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Issue #19: April 2015

Preaching and Teaching

Editor's Note:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints

for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith

and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness

of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 ESV

I dont think Ill ever forget it. I was sitting in the sanctuary, listening to Pastor Scott Abel preach, and

he asked the question, If you were to put yourself on a spectrum, with Mother Teresa at one end and

Adolf Hitler at the other, where on that spectrum would you be? Closer to Mother Teresa or Adolf

Hitler? Naturally, most of us liked to think we were more toward the Mother Teresa end of the

spectrum. But then he changed the equation. He asked the question, What if I were to put God on the

end of that spectrum? Where would you land, then? There was silence in the room, absolute silence in

that moment of conviction. It was a moment of absolute and sudden awareness of our own sinfulness.

We Christians, all sitting in the church on a snowy, Colorado morning, were more like Hitler when we

compared ourselves to the God of the universe, all holy and righteous. With a simple question, Pastor

Abel had prepared our hearts to receive the good news of the Gospel.

Rewind to a golden fall, and I am leading a room of 25 senior women through a bible study on the

women in the lineage of Jesus. We are reading about Rahab in the book of Joshua, discussing who she

was and what God used her to accomplish, in spite of the life she had led before. After the class, an 84-

year-old woman came up to me and said, Ive always felt like I wasted my life, that I had failed God.

After learning all this about RahabI think maybe God has been using me all along. Im not a failure.

While it broke my heart to think how long she had labored under this belief, it also filled my heart with

joy to know what our bible study had opened her heart to hear from the Spirit. Teaching had realigned

the way she thought about herself in relationship to God.

In this edition of the NADCE quarterly, we invite you to discover the differences between the act of

preaching and the act of teaching. The differences are nuanced and sometimes unclear, but

understanding there is a difference is a huge step toward applying each skill to its greatest impact. To

help you fully grasp these differences, it may be useful to work through Preaching Teaching and

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Teaching and Preaching: The Same Kind of Different with a group. I invite you to share your insights

and questions on the NADCE Facebook page. As you explore the differences with us, we also invite you

to discover how preaching and teaching can work together, for the sake of the Gospel, so all people on

this earth will come to know their Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Blessings,

Ruth Furr, NADCE Quarterly Editor

ruth.furr@hclc.org | To Live and Love God

mailto:ruth.furr@hclc.orghttp://thenutblog.wordpress.com/

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In This Issue

Why Does Preaching and Teaching Matter? Tanner Olsen explores his take on preaching and teaching: We are not simply

messengers of His grace, but by way of the Spirit we are community leaders and

foundation builders. He answers the questions, Does it matter? and Do I matter? and

how our answers to those questions provide purpose in our ministries.

Teaching and Preaching A Collaboration Reverend Brian West and Jeremy Ashley, DCE, share the joy they have experienced in

working together; recognizing the impact they make together is greater than anything

they could have done alone.

Preaching Teaching Mark Blanke dives into the distinction between preaching and teaching. He explores the

impact this distinction has on the world of Christian Education and the church.

Understanding the two are related, yet inherently different, can help both pastors and

DCEs better understand the complexity of both tasks.

Teaching and Preaching: The Same Kind of Different Jim Haack gives his perspective on teaching and preaching. Find out what he thinks the

fundamental question is, concerning the difference between teaching and preaching,

and what goals each presents.

Preaching and Teaching for the Kingdom Linda Olsen tackles whether or not DCEs are preachers or teachers. She shares

encouragement for anyone who has ever been caught in their role in one or the other

area, forgetting their identity and purpose as an individual or a church worker, or as a

person called to be a part of the Church on mission.

Health & Wellness Rev. David Muench shares how to facilitate healthy team relationships in the parish

context through self-awareness, self-regulation, and recognizing Gods central

leadership in our team interactions.

Coming in July 2015 Check out the topic for the next issue and find out if you would like to be a part of

contributing to the publication!

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Why does preaching and teaching matter? Tanner Olson Does It Matter?

Have you ever thought, Does it really matter? Does the message I'm preparing really matter? Is anyone

actually listening to the message I'm sharing?

Me too.

But before I began to ask these potentially paralyzing questions myself, I was the one pushing them on

my youth leader. Growing up I was that kid in our church's youth group. You know who that kid is and I

happened to be him. I talked while our youth leader gave devotions, intentionally broke the rules during

activities in hopes of impressing the girls (guys, it never impresses the girls), and was the kid who would

get injured on summer mission trips.

Though I didn't appear to care or be paying attention to our youth leader, her time preparing was not

wasted and her message certainly was not meaningless.

Our Message Matters

Maybe it stems from insecurity or comparison, but occasionally I find myself slow to share the Gospel

we claim as the Truth. There are times I hold my tongue still and suppress my hope because I'm too

worried if now is the right time to share what I believe. Other times I fail to vocally express my faith

because I'm afraid I'll say something theologically incorrect. On the other hand, maybe I keep this truth

quietly to myself because I'm buying into the lie that what we are doing isn't making a difference and

that preaching and teaching doesn't matter. Yet, as I have kept digging to find an answer I've discovered

the root of this issue. My unwillingness to realize the power of teaching and preaching stems from lack

of understanding Jesus's firm teaching to love God and love people.

Mark 12:30-31(ESV):

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all

your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as

yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

Love God & Love People

It appears as a simple message, one which doesn't seem to have much to do with teaching and preaching,

but when fully exposed we realize is a foundational belief that leads us into a life of discipline and

discipleship. Throughout the Gospel accounts we find Jesus communicating this bold message to His

disciples. In His words, Jesus isn't only reminding us we are loved, but encouraging us to share with

others that they, too, are loved. More than this, it's a message Jesus clearly reflects in every moment of

His life; setting for us an example of not only how we are to live, but also how we are to teach and

preach.

When we open the Word we find countless examples of those who have gone before us teaching and

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preaching. Their lives gave witness to what Jesus called them to do as His followers. They went,

traveling from town to town, individual to individual, willingly investing in those who longed to know

more of this man Jesus. They honestly proclaimed Jesus' life, death, and resurrection for all to hear,

unshaken by worries or hesitancies. Brothers like Peter and Paul would boldly speak face-to-face with

individuals and in front of crowds and authorities, sharing our same message of salvation.

The same message I find myself hesitant to share to the world today; a world that isn't much different

than the world then.

Like those of the early church, we too hold tight a lifesaving message of love and grace in a world

considerably similar to theirs. When we look around our communities, our opened eyes meet

brokenness, shame, addiction, and hurt. But we do not look at our community through eyes of

hopelessness, but eyes of hopefulness, for we are witnesses of the power and love of Jesus. Where pain

and confusion abound, there the name of Jesus needs to be shared and love needs to be spoken. Our

community and church does not need another self-help book, another rule, or a new program, they need

a friend.

They need Jesus.

And they need us to speak His name; to share a message that matters.

Community Leaders & Foundation Builders

We are not simply messengers of His grace, but by way of the Spirit we are community leaders and

foundation builders. As hard as it is to wrap our minds around this, our c