pastory

Pastory is a rarely used English noun (and, less commonly, an adjective) relating to the office, duties, or influence of a pastor in Christian settings. In most discussions, the term denotes either the state of being a pastor, the practice of pastoral care, or the broader responsibilities associated with parish leadership. The more common term for the office itself is pastorate, while pastory appears chiefly as a stylistic variant or in linguistic analysis.

Etymology and usage: Pastory is formed from the noun pastor with the suffix -y, indicating a state or quality. It is not widely attested in standard dictionaries and is encountered primarily in specialized or historical texts, where it may be used to discuss concepts of pastoral authority or care without invoking a specific office.

In practice, pastory may appear in theological or sociological writing as a way to abstract the role of clergy from particular institutional structures, or in literary criticism when analyzing works that foreground pastoral leadership or rural church life. It is generally considered a niche term and is not widely used in contemporary church administration.

See also: Pastor, Pastorate, Pastoral care, Parish, Clergy, Church leadership, Pastoral literature.