EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is part of “Religion: Got questions?,” a series answering your biggest religious questions. Each week, we will answer one submitted faith question. To send a submission visit timesfreepress.com/religionquestions or email wmassey@timesfreepress.com.
Question: What are the various religious credentials and what do they mean?
Answer: While some titles are interchangable, the words surrounding a church leader’s name signify her or his duties in their house of worship. However, the nuances in meaning for a title such as “bishop” or “deacon” changes depending on the denomination.
The Baptist Church relies on the Latin meaning of the word pastor, which is to shepherd, said Michael Haykin, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor of church history.
“The whole idea there is the shepherding of people the way sheep are shepherded, they need to be guided and taken care of, so the idea is that the pastor will be a shepherd,” Haykin said. “That’s probably the most common term for leaders in Baptist churches.”