Pastor

Pastor (Latin: pastor = shepherd ) is the name given to the clergy in the service of the church. In most Protestant churches, the term pastor is a title for the priest.

Etymology

In the narrower sense is the pastor of the first preacher or pastor of a Protestant church. Pastor is used mainly in North Germany and large parts of the central German area, in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland pastor is predominant.

The term pastor was introduced in the 14th century from the Latin church pastor ( " shepherd of souls " ) as title name for the minister of a church and is mostly used since the Reformation for Protestant clergymen. Partly as a Catholic priest are called pastors. In some areas of the Eifel, the Westerwald, the Sauerland and the Lower Rhine is in dialect between the stressed on the first syllable ( Protestant ) P'astor and stressed on the second syllable Catholic Past'or ( dialect spoken: Past'ur ) distinguished.

Pastor is usually abbreviated as " P. " Pastor with " Pn ".

Protestantism

In Protestant churches there is no separate priesthood, because all believers are considered priests (ie person with direct access to God, and in particular the authority to award the remission of sins; " priesthood of all believers "). The situation is different in the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church and other confessional Lutheran churches worldwide, is where quite ordained to the priesthood.

The official title of which carry ordained theologians with two ecclesiastical examinations in the church service is called a pastor ( eg § 26 of the pastor Law VELKD ), but it is the country's churches free church law, a different official name (ie, the official title of " Pastor ( in ) " ) set. In other areas, only the official service name pastor is common. Clergy in the sample service, which no pastor, but only the administration can be assigned to such a bearing in some member churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany the official title of parish administrator or parish administrator, in others the same job title as pastor for life. Non- tenured (and therefore mostly not ordained ) priests are with full training as a "candidate of the preaching ministry" ( KDP) called, even if they perceive the representation of a pastorate. An ordained minister without pastorate in community service contributes insofar as it (eg Superintendent, Provost, Bishop ) does not perform higher-ranking official titles, continues his previous job title.

Also, most evangelical free churches in Germany call their clergy Pastor / Pastor, unless they are a bishop or superintendent. In Switzerland, the clergy also pastor or pastor or priest or pastor mentioned in the Free Churches, as well as in Austria. In the decades after 1900, instead of the notion of ( full-time ) preacher was predominant.

Catholicism

In the Catholic Church Pastor referred to an independent person appointed by the bishop priest - is not assigned to lead a parish - in contrast to the pastor. Great regional differences (eg in Hamburg) also pastors are addressed as "Pastor " to emphasize the pastoral aspect ( shepherd ) from the administrative ( Parish Administrator ). Within a pastoral space ( large parish ) several priests can act as pastors, but only as a pastor.

(For different emphasis on the word pastor, see above. )

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