Pastor-minister-preacher-evangelist

 

Because I preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, at one time or another I have been called all of these: pastor, minister, preacher, and evangelist. These four words (plus a few others) are often used as titles by many people around the world, so it never surprises me when someone addresses me by one of these designations.

 

But consider this: are all four of these words used interchangeably by God in His Word to refer to the men who preach His Word? Usually it seems that people assume the answer to this question is “yes” because of their church’s traditions, or because they have heard men who preach called by these four words hundreds of times, or for some other reason that sounds perfectly sensible to them. However, since human reasoning never has determined and never will determine whether something is acceptable to God (Isaiah 55:6-11),  let us see how Almighty God uses these words in the Scriptures, and whether He applies these words to men who spend their lives publicly proclaiming His saving truth.

 

PASTOR - W. E. Vine, in Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, says this about the word “pastor”: “‘a shepherd, one who tends herds or flocks’ (not merely one who feeds them), is used metaphorically of Christian ‘pastors,’ Eph. 4:11. ‘Pastors’ guide as well as feed the flock; cf. Acts 20:28, which, with v. 17, indicates that this was the service committed to elders (overseers or bishops); so also in 1 Peter 5:1,2, ‘tend the flock...exercising the oversight,’ RV; this involves tender care and vigilant superintend-dence.” If you add to Mr. Vine’s definition the inspired writings of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-16, where the qualifications and work of pastors (also called elders or bishops) is described, it is not difficult to see that God did not equate this word “pastor” or the work of such a man to that of a preacher. Indeed, Paul was certainly a preacher, but the Scriptures never speak of him being “the husband of one wife,” serving as an elder in any congregation of the saints, or being called a “pastor.”

 

MINISTER - This Greek word “diakonos” means “servant” and is not limited in the Scriptures to describing men who preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. For  example, in Romans 16:1 Paul uses this word when he commends to the Roman brethren “Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea.”  In Ephesians 3:1-13 Paul uses this same word, translated “minister” in most of the Bible versions I consulted, to describe his own work as an apostle and preacher of the gospel. Paul makes a third use of this word when he calls rulers of nations “ministers of God” (Romans 13:3-6). So, it is not difficult to see that God’s inspired Word does not apply the word “minister” solely to a man who preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ, rather applying it to different ones who serve Him in various capacities.

 

PREACHER - In 1 Timothy 2:7 the Paul identifies himself both as “a preacher and an apostle.” This same point is reiterated in 2 Timothy 1:11. In Romans 10 Paul is speaking of how salvation is open to Jew and Gentile alike, to all who will commit to following Jesus. In verses 14 and 15 he speaks of how the work of a preacher is to “preach the gospel of peace.” Certainly this fits with the definition of a preacher as “a herald, i.e. of divine truth” (Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the New Testament). So God’s Word does use this word to describe a man who preaches the gospel of Christ.

 

EVANGELIST - Twice this term is used in the New Testaament: in Acts 21:8 it is used to describe a man named Phillip, and in 2 Timothy 4:5 Paul exhorts Timothy to do the work of “an evangelist.” Also, Ephesians 4:11 speaks of “evangelists.” This word evangelist refers to a man who is a “messenger of good,” a “preacher of the gospel” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words). So, this word is really interchangeable with the word preacher, and is also used in God’s Word to describe a man who preaches the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

 

So you see, only two of these words — preacher and evangelist —specifically apply to men who preach the gospel, and none of the four is ever used as a title in the Scriptures. Shouldn’t we use the terms as God uses them?

 

Michael Hurst