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Featured Pastor and Teacher, or Pastor/Teacher?

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by John of Japan, Aug 9, 2012.

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  1. They are two separate offices in the church.

    31.6%
  2. They both indicate the same office, the pastor/teacher.

    68.4%
  3. I don't know.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. Other

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. webdog

    webdog Active Member
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    Yes. I'm currently one of them :) That doesn't mean I'm not a teacher, it just means I'm not teaching.

    Can a non-teacher teach? To teach means one has knowledge on the subject being conveyed to the learner, and if one is able to do this they are teachers.

    All pastors must be the husband of one wife, but it doesn't mean all husbands of one wife are called to be pastors. Same principle with teachers / teaching.
    Tom had a good point as well in the Ephesians text.
     
    #21 webdog, Aug 10, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 10, 2012
  2. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

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    The overall word of God calls pastors to lead the local church. Not all pastors can teach, but can preach, and preaching includes opening the truth of God's word to all.

    Some people like to play on words until they no longer have any meaning. Seven deacons, the only other officers of the local church, can often make up for the pastors' short-comings.

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
  3. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    I do think a non-teacher can teach. It happens all the time. We were in a restaurant last night where Bree our server was learning the ropes from a veteran. The veteran server wasn't a teacher but was teaching Bree the job. In Japanese the verb oshieru, to teach, can be used in a wide range of situations, such as "Teach me where the train station is."

    Point taken. And this explanation can explain how there were teachers in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1). I don't reject out of hand the idea that there are teachers in the church, but pastors must be teachers based on "apt to teach." But my main point is the exegesis of Eph. 4:11, and I'm waiting for that to be refuted.
    I don't think Tom's point holds true grammatically even in English. My illustration to him might not have rung true. Try this one: "In the Olympics, there are the runners, the swimmers, and the wrestlers and judo competitors." This is a direct syntactical parallel to the Eph. passage, yet is not saying that the wrestlers and judo competitors are the same people, even though they are similar in that they are both grappling sports.
     
  4. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    John, I'm not a Greek scholar, so I will yield to your knowledge on that. But I was an English major and am a student of the English language.

    I could just as easily interpret your example as meaning that one intends for coffee and donuts to always be taken together. It doesn't mean coffee and donuts are the same. It means you have one, you also have the other.

    Now, I grant that it may be possible that you can have a preacher/pastor who doesn't have the teaching gift--but I've never known one. Every pastor I've ever sat under also taught.
     
  5. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    I think we agree that in English, at least, the verse is ambiguous--could be taken either way. (I was only a minor in English. :eek:)

    So my main point remains that I object to MacArthur's interpretation of a paradigm of pastor/teacher in which the two roles are not really clearly distinguished. I believe that teaching is a part of the pastor's work, but not the definitive part, and that a man does not cease to be a pastor if he is not teaching but spends most of his time in leading motivating and counseling. Also, I believe that teacher is a separate office in the church, a very necessary office. I think verses such as Acts 13:1 prove this.
     
  6. Darrell C

    Darrell C Well-Known Member
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    Hello John of Japan, nice to meet you.

    It may be that you answer the question indirectly in your statment here, and I would ask...is there a passage in scripture where we find "shepherd/apostle" as we find "pastors and teachers?"

    I am for the most part in agreement with your assessment: we do find men that are great pastors yet lousy teachers. And vice versa. It may be that the role of leadership is implied and perhaps the designations are given this way to reflect the different abilities within this role.

    Just thinking out loud...don't hold it against me...lol.

    God bless.
     
  7. Bronconagurski

    Bronconagurski New Member

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    Not all teachers have the office of a pastor, but all pastors should be able to teach.

    1 Timothy 3:2 (ESV)
    2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
     
  8. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    Hi, Darrell. Nice to know you, and thanks for the input. :wavey:

    I decided to take a look at the Greek texts of relevant passages and find that in both Eph. 3:5 and 2:20 we have the same plural construction as Eph. 4:11 with apostles and prophets being in view. However, no one seems to think that means apostles and prophets are referring to the same set of persons. Since this mention is in the same book as 4:11, we can say that Paul's style in Eph. doesn't invite the pastor/teacher paradigm.


    Thanks for the agreement. :thumbsup: I think pastors should all do their best to be teachers, but not all are. I don't think they cease to be pastors because they can't teach very well.
     
  9. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    I agree, and this verse has been mentioned several times. It is of course a requiremen that a pastor be apt to teach, but the word teacher does not appear in the passages.

    Furthermore, how many of us are able to meet all of the criteria Paul gives in 1 Tim. 3? I know I fail often on some of these. I believe they are a standard to shoot for, but Paul himself was not very self-controlled when he split with Barnabas. We all fail, but hopefully keep on trying.
     
  10. Jon-Marc

    Jon-Marc New Member

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    I would think it's obvious that some people are given the talent for teaching but not to be a pastor, and Eph. 4:11 clearly shows that pastors are to be teachers--at least, it's clear to me. I've know men who weren't called to either one but insisted on doing one or the other or both. Women are not to teach men or to be pastors, but they can teach other women and children. The Bible only says they are not to teach men. I know that sounds a bit old fashioned and out-dated, but it's still scripture whether we agree with it or not.
     
  11. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    Though I disagree with you on Eph. 4:11, I'm old fashioned with you all the way on the rest of your post.
     
