minister

minister

I

min‧is‧ter¹ S1 W1 /ˈmɪnəstə, ˈmɪnɪstə $ -ər/ noun [countable]1. a politician who is in charge of a government department, in Britain and some other countries
    minister of
    the Minister of Agriculture
    minister for
    the Minister for Foreign Affairs
    foreign/defence/finance etc minister
    a meeting of EU foreign ministers
    a senior Cabinet minister ⇨ Prime Minister
2. a priest in some Christian churches ⇨ pastor, vicar:
    a Baptist minister
3. someone whose job is to represent their country in another country, but who is lower in rank than an ambassador
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ priest someone who is specially trained to perform religious duties and ceremonies in the Christian church: a Catholic priest | a Buddhist priest | Women priests are much more common these days. | The priest who married us was very friendly and helpful.
   ▪ bishop a priest of high rank in some branches of the Christian church, who is the head of all the churches and priests in a large area: the Bishop of Oxford | a meeting of bishops
   ▪ vicar a priest in the Church of England who is in charge of a church in a particular area: our local vicar
   ▪ preacher someone who gives the sermon (=a religious talk as part of a church service) in some Protestant churches: a Methodist preacher
   ▪ minister the formal word for any priest in some branches of the Christian church: In 1843, 450 ministers of the church broke away from the established church of Scotland.
   ▪ chaplain someone, especially a priest, who takes care of the religious needs of an organization such as a college, hospital, prison, or the military: the prison chaplain
   ▪ pastor American English someone who is in charge of the prayers, ceremonies etc in some branches of the Protestant church: a Baptist pastor
   ▪ rabbi the person who is in charge of the prayers, ceremonies etc in the Jewish religion: Israel’s chief rabbis
   ▪ mullah a Muslim teacher of law and religion: The people turned to their traditional leaders, the mullahs.
   ▪ holy man someone who is treated with great respect by people who belong to a religion: A Sadhu, or Hindu holy man, was performing yoga on the banks of the River Ganges.
   ▪ the clergy the official leaders in organized religions, such as the priests, rabbis, and mullahs: Around 30 members of the clergy gathered for the meeting.
   ▪ clergyman a male member of the clergy – used especially in the past: His youngest son decided to become a clergyman.

II

minister² verb [intransitive]
to work as a priest:
    Rev Wilson spent 20 years ministering in some of New York’s poorest areas.
     
minister to somebody/something phrasal verb formal
  to give help to someone who needs it, especially someone who is sick or old:
    She spent much time ministering to the sick.
    ministering to the needs of other people