Did any of the apostles pastor a church?

The term “pastor” (poimein in Greek) literally means “to shepherd.”  Ephesians 4:11 lists it as an office in the church alongside apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teachers.  The Greek term is used when Paul and Peter told elders of the church to “shepherd” the flock of God which is among them (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-2).  Thus, biblically elders are the only ones who are referred to as pastors.

Peter – an apostle, evangelist, and teacher – also referred to himself as an elder (1 Pet. 5:1) right before he told elders to “shepherd”  (“pastor,” poimein) the church.  Thus, at least one apostle – and likely others – were pastors or elders of a local congregation if they met the qualifications for the office (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Tit. 1:5-9).