# pastor

/ˈpæstɝ/ (US) · /pˈɑːstɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pastor
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. church leader

noun · CEFR B2

a leader in a Christian church who gives advice and leads services.

For teachers: a minister or priest with spiritual charge over a specific congregation or group of people.

- The pastor gave a moving speech during the Sunday morning service.
- After the service, the pastor spent several hours visiting elderly members of the congregation who were unable to attend in person.

### 2. shepherd

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

an old word for a person who looks after sheep.

For teachers: a person who tends a flock of animals, specifically a shepherd. This sense is largely restricted to historical or poetic contexts.

- In the old story, a lonely pastor watched his sheep on the hillside.
- The poet uses the image of the faithful pastor to represent a leader who protects his followers from harm.

### 3. to lead a church

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to work as the leader of a church group.

For teachers: to serve a congregation in the capacity of a pastor; to provide spiritual leadership and oversight.

- She has pastored this small community church for over twenty years.
- He felt a profound calling to pastor the urban congregation, despite the significant social and economic challenges the neighborhood faced.

Usage: Often used as an intransitive verb or with a direct object representing the congregation.

## Examples

- The pastor gave a moving speech at the wedding.
- After the Sunday service, the pastor stood at the door to greet every member of the congregation.
- The local pastor acted as a mediator during the community dispute, drawing on years of experience in pastoral counseling and local leadership.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.