere", to feed or pasture animals. English took the word from Old French "pastor", and the Middle English form "pastour" shows its passage through French into English. The figurative sense of a spiritual guide grows directly from the pastoral image. Early Christian writers, drawing on biblical language that casts God as a shepherd and clergy as those who tend the flock, applied the herding metaphor to church leaders. The literal sense of tending livestock faded, and the metaphor became the everyday meaning.

Synonyms: ministers, clergy, priests