Often in social situations, people will refer to me as the pastor of the Grand Saline church of Christ. While I try never to be rude or simply difficult, I must protest the use of such a term. When people ask, I try to explain: God has assigned this word a different meaning than my station as simply a preacher or evangelist. Just as I wouldn't want anyone to call me Christ or apostle-because those words have specific meanings-so I also object to being called a pastor.
In the New Testament, a pastor is someone with the oversight or authority over a local church. The word pastor, meaning "a shepherd," is equivalent to the words "elder,"(1 Pet 5:1) "bishop,"(1 Tim 3:1) or "overseer"(1 Pet 5:2) in the New Testament. What's more, specific qualifications must be met to aspire to this position (1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9) that I certainly do not meet. By contrast, I am a "preacher"(2 Tim 1:11), "evangelist"(2 Tim 4:5), or "minister"(1 Cor 3:5).
What difference does it make? When we change God's words, it makes it difficult for us to understand the Bible. Many don't know what the words baptism, church, or fellowship mean because our world corrupts the spiritual meaning of these terms. When we are baptized, or buried (Rom 6:4), for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), the Lord adds us to His church or body (Acts 2:47, Col 1:18) and we have fellowship, or mutual acceptance with Him (1 John 1:3). To blur that message is to be lost! Jesus said it most simply: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved"(Mark 16:16). I'm not a pastor. Have you done what Jesus says to be a Christian?___Jacob Hudgins