The Pastor and Teacher in New England Customs, values, and beliefs in colonial times were different than what is currently experienced by society. One major change is the church structure. In the 17th century New England Colonies, churches had four administration roles, a pastor, a teacher, one or more ruling elders, and one deacon. Throughout the course of the next 100 years, the role of the teacher became virtually extinct. The roles of the pastor and teacher in the New England church system are outlined in the article “The Pastor and Teacher in New England”. The four administrative roles each have a separate duty in the church system. The pastor was the head of the church, the teacher was the educational and doctrinal leader, the ruling
