Pastor vs. Apostle

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Pastor and Apostle is that the Pastor is a ordained leader of a Christian congregation and Apostle is a term originating from Greek, meaning messenger and ambassador; used as a religious title or concept in many Abrahamic religions

  • Pastor

    A pastor is an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. A pastor also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation.

    It is derived from the Latin word pastor, meaning shepherd. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, the term may be abbreviated to “Pr” or “Ptr” (singular) or “Ps” (plural).

  • Apostle

    An apostle (), in its most literal sense, is an emissary, from Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), literally “one who is sent off”, from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (apostéllein), “to send off”. The purpose of such sending off is usually to convey a message, and thus “messenger” is a common alternative translation; other common translations include “ambassador” and “envoy”.The term derives from the Greek of the New Testament and was used for Jesus’s original Twelve Apostles (including Peter, James, and John), as well as a wider group of early Christian figures, including Paul, Barnabas, and Junia. Some other religions use the term for comparable figures in their history. The word in this sense may be used metaphorically in various contexts, but is mostly found used specifically for early associates of the founder of a religion, who were important in spreading his or her teachings.

    The adjective apostolic () is claimed as a continuing characteristic by a number of prominent Christian churches (i.e., that a given church’s traditions, practices, and teachings descend directly from the original apostles), and so finds wider modern application. The word is found, for example, in the “Apostolic See”, the official name for the Roman Catholic Papacy; in the doctrine of apostolic succession, held by many branches of Christianity; and in the Four Marks of the Church (“one, holy, catholic, and apostolic”) found in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

Wikipedia
  • Pastor (noun)

    A shepherd; someone who tends to a flock of animals.

  • Pastor (noun)

    Someone with spiritual authority over a group of people

  • Pastor (noun)

    A minister or a priest in a Christian church.

  • Pastor (verb)

    To serve a pastor

  • Apostle (noun)

    A Church (but see Apostle).

  • Apostle (noun)

    A pioneer or early advocate of a particular cause, prophet of a belief.

  • Apostle (noun)

    A top-ranking ecclesiastical official in the twelve seat administrative council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

  • Apostle (noun)

    A person who is plucked, that is, refused an academic degree.

  • Apostle (noun)

    A letter dismissory.

  • Apostle (noun)

    A note sent to an appeal court presenting the appeal in summary.

  • Apostle (noun)

    The trial court record sent to an appeal court concerning an appeal.

Wiktionary
  • Apostle (noun)

    each of the twelve chief disciples of Jesus Christ.

  • Apostle (noun)

    an important early Christian teacher or pioneering missionary

    “Kiril and Metodije, the apostles of the Slavs”

  • Apostle (noun)

    a vigorous and pioneering advocate or supporter of a particular policy, idea, or cause

    “a man once known as the apostle of free-market economics”

Oxford Dictionary

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