Can a pastor ordain another pastor?

Answer 1

Pastor means shepherd. Just like you can have two shepherds for one flock you can have two pastors. Usually one pastor is the senior pastor and leads the others.

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The English word pastor comes from the Greek word poimano, and in the New Testament it is variously translated "feed," "tend," "shepherd," and "pastor." In the secular sense it referred to one who took care of physical sheep. In the New Testament it referred to one who cared for spiritual sheep. And in the New Testament it is never used to refer to one man, by himself, as the pastor of a church.

The government of the church of Christ, as found in the New Testament, is made up with Christ as head ("the head of the body, the church," Col. 1:18), and under Him are elders, deacons, evangelists and teachers. Let us examine these thoughts in light of New Testament teaching.

Elders were also called "overseers," "bishops," "pastors," and "shepherds." Each of these terms referred to the same group of men (not women), commonly called "elders." (Note that in Acts 20:17, the Apostle Paul "called for the elders of the church" at Ephesus. In verse 28 these same men were called "overseers".) We read in Acts 14:23 that there was an appointment of "elders in every church." Notice here that the word elders is plural and the word church is singular. This shows that there were to be at least two elders in each single congregation of the Lord's church, not just one. As a plurality of men, elders (bishops, pastors, shepherds) were to oversee the spiritual well­being of the believers of a single congregation, and they had no authority beyond that. Notice I Peter 5:1, 2: "The elders who are among you I exhort . . . shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers." Once again we see a plurality of shepherds serving over one flock.

An evangelist is "a messenger of good . . . a preacher of the gospel." (Vine's, p. 44) And there is no Scriptural precedent for evangelistic authority. The evangelist's primary work was preaching and teaching (publicly or privately) the Word of God. (2 Tim. 4:1ff.) In the case where a church has no elders, the evangelist/preacher was to cultivate such men. (Titus 1:5). And during developmental stages of a young congregation, the evangelist would no doubt do pastoral work in helping church members mature, but he had no authority over the church. In Ephesians 4:11, there is a clear distinction made between "evangelists" and "pastors." They did not serve in the same capacity. Elders or pastors had spiritual authority over the church as "those who rule" (Heb 13:17) or who served "as overseers" (I Pet. 5:2). It is also true that a pastor (elder, bishop, shepherd, overseer) could preach the Gospel and teach, and in fact they should do so, seeing an elder was required to be "apt to teach" (I Tim. 3:2). Peter was an apostle and preacher, and later became an elder in the church (I Peter 5:1). It is equally possible for an evangelist to become an elder, pastor or shepherd in a local church, but he must serve with at least one other man.

Each elder/pastor must meet certain specific qualifications in order to serve as such. These are given in I Timothy 3:1-7, and Titus 1:5-9. But there is never a hint in Scripture that one man served with authority as the pastor or bishop or elder or evangelist or preacher over a single congregation of the Lord's people. Whatever was true in the first century concerning elders and preachers is still true today.

Sources

Vine, W. E. 1966. An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company.

Answer 2

Yes, a pastor can officiate the ordination or licensing of a pastor, however the church or denomination, however you wish to call it would be the overseeing body or organization behind the actual ordination.

Answer 3

when a pastor is anointed the holy spirit tells him what and how he will odain his own pastor