What will they call you?

In the serious preparation for ordained ministry, there are so many issues to consider:

- Biblical exegesis
- Christian doctrine
- Pastoral care

Just to name a few.

But one of the most common questions I receive from others concerning my call to the priesthood is something much more mundane:

What will they call you?

Surely not "Father Michelle!" Ugh. Even when people say that jokingly, it kinda creeps me out.

"Mother Michelle?"
"Sister Michelle?"

I'm OK with those although they both make me sound like a nun.
"Sister Michelle" is OK because I think of it in more of a southern, Penecostal sense: Let's pray for Sister Michelle and Brother Stephen.

Of course, there's the more formal, "Reverend Michelle," or "Rev" as one of my church friends likes to jokingly call me (along with other bizarre titles like "Your high priestess," which I really hate because it conjures up witchcraft or paganism in my mind).

But today I was inspired.
A female minister who serves at a bilingual (English and Spanish) United Methodist Church in Lexington was our chapel speaker.

In her stories about conversations she had with her congregants, they said, "Pastora, What do you think about this?" or "Pastora, could you pray for me?"

Pastora

What a beautiful word. Pastora. It's full of grace.

It brings to mind "pastor" and yet the feminine ending acknowledges her gender.

It's familiar and yet respectful ... like "Father."

Would it be strange if I asked people to call me, "Pastora Michelle"?

Sure, it's a "foreign" word, but we adopt words from other languages all the time and it is a cognate; it's not like people wouldn't be able to figure out what it means!

It just seems fitting -- and it sounds like something I could live with, embrace, grow into.

A quick Google search tells me that Pastora is a feminine, Spanish first name and for meaning, it is simply the female form of pastor.

Pastor comes from the Old French and Latin words meaning "shepherd," which in turn, come from the verb meaning "to feed."

But the origin of the pastor idea is really rooted in the Bible, which uses the word for shepherd as a metaphor for a spiritual leader and even God. (The Lord is my Shepherd...)

Since the time of the Reformation, Protestants embraced the term as an alternative to "Priest." In fact, one of the definitions for pastor stated that it usually refers to a Christian leader not in the Anglican or Catholic traditions. That being said, it did say that it is used more commonly in those communities in North America.

Perhaps prayer, time and maturity will eventually lead me away from what seems like a good idea today. But it's worth considering, anyways.

Pastora.