CareLeader

Strategic, Real-World Pastoral Care

  • Home
  • About
    • What is CareLeader.org?
    • Meet the Team
    • Statement of Faith
  • Products
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Search
You are here: Home / All Posts / Preaching or counseling?

Preaching or counseling?

January 5, 2017 by Dr. Edward T. Welch

In pastoral ministry, are preaching and counseling complementary ways of proclaiming Christ? Is one more important than the other? Or is one essential and the other less so? Seminary students and pastors are by no means unanimous in their answers.

Definitions matter, especially here. Preaching, as I am using it, is public ministry—the public proclamation of Jesus—in which the preacher speaks and congregants listen. They also respond, but not in the direct, one-on-one sense. Counseling, as I understand it, is personal ministry—the personal proclamation of Jesus and the implications of his death and resurrection—in which one person speaks and the other person responds, back-and-forth. It can be done formally, by appointment, but more often consists of five-minute interactions after church and in the course of daily life.

Preaching and counseling as complements

In pastoral ministry, the public and personal ministry of the Word are the two prominent ways that the work of Christ is proclaimed. Both are important, though counseling, either formal or informal, takes more time because we talk with people more often than we preach to people.

Want more care-ministry articles like this one delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the CareLeader Weekly Newsletter today.

The Apostle Paul summarized his pastoral ministry this way, “Him [Jesus] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Paul did this publicly in the synagogues and personally in the course of his daily conversations. The hard distinction between public and personal ministry, with one form having pride of place, is not immediately obvious in either his writings or in Acts.

Preaching and counseling as antagonists

But perhaps you have heard someone talk about the primacy of preaching. In its original form, it seems to have been a reformation response to papal authority and the primacy of the Mass. In its day, it was equivalent to, “Scripture and its proclamation have primacy.” Today, it means that the actual Sunday sermon is the center of church life and pastoral calling. So far, so good—I think. Most evangelicals agree that the preaching of the Word is essential to life in a local church. But when primacy of preaching is mentioned today, it is no longer contrasted with the Catholic Mass. Rather, it is usually contrasted with other regular features of a pastor’s life, such as the individual care of souls, a.k.a. counseling.

Like all theology, our position here has consequences, some intended, some not. When personal care of souls becomes the contrast to, rather than complement of, the public care of souls, it relegates it to the theological ghetto. Its absence or lesser position will communicate that congregants need not talk about their weaknesses or struggles. They have no clear biblical authorization to ask for help for their souls or to give help. This is not what any of us intend to communicate to our churches.

I would suggest that Scripture does not make precise distinctions between public preaching and personal pastoral care. Both are the Word proclaimed. One is not lesser. Given this equal weight, the pastor’s goal is to grow in both pastoral care and preaching, and give as much attention to the personal care of souls as is given to the preparation of sermons.

Single & Parenting
Single & Parenting kit

Looking for a proven single parent program your church can offer? Consider Single & Parenting.

This blog post is a publication of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). All content is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner without written permission from CCEF. For more information on classes, materials, speaking events, distance education, and other services, please visit www.ccef.org.

Sign up for your FREE newsletter!

CareLeader.org helps you provide biblical and compassionate pastoral care.
welch
Dr. Edward T. Welch

Dr. Edward T. Welch is a counselor and faculty member at CCEF. He earned a PhD in counseling (neuropsychology) from the University of Utah and has a master of divinity degree from Biblical Theological Seminary. Ed has been counseling for over thirty years and has written many books and articles on biblical counseling, including When People Are Big and God Is Small; Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave; Blame It on the Brain; Depression; Running Scared; Shame Interrupted; and Side by Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love. He and his wife, Sheri, have two married daughters and eight grandchildren. In his spare time, Ed enjoys spending time with his wife and extended family and playing his guitar. He is also a featured expert in the GriefShare, DivorceCare, and Single & Parenting support group programs.

Filed Under: All Posts, Counseling & teaching, Pastor's issues Tagged With: care ministry strategy, CCEF, counseling & preaching, Dr. Edward T. Welch, preaching

Latest Articles

How to restore broken marriages after an affair, part 1

By Dr. Les Carter

3 ways pastors can help women and families experiencing postpartum depression

By Robin Barnes

Pastoral care and refuge for rape victims

By Tory Flynn & Dr. Diane Langberg

How your pastoral limitations can bless your churches

By Dr. Zack Eswine

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

GriefShare equips lay people to care for grieving people

GriefShare is a powerful, Christ-centered grief recovery program. Created by the team that produces CareLeader.org, GriefShare features many of the experts who contribute to the CareLeader website. It also features the stories of over 75 everyday people who’ve applied biblical principles to heal from grief. Visit GriefShare.org/start and see more reasons why thousands of churches use GriefShare. And discover how GriefShare can equip your church to launch and sustain a proven care and outreach ministry.

Categories

  • About (1)
  • Addiction (2)
  • All Posts (255)
  • Boomers and senior adults (8)
  • Care Issues (23)
  • Emotional & mental health (25)
    • Discouragement & regret (5)
    • Suicide & self-harm (2)
    • Worry & anxiety (4)
  • Equipping leaders (19)
    • Care & counsel (14)
    • Ministry startup (1)
  • In This Together (3)
  • Marriage & other relationships (19)
    • Communication (3)
    • Conflict (2)
    • Infidelity, unfaithful spouse (4)
    • Premarital counseling (2)
  • Misc (7)
    • Job & finances (2)
  • Parenting (23)
    • Single parents (5)
  • Pastor's issues (83)
    • Care ministry administration (8)
    • Counseling & teaching (42)
    • Emotions (11)
    • Encouraging others (5)
    • Work/life balance (5)
  • Sexual issues (7)
    • Abuse (4)
    • Same-sex attraction (1)
  • Suffering & Grief (20)
    • Racism (3)
  • Theology of pastoral care (4)
  • Top posts (4)

How would you help them?

A woman wrestling with depression. A grieving teen. An anxious wife. A man battling chronic anger. Would you know how to minister to them?

Discover how CareLeader.org can help you provide biblical and compassionate pastoral care for struggling and hurting people in your church.

Welcome to CareLeader.org

We equip and inspire pastors and senior church leaders to provide strategic, real-world pastoral care, by delivering practical, biblically based encouragement and insights that have application for preaching, counseling, visitation, lay leader training, and outreach planning.

Sitemap

  • Home
  • About
    • What is CareLeader.org?
    • Meet the Team
    • Statement of Faith
  • Products
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Search

Categories

  • About
  • Addiction
  • All Posts
  • Boomers and senior adults
  • Care Issues
  • Emotional & mental health
    • Discouragement & regret
    • Suicide & self-harm
    • Worry & anxiety
  • Equipping leaders
    • Care & counsel
    • Ministry startup
  • In This Together
  • Marriage & other relationships
    • Communication
    • Conflict
    • Infidelity, unfaithful spouse
    • Premarital counseling
  • Misc
    • Job & finances
  • Parenting
    • Single parents
  • Pastor's issues
    • Care ministry administration
    • Counseling & teaching
    • Emotions
    • Encouraging others
    • Work/life balance
  • Sexual issues
    • Abuse
    • Same-sex attraction
  • Suffering & Grief
    • Racism
  • Theology of pastoral care
  • Top posts

© 2023 CareLeader · Rainmaker Platform