# Preaching/Teaching elder?



## earl40 (Jun 15, 2016)

Is there such a thing as a Elder who is ordained to teach and not preach? I may be mistaken in that I believe I heard RC Sproul say he was ordained to teach and not be a pastor.


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## raydixon9 (Jun 15, 2016)

see this Office of Doctor


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## raydixon9 (Jun 15, 2016)

more recently doctor


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## earl40 (Jun 16, 2016)

raydixon9 said:


> more recently doctor



Thank you for the links.


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## earl40 (Jun 16, 2016)

So do those who were ordained as doctors get a "new" ordination as "pastors" if they wish to pastor?


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## Edward (Jun 16, 2016)

The office is that of Teaching Elder. The man is ordained to a particular call, which may be as a pastor of a church or as some other approved call. 

Start with BCO 7-2, then 8-4 and 8-5. " As he stands to proclaim the Gospel, he is termed preacher." (8-2) 

So one is ordained as a teaching elder, but as the teaching elder preaches, you can call him preacher.



earl40 said:


> So do those who were ordained as doctors get a "new" ordination as "pastors" if they wish to pastor?



Short answer, 'no'. Long answer, 'there is no office of "Doctor" in the PCA BCO. '


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## earl40 (Jun 17, 2016)

Edward said:


> The office is that of Teaching Elder. The man is ordained to a particular call, which may be as a pastor of a church or as some other approved call.
> 
> Start with BCO 7-2, then 8-4 and 8-5. " As he stands to proclaim the Gospel, he is termed preacher." (8-2)
> 
> ...



Yes indeed, and that is why I thought it strange when I thought I heard RC say that he was not ordained as a pastor but a teacher.


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## tangleword (Jun 17, 2016)

That is strange, and a little non-nonsensical. We see this happen in practice; ordained teaching elders who are not serving as pastors but as teachers.
RC also pastors a Presbyterian church that is not part of a presbytery which is much weirder (and somewhat disturbing) than this.


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## Semper Fidelis (Jun 17, 2016)

earl40 said:


> Edward said:
> 
> 
> > The office is that of Teaching Elder. The man is ordained to a particular call, which may be as a pastor of a church or as some other approved call.
> ...



Not sure when he's referring to but he might be referring to an ordination in another denomination. There are three types of TE's in the BCO: Senior, Associate, and Assistant Pastor.


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## earl40 (Jun 17, 2016)

Semper Fidelis said:


> earl40 said:
> 
> 
> > Edward said:
> ...



No doubt about that it was a "different" denomination PC(USA) in 1965 and am thinking this may be why he said he was not ordained to preach but to teach.


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## Edward (Jun 17, 2016)

tangleword said:


> RC also pastors a Presbyterian church that is not part of a presbytery which is much weirder (and somewhat disturbing) than this.



The BCO allows Presbyteries to permit ordained men to labor out of bounds. If the labor is in a presbytery other than the one to which the pastor belongs, then the presbytery covering the location of service must also consent. (That was just one of the problems which arose when PNW allowed one of their FV pastors to labor out of bounds at a CREC church in Alabama over the objections of Evangel Presbytery). 

And I have seen PCA presbyteries allow a pastor to labor out of bounds at, for example, a Christian school.


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## TylerRay (Jun 17, 2016)

There is most definitely an office of Teacher distinct from that of Pastor in classical Presbyterianism.

Westminster Form of Church Government:


> The scripture doth hold out the name and title of teacher, as well as of the pastor.[1 Cor. 12:28. Eph. 4:11.]
> 
> Who is also a minister of the word, as well as the pastor, and hath power of administration of the sacraments.
> 
> ...



Travis Fentiman has some good resources on the subject here.


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## TylerRay (Jun 17, 2016)

Dr. Sproul, however, is most definitely a pastor now, whatever office he may have been ordained to initially.


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## earl40 (Jun 17, 2016)

TylerRay said:


> There is most definitely an office of Teacher distinct from that of Pastor in classical Presbyterianism.
> 
> Westminster Form of Church Government:
> 
> ...



This gets into the propriety of schools that are not overseen by a church.


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