n. The period of service of a particular pastor to their congregation; their term of office.
n. An organization or body consisting of multiple pastors.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. The office, state, or jurisdiction of a pastor.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. The status or office of a pastor, or the people under his spiritual care. Hence The time during which a pastor remains in charge of a parish: as, a pastorate of twenty years.
n. The body of pastors in a given community.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. pastors collectively
n. the position of pastor
Word Usage
"Anyway, as I continue to think about what goes into a long-term pastorate, last night was a revelation."