minister

Compared meaning: a Christian religious leader or clergy member (noun).

比较义项：宗教领袖（名词）。

• minister 本词

  A fairly general, formal term for an ordained Christian clergyperson, used across many Protestant denominations; a minister is not necessarily tied to one specific church building or congregation.

  一个较为通用、正式的词，指受按立的基督教神职人员，可用于多个新教教派，minister不一定固定负责某一座具体的教堂或会众。

  The newly ordained minister was assigned to serve several small churches in the region.

  这位刚被按立的牧师被派去负责这一地区的几所小教堂。

• pastor

  Emphasizes the caring, pastoral role of a leader in charge of one specific congregation, common in evangelical and free churches; often used as a title directly before a name.

  强调负责某一具体会众、带有牧养关怀色彩的角色，常见于福音派和自由教会，常直接用作人名前的称谓，如“李牧师”。

  Pastor Lee always visits members of the congregation whenever someone falls ill.

  李牧师总是在会众中有人生病时前去探望。

• parson

  An old-fashioned, mainly British word for a parish priest, now sounding quaint, rural or literary rather than an official title used in everyday modern speech.

  一个略显过时、主要用于英国的说法，指教区神父，如今听起来带乡村或文学色彩，而不是日常现代用语中的正式头衔。

  In the storybook, the old parson lived in a small cottage next to the village church.

  在这本故事书里，年迈的教区牧师住在村教堂旁边的一间小屋里。

• rector

  A formal, mainly Church of England or Catholic title for the priest with legal charge of a parish; also means a school or university head, a sense not compared here.

  圣公会或天主教中正式的头衔，指依法负责某一教区的神职人员；也可指学校或学院的“校长／院长”，但这里不作比较。

  As rector of the parish, she was legally responsible for the upkeep of the church building.

  作为教区长，她依法负责教堂建筑的维护。

Minister, pastor, parson, and rector mean a Christian clergy member. Minister is general and formal. Pastor stresses caring for one congregation. Parson is old-fashioned British, sounding rural now. Rector is formal, a Church of England priest for a parish; its school-head sense is not compared.

这几个词都可以指基督教的神职人员，含义相近，容易混淆，但语域和教派背景不同：minister较为通用正式，pastor强调对会众的牧养关怀，parson带有过时的英式乡村色彩，rector则是圣公会（或天主教）中正式负责教区的头衔。这里不比较rector的“校长、院长”等其他义项。