Someone muses, “When and where was the pastorate form conceived?” The word “pastorate” relates to the denominational designation of “pastor” for a congregation’s minister or religious leader. “Pastorate” came into use in the English language between 1785 and 1795, according to various dictionaries.
The word “pastor” is used in the New Testament as a synonym for the term “elder” (Ephesians 4:11). The Catholic Church redefined its use in the 14th century to apply instead to a minister or priest, according to a number of dictionaries. That is, the word “pastor” came to be applied to a minister before the rise of the first denomination breaking away from the Catholic Church. Subsequently, denominations have continued to apply the word “pastor” to their ministers or religious leaders, but from the beginning of Christianity it was not so.
The New Testament uses the terms “elder” (Titus 1:5; James 5:14), “bishops” (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), “presbytery” (1 Timothy 4:14) and “pastors” (Ephesians 4:11) interchangeably to refer to the plurality of men who meet biblical qualifications and have been appointed to lead a local congregation. There is no biblical basis for using the words “pastor” or “pastorate” to refer to a minister or his work. Anyone interested in doing Bible things in Bible ways and using Bible words in Bible ways will take note and not use the terms “pastor” and “pastorate” in unscriptural ways.
