Religious or not, certain religion-related words often confuse people. Even people who claim to be proficient in their faith and language misuse these words and are confused.

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One such example of a pair of words is preacher and pastor. They are both terms of Christianity and are often used distinguishably.

Many people, sometimes even those belonging to the church use them interchangeably. The two words, however, have different meanings and thus, in turn, their unique use.

The main difference between preacher and pastor is that a preacher is someone who spreads the word of God and does not perform any formal duties for the congregation. But a pastor on the other hand is someone who has a more formal role and is said to oversee the congregation and guide it towards salvation.

The formality and responsibilities are what distinguish the two mainly. Many preachers are also identified as pastors and perform the duties of both.

In that case, perhaps it is correct to use the two terms interchangeably. But it mainly depends on the person himself or herself, what their preference might be. 

A preacher is someone who by definition proclaims the word of God and preaches it. They spread messages from the gospel, words of Jesus Christ and other such spiritual messages.

They are usually a member of the church or a congregation with good communication skills. They are not necessarily ordinated.

Their goal is to convince their listeners or audience of something using their skills as a preacher and conveying impactful messages. In many ways, they are somewhat similar to motivational speakers.

The duties of Preachers are different from the duties of a pastor. They are more like an assistant to the pastor who overlooks a congregation.

The preachers here just help the pastor by proclaiming and spreading the beliefs of Christianity and the messages of the Bible. Nowadays, it often happens that the pastors also act as the preachers while taking that title as well.

In that case, perhaps it can be said that the preacher is performing the duties of the pastor. But otherwise, a preacher and a pastor have mostly different duties and ranks.

A pastor is a local church leader. Their job is to oversee the congregation and take care of them.

The term pastor derives its meaning from the word shepherd and thus as a shepherd tends to a flock, a pastor tends to the congregation. The duties of a pastor are thus similar.

They are qualified to provide counsel in case of spiritual, emotional, and religious need. Being a pastor requires a degree in theology and an ordinance.

Pastors have a great amount of authority in the church. They are also called church elders.

Sometimes it happens that a pastor also serves as a preacher. The pastor takes on the duties and responsibilities of a preacher and performs all of those in addition to his own.

Being a pastor tends to involve some amount of preaching priorly which comes with leading a congregation and preserving their faith. But when a pastor takes on the duties of a preacher, these duties increase manifold and he has to spend a lot more time preaching and proclaiming the faith.

Both the words are related to Christianity and both preachers and pastors are members of the church. Nowadays it can be confusing as to their duties and position because many pastors also take up the job of preachers in addition to their duties.

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