religious leader; religious figure; religious practitioner
Broad term for a person professionally or deeply involved in religion, such as a priest, monk, pastor, imam, or influential religious thinker.
He is respected by many as a famous religious figure.
The religious practitioner offers prayers at the temple every morning.
信者 means a believer or follower of a religion, whereas 宗教者 refers to a person who leads or practices religion professionally.
Compound of 宗教 (shūkyō, 'religion') and 者 (sha, 'person'). The exact historical derivation is straightforward.