Rabbis work with larger congregations and institutions and offer a larger scale and scope of leadership. Rabbis are paid by Jewish communities and organizations to provide these services.
Darshanim, on the other hand, are trained lay people who serve as Jewish communal volunteers. Sometimes considered a “para-rabbi”, Darshanim can fulfill all the same roles as a rabbi, with the exception of sitting on conversion bet din and performing marriages.
The Darshan Yeshiva’s mission is to enhance Jewish life in areas where rabbis are either not in demand or are simply not available. To that end, we do not do rabbinic ordination. However, we do recommend our friends at Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary, who can be found here.