Teaching vs Preaching

[Jon Lanning]

   I know preaching is telling something and teaching is explaining it. But what is a preacher? Can a preacher teach and vice versa?  I just finished my newest sermon and I preached about some things and the I explained how to do it. www.jonlanning.com.  But in bible school I was told preachers preach and teachers teach. You are either one or the other.
   I am just wondering how accurate that is. Jesus did both. I know about the ministries of teachers, etc. in 1Corinthians. I am a traveling preacher and I preach and teach depending on the Holy Spirit. But I just curious about the actual differences of them.
   Any thoughts?

[Melody]

Your overall calling may be one or the other but that does not mean that you never utilize other forms of ministry.  A pastor often preaches and teaches, so where does that leave him? So does a missionary.  You could be called to be a preacher that evangelizes yet find yourself teaching Bible studies as well.  I believe it is your "calling" but we are also to be like Paul who was all things to all men which demanded all forms of ministry.

[Raven180]

It seems that a lot of times, people want to make a demarcation between the two that not even the Bible makes. (Some want to combine the two and call it "treach" or "treaching", i.e preaching + teaching, which is totally unnecessary, if you ask me.)

For example, "preach the gospel" in 1 Corinthians 1:17 is one Greek word, euaggelizo, i.e. evangelize.

So, did Paul preach or evangelize? Well, to evangelize simply means bringing or announcing good news, so obviously, the "good news" can be either preached or taught.

Other instances of the word "preach" in Scripture come from such different words as laleo which means to simply speak or utter words. Obviously, again, speaking or uttering words can be preaching or teaching, with no special distinction being made between the two.

Still others can mean to herald, proclaim, or publish (kerysso). This word usually attaches a grave or solemn authority to the idea, in that what is being heralded or proclaimed should be listened to and obeyed.

Sometimes, the word/noun for "preaching" is logos, which means, most literally, "an uttered word", embodying a concept or idea. Sometimes it's kerugma, which comes from kerysso and is the "thing heralded" through the act of heralding.

When one looks at the idea of teaching, from the Hebrew perspective, for example, to teach means more fully to inculcate, i.e. to beat into the ground through trampling, hence continued, persistent, relentless repetition. Know anyone who does that when they are "preaching"?

The Greek idea is simply to instruct or indoctrinate, usually with the idea of discourse, as in didasko.

It's pretty clear that the above concepts: proclaiming good news, speaking or uttering words, words themselves, inculcating, and instructing and indoctrinating can all be accomplished through either what we call teaching or preaching.

So, is there no distinction, whatsoever? For us, we tend to make the distinction less in what is being said and more in how it's being said (Shouting the message versus speaking the message, explaining versus declaring, etc.).

However, the distinction isn't in the message or the method of the message, since it all involves God's Word (the message) and the voice as it speaks the same to others (the method). In fact, in many ways, both preaching and teaching, as we understand them are also prophetic, with the use of foretelling and forthtelling, further blurring the line between the two.

I guess then the real distinction is how much the speaker stops to explain and show why he or she is saying what he or she is saying versus how much the speaker is just simply stating concepts and conclusions, no questions asked, take them at their word kind of delivery. The former is something that many, many people can do, as God equips them. The second is not for everyone, since it, when it is accomplished, is actually a conduit for God's Divine Mind to be expressed through His spokeperson, i.e. the prophet.

These kinds of "thus saith the Lord" moments don't typically drop in the middle of what we might consider teaching as much as they seem to do during what we would call preaching, since there is a distinction between prophet and teacher, the one being God's mouth the other, typically (though they can be used prophetically) as God's educators who instruct others in the way of righteousness.

Hope this helps. (Hope it makes sense, too!)

[Jon Lanning]

Very good replies. And helpful. I appreciate it. Thanks

[Scott]

I teach and I preach; yet often times I forget which I am doing and cross over.

When I evangelize 95% of the time I preach, however at  the home church I love to teach the new converts class and the adult bible class, pulling out the power point and illustrating points to teach people.

[sabellius]

                       Praise the Lord



                      Teaching is being able to get the truth and facts to an individual where it is up to them to learn the faith or belief its real or not.


                        Preaching is being able to get a person to live in the environment using the knowledge of truth which he or she has learned from a Teacher.Some can do both but not all.Some can do one or the other




sabellius

[The Cold Water Kid]

In my opinion, preaching should be prophetic. Teaching isn't. By prophetic I mean when the preacher (pastor, evangelist, etc) is talking about something he doesn't know is directed at you, but you know.

[Scott]

In my opinion, preaching should be prophetic. Teaching isn't. By prophetic I mean when the preacher (pastor, evangelist, etc) is talking about something he doesn't know is directed at you, but you know.

Teaching can be the same way. Remember there is a 5 fold ministry and teaching / preaching are both parts of it. Jesus also told us to go yet into all the world and teach...

Teaching may be as important or more so

[The Cold Water Kid]

I didn't mean to suggest a hierarchy; without the lowly plankton, the mighty whale would not exist. Teaching is not more or less important than preaching IMO.

[BroTrey]

my and would be a preacher CAN teach, and and teacher CAN preach, but not in every case....
I know some very talented wordsmiths that can teach some of the most amazing bible studies ever, but dont hand them a mic and say preach because honestly, no matter what they might claim, thats not their calling they are a TEACHER.... and I know a couple preachers that can preach a good message, but cant break down a study lesson.
Yet I know a few people that have the ability to do both. our AP it probably the best example of a man of God that can preach and teach. 

[Raven180]

In Acts 13, there were a group of prophet teachers who ministered unto the Lord.

Seems to me that the office of a teacher and the office of a prophet can be closely linked.

I have heard what I would call prophetic teaching, where, by the unction of the Holy Ghost, the teacher speaks revelation and understanding into the minds of the audience. When the audience gets a new revelation of God, the impact upon their soul is amazing: deliverance can occur, healing can occur, deep wounds of the spirit can occur, etc, just as much if not more so when a prophet prophesizes (sp?)

While it may not have been preaching, the teacher can have just as much of an impact when the Word is broken and fed to a willing mind. Definitely prophetic in my book.