  12. Allan

    Allan Active Member

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    I think you missed my point brother. I'm not saying ONLY a pastor can be a teacher.. look at my post again. My statement is that ALL believers are to be teachers, the very term disciple not only implies we are to teach but establishes this fact. The great commissioning of the Church in Mat 28 speaks to all preaching (proclaiming) and teaching others. Teaching can be done in various ways (one-on-one, and a few, small groups, larger groups, ect..), however the pastor should be able to teach. This portion here I believe is not speaking of one-on-one or mentoring but is more focused toward the group that he will be pastoring thus toward the congregation as whole.

    Yes, but does that negate the possibility of it being the latter?

    Again, if it was something that can be demonstrated outside the scriptural text we can presume it is 'plausibly' possible. So if it is, we need proof - but if linguistics are not found in than a single portion, would we not look to the whole of scripture to posit if the possible unique usage might in fact be just what it is - used for this purpose in a unique way.

    I don't necessarily see it as an office of the church in the passages referenced above, again because we are all to be teachers to varying degrees thus a type of position but not office. As I understand it, an office holds some type of authority that was acknowledge by church, is this not correct?

    The passage in 1 Cor. 12 is speaking of gifts, not offices otherwise miracle working and tongues would be an office as well.

    The Heb 5 passage speaks to my point.. EVERYONE should be or better is expected to eventually a teacher to some degree.
    See with that I don't, I see the elder/pastor is in view who should be teaching as much as he is studying. I can't find where pastors aren't automatically assumed to be teaching as well as preaching.

    Does yours above count :)
     
    #32 Allan, Aug 12, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 12, 2012
  13. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    Didn't mean to miss your point. Sorry about that. And I agree that the pastor should be able to teach, but not that a pastor is of necessity ergo a teacher.

    But I fail to see how all believers are to be teachers in the same sense as the teachers in Acts 13:1, which in my view puts teachers right up there with prophets in the church at Antioch. "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers." No one on this thread has yet dealt with this verse, yet it seems to go right with my view of Eph. 4:11 that pastors and teachers are separate.
    In my mind it makes the Greek GS rule as applied to plurals iffy. At best, the plural construction is an exception to the GS rule. But work remains to be done in this area by the grammarians.
    I don't deny the possibility that the plurals in Eph. 4:11 is an exception to the GS rule, I just haven't seen it proven yet. But MacArthur and others treat it as a proven fact.
    Again, I think Acts 13:1 needs to be dealt with in this issue.
    But in Eph. 4:11 it says "He gave" the offices. Why could not 1 Cor. be listing various types of gifts?
    Point taken.
    Point taken.
    Point taken. :applause:
     
  14. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    Paul uses both office and gift in Romans:

    12:4-8
    For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
     
  15. Bob Alkire

    Bob Alkire New Member

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    Brother, me disagreeing with you on Greek isn't smart on my part, I haven't retained much of what I had in school. But I was taught that pastor and teacher in Eph. 4:11, was pastor-teacher. I will take from Tom Constable's teaching here, because it is right a long the line I was taught.

    "We might better translate the Greek phrase rendered "pastors and teachers" as "pastor-teachers." The Greek construction suggests that one kind rather than two kinds of people is in view. The Greek article translated "the" occurs only before "pastor." Moreover the Greek conjunction translated "and" between "pastors" and "teachers" is different from the one used elsewhere in the verse (kai rather than de). However, the Greek construction may describe two types of gifted people whose ministries are among settled congregations in contrast to the itinerant ministries of the apostles, prophets, and evangelists. Probably the phrase describes the overseers of local churches who pastor and teach (cf. 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9; 1 Pet. 5:1–3)."
     
  16. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    Anyone know which translation actually employs this term, "pastor-teacher"?
     
  17. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    For those who've bought into this "pastor-teacher" business, is every pastor a "Pastor-Teacher", or is the title reserved for a certain class of pastor?

    Because I see on John MacArthur's website he alone bears that hyphenate title. The youth ministers, etc., are just styled "pastor".
     
  18. Bob Alkire

    Bob Alkire New Member

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    Off the top of my heard I would say all are, but I never had another pastor in any church that I've been placed in.
    I know any church that I've been a member in I have had good pastor-teachers.
    I believe I'm correct, but it isn't an issue that I would be dogmatic about.
    And by the way I don't know of a Bible that employs the term.
     
  19. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    Ephesians 4:11

    KJB "pastors and teachers"
    NKJV "pastors and teachers"
    NASB "pastors and teachers"
    HCSB "pastors and teachers"
    NLT "pastors and teachers"
    NRSV "pastors and teachers"
    NIV "pastors and teachers"

    ESV "shepherds and teachers"

    MESS "pastor-teacher"
     
  20. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    I don't know his level of Greek, though it appears to be good judging by this one paragraph. However, Tom appears to disagree with his DTS colleague Daniel Wallace on this exegesis in his first possible interpretation.

    When Tom references the word "the" appearing before the two words, he is referring to the Granville Sharp rule of Greek grammar that I've been discussing, and it is here that he disagrees with Wallace.

    He notices that the first three offices have the conjunction de with them. However, what he doesn't mention here (though maybe he does elsewhere) is that the de (de) is part of a men...de (men...de) construction, usually interpreted to mean "on the one hand...on the other hand." This to me bolsters his second possible interpretation, in which the passage might be referring to itinerant versus stationary ministries. So with that construction in mind, we might literally translate, "On the one hand God has given some as apostles, some as evangelists and some as prophets, and on the other hand God gave some as the pastors and teachers."
     
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