Minister Christianity: Encyclopedia II - Minister Christianity - Related titles

Minister Christianity - Related titles

Minister Christianity - Priests/Vicars

The Roman Catholic, Orthodox churches and some Anglican or Episcopal churches refer to their ordained clergy as priests and bishops. Minister is not a title used by the ordained clergy (e.g. priests) nor is it a form of address for them (see Catholic minister).

The term rector (from the Latin word for ruler) or vicar may be used for priests in certain settings, especially in the Anglican and Episcopal traditions. A rector is considered higher in rank than a vicar but lower than a bishop. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Pope is given the title Vicar of Christ.

Minister Christianity - Pastor

The term Pastor tends to be used in Lutheran, Baptist and Pentecostal churches. Pastor comes from the Latin word meaning shepherd and is a reference to Jesus' use of the title the Good Shepherd for himself. A person serving as a pastor will be assigned to a local church or congregation who may be referred to as his or her flock.

Minister Christianity - Clergyman/Clergywoman

The word clergy derives from the same English root as clerk and can be traced to the days when those in ordained ministry were among the only literate members of soceity. The term Clerk in Holy Orders is still the technical title for certain Christian clergy, and its usage is prevalent in ecclesiastical and Canon Law of some Christian denominations (particularly Anglican provinces in the United Kingdom). The word cleric is a common variation of clerk. Through common usage, the word has lost its associations with literacy and clerical work and is usually used as shorthand for any religious minister. Though Christian in origin, the terms can be applied to people in other religious traditions. For example, a rabbi can be referred to as a clergyman or clergywoman.

Parson is a similar term often applied to ordained priests or ministers. The word is a variant on the English word person and refers to the person one would see in a community when any matters involving reading and/or writing came up.

Minister Christianity - Dominie Dom Don

• Dominie is a specific Scottish word, equivalent to the Dutch Dominee, both from the Latin domine (vocative case of Dominus 'Lord, Master'), only used for protestant clergy or for schoolmasters.
• However in various Romanesque languages, shortened forms of Dominus (Dom, Don) are commonly used for Catholic priests (sometimes also for lay notables as well).

Minister Christianity - Chaplain and Almoner Padre

Chaplain as in English and/or Almoner (preferred in many other languages) or their equivalents refer to a Minister who has another type of pastoral 'target group' than a territorial parish congregation (or in addition to one), such as a military unit, school population, patients, etc.

The Spanish Padre ('father') is informally used to address them, also in English.

Minister Christianity - Elder

Elders in Christianity are involved in the collective leadership of a local church or of a denomination.

• In Presbyterianism they are ordained but not clergy, taking on no special pre-nominal, but functioning as the ruling elders of the Kirk Session or Church Session superintending the members of their parish or congregation.

• In the Assemblies of God and the Metropolitan Community Church Elders are the most senior leaders serving, leading, and supervising the world-wide denomination. In the Metropolitan Community Church an Elder can be a lay person or clergy.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Related titles", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki