Definition
A person who serves jointly as a presbyter (elder) with another person in a religious community.
Etymology
From co- (together) + presbyter (from Greek presbyteros, elder), combining to mean joint elders. This ecclesiastical term developed in Christian churches with shared leadership structures.
Kelly Says
Medieval and early Christian churches sometimes had two elders leading together for spiritual balance—kind of like having co-captains on a team, which explains why this word shows up in old church documents.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ማህበራዊ አንበሳ
ma-hi-be-ra-wi an-be-sa
ARالعربية
نائب الرعية
na'ib ar-ri'ya
BNবাংলা
সহপাদ্রী
soh-pa-dree
CACatalà
copresbiter
koh-preh-bee-teh-reh
CSČeština
spoluslužebník
spo-loo-zlu-zheb-nik
DADansk
medpræst
med-praest
DEDeutsch
Koadjutor
koh-ad-joo-tor
ELΕλληνικά
συνοδικός πρεσβύτερος
see-no-di-kos preh-s-tee-ros
ESEspañol
copresbítero
koh-preh-bee-teh-roh
FAفارسی
پادری همکار
pa-dari ha-m-kaar
FISuomi
yhteispappi
yhteis-pappi
FRFrançais
coprésbytere
koh-preh-bee-tehr
GUGU
સહપ્રેષ્ટર
sa-h-pre-sh-ter
HAHA
ma'aikatan addini
ma-ai-ka-tan ad-di-ni
HEעברית
רב משותף
rav misht'af
HIहिन्दी
सहपादरी
sah-pa-dari
HUMagyar
egyházi társ
e-gy-ha-zi ta-rs
IDBahasa Indonesia
pendeta bersama
pen-de-ta be-sa-ma
IGIG
onye isi
oh-nye ee-see
ITItaliano
copresbitero
koh-preh-bee-teh-roh
JA日本語
共同牧師
kyou-dou-bokushi
KKKK
бірлестік паттер
bir-le-sti-k pa-t-ter
KMKM
ព្រះគ្រូជាមួយ
p-reh-k-roo-cha-mwo-y
KO한국어
공동목사
gong-dong-moksa
MSBahasa Melayu
pendeta bersama
pen-de-ta be-sa-ma
MYမြန်မာ
အကျင့်ဆိုင်
a-kyin-sa-in
NLNederlands
medepriester
me-deh-pries-ter
NONorsk
medprest
med-prest
PLPolski
wikariusz
vi-ka-ri-usz
PTPortuguês
copresbítero
koh-preh-see-beh-teh-roh
RORomână
coprezbiter
koh-preh-zee-teh-reh
RUРусский
сослужитель
so-slu-zhite-l
SVSvenska
medpräst
med-prahst
SWKiswahili
mchungaji mwenza
m-chun-ga-ji mwen-za
TAதமிழ்
சமூகப் பாதிரியார்
samauka-pa-a-thira-iyaar
TEతెలుగు
సమస్థ పాదరి
sama-stha-pa-dari
THไทย
พระผู้ร่วมงาน
pra-phoo-roong-ngan
TLTL
kasamang pari
ka-sa-mang pa-ri
TRTürkçe
ortak presbiter
ort-ak preh-bee-ter
UKУкраїнська
співслужитель
spiv-slu-zhite-l
URاردو
مذہبی ساتھی
mad-he-bi sa-thee
VITiếng Việt
đồng chức mục sư
dong-chong-muc-su
YOYO
ọmọ ẹlẹ́dá
oh-moh eh-leh-dah
ZH中文
共同牧师
gong-tong-mu-shi
ZUZU
umshayeli wenzane
oom-sha-ye-li wen-za-ne
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Church ordination historically restricted to men. 'Presbyter' derives from Greek presbuteros (elder), applied exclusively to male clergy in most traditions until recent decades.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'co-ordained clergy member' or 'co-presbyter (any gender)' in modern contexts to reflect that ordained leadership now includes all genders.
Inclusive Alternatives
["co-ordained minister","co-clergy member","co-pastoral leader"]
Empowerment Note
Women's ordination in many denominations (first legally in 1956 for some Protestant churches, 1994+ for Catholic discussion) represents reclamation of leadership roles historically denied.