Pastor

Concise Bible Dictionary:

In the Old Testament the word is raah, “to feed,” and refers to those who should have succored God’s people. They, as all others, had failed; they had destroyed and scattered the sheep (Jer. 2:88The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. (Jeremiah 2:8); Jer. 3:1515And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. (Jeremiah 3:15); Jer. 12:1010Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. (Jeremiah 12:10); Jer. 17:1616As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee. (Jeremiah 17:16); Jer. 22:2222The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. (Jeremiah 22:22); Jer. 23:1-21Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. 2Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:1‑2)). In the New Testament it is ποιμἠυ, which is applied to Christ Himself as the good Shepherd, &c. The pastor is one of the gifts in the church (Eph. 4:1111And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11)): he is one who is gifted to help on the saints individually, enter into their trials and difficulties, and bring the word to instruct and comfort them, or to remonstrate with and counsel them if needed.

From Anstey’s Doctrinal Definitions:

This is one of the gifts that Christ, the ascended Head of the Church, has given to the Church. “Pastor” could be translated “shepherd” (Eph. 4:1111And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11)). It refers to men who have been endowed with spiritual powers to guide and counsel the saints in practical matters, and are thus able to care for the spiritual state of the flock. One of the special powers that a pastor/shepherd has is “the word of wisdom” (1 Cor. 12:88For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; (1 Corinthians 12:8)). This is the God-given capacity to express divine wisdom in words in which the saints are helped in their walk with the Lord. This is why these powers are called the “word” of wisdom.
Sad to say, men have invented a position in the Church (a clergyman) which does not exist in the Word of God, and have “hijacked” the term “pastor” and have attached it to this man-made position. This position is filled by either a man or a woman, who has been formally trained in a seminary and ordained by men for the purpose of preaching and teaching in a Christian congregation. This unscriptural position has been accepted by the masses in the Christian profession for centuries. It has been around for so long, and is so widespread, that it goes unchallenged as being God’s ideal. It can be seen in St. Peter's in Rome all the way down to the smallest evangelical chapel in the countryside.
The brethren in the 1800s who were involved in recovering much truth to the Church that had been lost for centuries, searched the Scriptures to see whether the position of a clergyman was Scriptural and found it not to be so. W. T. P. Wolston summarized it succinctly. He said, “There is a notion in Christendom that a pastor is a man set over a congregation. The idea is in people's heads, but not in Scripture!” (The Church: What Is It," p. 173) These men (in the 1800s) saw from the Scriptures that Christ promised to be "in the midst" of those whom the Spirit of God gathered to His name (Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)). And, with Someone as great and as competent as Him present among the saints gathered together, it is not necessary to appoint a man to lead and guide the congregation—regardless of how gifted that person might be. C. H. Mackintosh said, “If Jesus is in our midst, why on earth should we even think to set up a human president? Why not unanimously and heartily allow Him to take the president's seat, and bow to Him in all things? Why set up human authority in any shape or form in the house of God?” (The Assembly of God, p. 23).
To set up a man in the assembly to conduct the meetings and administer the Lord’s Supper is a serious ecclesiological mistake. There is no such thing even hinted at in the Word of God, as a man, even an apostle, being set apart for such a thing. Scripture simply says, “The disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:77And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7)). Regardless of the fact that Scripture teaches that believers ought to be assembled together for worship and ministry in the Lord’s name alone, waiting on the leading of the Spirit for guidance, one can scarcely find a prayer meeting without someone (a prayer-leader) appointed to conduct it. This is nothing but man usurping the place of Christ and the Holy Spirit in the assembly!
All church groups will say that they own the Spirit's presence in their midst, but the proof of whether we really believe in the Spirit’s power and presence in the Church will be seen in our allowing the Lord to direct things in the meetings of the Church by the Spirit. What Scripture begs of us is faith in the Spirit’s power, proved by leaving Him His due right to employ whom He pleases to speak in the meetings. If it was by the Spirit’s power that God made the world and all in it (Job 26:13; 33:413By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. (Job 26:13)
4The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. (Job 33:4); Gen. 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)), surely the Spirit is able to lead a few Christians who are gathered together for worship and ministry! In fact, Scripture says that this is one of the very reasons why the Spirit was sent to reside in the Church (1 Cor. 12:4-114Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (1 Corinthians 12:4‑11)). Hence, from the moment the Spirit of God was sent into the world at Pentecost, we look in vain in the New Testament for any kind of a position in the Church that remotely resembles that of a clergyman.
Scripture does not teach that there should be one man in the congregation who has the official right to the ministering. In fact, it teaches that every member of the body of Christ has been given a gift (1 Cor. 12:77But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. (1 Corinthians 12:7); Eph. 4:77But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (Ephesians 4:7); 1 Peter 4:1010As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10); Rom. 12:6-86Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6‑8)), and all who have a gift for ministering from the Word of God ought to have liberty to exercise their gift in the assembly, as led by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7-107But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: (1 Corinthians 12:7‑10)). However, the position of a clergyman pre-empts this manifestation of the Spirit in Christian congregations (1 Cor. 12:11Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. (1 Corinthians 12:1) – J. N. Darby Trans.).
The whole training process and ordination of a Pastor/Minister is also a man-made invention. There is not one person in the Bible who was ordained by men to preach the Word to the Church! W. Kelly said, "In fact, as far as the New Testament speaks—and it speaks fully and precisely—no one was ever ordained by man to preach the gospel" (Lectures on the Church of God, p. 183). People often reply, “But men were ordained in the Bible.” Yes, the Bible tells us that Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in every city on one of their missionary journeys (Acts 14:2323And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. (Acts 14:23)). But there is not a single instance in Scripture where Paul, Barnabas, Titus, etc., ever ordained a pastor, teacher, or evangelist for the purpose of preaching and teaching!
Professing to have the power to ordain is equally an empty thing. The whole value of a person’s appointment to an office hangs on the validity of the power that does the appointing. Scripture allows no appointing power except that of an apostle, or an envoy, who had from an apostle a commission for that purpose. But where is such a delegate today that can produce adequate evidence of having an apostolic commission for the work of appointing? The Word of God does not even hint at the continuance of these ordaining powers. W. Kelly concluded, "My assertion is, that in this very matter of ordination Christendom has missed God's mind and will, and is ignorantly but not without sin, fighting for an order of its own, which is mere disorder before God" (Lectures on the Church of God, p. 192). It is clear that those who are professing to ordain today have no authority from God for it.
The church organizations in Christendom have not only created a position that does not exist in the Word of God, but they have also attached various titles to that position that also don’t have the sanction of God. It is true that the words “minister” and “pastor” are mentioned in the Bible, but they are never used as titles. A “pastor” is a man who been endowed with spiritual powers to guide, counsel, and shepherd the saints in practical matters of Christian living—not the title of a clergyman. The Word of God teaches that pastors are just one of many gifts that Christ has given (Eph. 4:1111And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11)). Why set up this one gift in the church with an official title, and give that person preeminence over the others? Scripture denounces the giving of flattering titles to men (Job 32:21-2221Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. 22For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away. (Job 32:21‑22)). One denomination calls their clergyman “Father,” even though the Lord said not to do that (Matt. 23:99And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. (Matthew 23:9)). Other church organizations use the title “Doctor.” (The word “doctor” comes from the Latin docere, which means to teach—i.e. a teacher.) Other denominations use the title, “Reverend.” This is outrageous; the Bible tells us that “Reverend” is one of the Lord’s names! (Psa. 111:99He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. (Psalm 111:9))

Related Books and Articles:

Shepherding Pastoral Care John 21: September 2008