The word "pastor" derives from the Latin noun pastor which means "shepherd" and relates to the Latin verb pascere - "to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat".[2] The term "pastor" also relates to the role of elder within the New Testament...
In five New Testament passages… the words relate to church workers:
John 21:16 - Jesus told Peter: "Shepherd My sheep" (NASB).
Acts 20:17 - the Apostle Paul summons the elders or presbyters of the church in Ephesus to give a last discourse to them; in the process, in Acts 20:28, he tells them that the Holy Spirit has made them bishops, and that their job is to shepherd the flock of God among them.
1 Corinthians 9:7 - Paul says, of himself and the apostles: "who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?" (NASB)
Ephesians 4:11 - Paul wrote "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers" (NASB)
1 Peter 5:1-2 - Peter tells the elders among his readers that they are to, "shepherd the flock of God among you" (NASB). Bishops in Western Christianity often bear a formal crosier in the form of a stylised shepherd's crook as a symbol of their pastoral/shepherding functions.
Pastor - Wikipedia (not an endorsement of this site nor of all material contained within)
So, what is the definition of "shepherd"?
The duties of a shepherd in an unenclosed country like Palestine were very onerous. "In early morning he led forth the flock from the fold, marching at its head to the spot where they were to be pastured. Here he watched them all day, taking care that none of the sheep strayed, and if any for a time eluded his watch and wandered away from the rest, seeking diligently till he found and brought it back. In those lands sheep require to be supplied regularly with water, and the shepherd for this purpose has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness and furnished with troughs. At night he brought the flock home to the fold, counting them as they passed under the rod at the door to assure himself that none were missing. Nor did his labours always end with sunset. Often he had to guard the fold through the dark hours from the attack of wild beasts, or the wily attempts of the prowling thief (see 1 Samuel 17:34 ).", Deane's David.
Shepherd Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary (not an endorsement of this site nor of all material contained within).
Shepherd – (v.) to guide, direct, lead, steer; to tend as a shepherd; to guide or guard in the manner of a shepherd (M-W Dictionary). “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters…” (Ps. 23).
Human shepherds (pastors, bishops, elders) of God’s people, among their other responsibilities, lead the people to drink in the Word of God (their spiritual food and drink). They lead them, in the power of God’s Spirit within them, to paths of righteousness.
Read in Ezekiel 34 the dangers of the people of God being without shepherds (leaders):
So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
The Greek Word translated in these verses as “leaders” means “to lead.”
Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings.
Jesus is our chief shepherd, but he has assigned men within the body of Christ to be our shepherds (leaders, guides, overseers), under his guidance and authority, and as led by the Holy Spirit, and to do with us, in a spiritual sense, what human shepherds of literal sheep did. They are Christ’s representatives, his ambassadors, his under-shepherds given to the church for our spiritual growth and maturity (Eph. 4). They are not only to direct (lead, guide) us in the ways of God, according to his Word, in the power of his Spirit, but they are also to lead by example, as did Jesus (1 Pet. 5).
