A Pastor's Reading

Biographies of well-used pastors show that they are typically readers – big time readers.

Why should a busy pastor invest time to read amidst all the demands an opportunities of ministry?

UPDATED Consider the non-reading pastor whose knowledge is fossilised at the time he left seminary or college. He will gradually become stale and his ministry characterised by hackneyed clichés and too-familiar ‘lines’. In time, he runs the danger of becoming a museum piece himself.

NOURISHED Pastors typically give and give again in their ministry. Hopefully, others are nourished for spiritual life and growth by his ministry. But from whence is the pastor nourished, especially if he is in a solo-pastor situation? Among the several helps, good reading can bring rich nourishment to the pastor’s soul, mind and emotions.

MENTALLY ACTIVE Depending on the setting, it’s easy for pastors to slip into a mental rut where there are lots of ministry challenges to sap their mental energy but not much to keep their mind ‘fit’. Sermon preparation can slip into a familiar template and the pastor’s theological and other frameworks can become unexamined and undeveloped ‘givens’. Careful reading can help keep a pastor’s mind open, flexible and growing as the years pass with obvious benefits.

How does a pastor read?

A pastor’s reading can be categorized as follows:
• Christian: theology and Bible; ministry; devotional
• Non-Christian: various subdivisions within fiction and non-fiction.

Here’s a pattern that seems common.

PRE-SERVICE: The burgeoning pastor typically reads heavily in theological college, both in materials necessary to pass through the studies and in associated areas of interest. At this stage there is likely to be little interest in reading on pastoral practice. There may be some devotional reading.

INSERVICE: Anecdotal evidence suggests that reading soon slows and also becomes quite functional. That is, the pastor reads why is needed for sermon and other ministry preparation. Commentaries come high up the list along with materials on pastoral ‘tips and technique’. How many books on leadership are being read by pastors? Some devotional reading is common, to help support a soul that is under stress. Likewise with biographies of Christian leaders. Wider Christian reading shrinks and as for reading non-Christian materials – that may be replaced by collapsing in front of the TV at a wearied day’s end.

How could a pastor read?

Here’s some wisdom gleaned from experience.

PLAN
Have a reading plan of what to read and keep a record to help stick with it. A plan helps keep us reading and keeps the balances that we seek. Is a target of one book a month reasonable for you? What is reasonable? Set your own plan and stick to it.

SCHEDULE
Book up reading times into the diary. Is there a quiet hour somewhere each day that can be used for reading? First thing in the morning? Straight after lunch when work energy is lower but the mind is reflective? Later at night when meetings are done, our family is in bed and a gentle wind down towards sleep with a book is better than TV? Whatever time works for you, block it out and guard it by telling people that you have an activity scheduled.

BALANCE
I try for a balance of reading 50% non-Christian material and 50% Christian. (This excludes reading done in specific ministry preparation and thus the final result is a greater share of Christian reading).

Non-Christian reading might take in biography, hobby-related material, cultural analysis, current affairs (can you get someone’s just-read Economist or other quality magazine); novels; the current fad book or whatever takes our fancy. Quite apart from the pleasure of it, such reading helps the pastor keep a little more in touch with the world of the people whom he serves. In the longer view, it will help with illustrations, examples and applications for his ministry.

Among Christian reading there are several balances. It can be good to read in areas of particular interest. New pastors might give some time to reading more on areas that caught their eye in seminary but for which there was no time to follow through. It’s also good to watch for areas of comparative neglect. For example, to read through a systematic theology if this has not been done for some time. Likewise with current approaches on apologetics. Arising from the patterns notes earlier, it may be helpful to restrict reading on pastoral ‘tips and techniques’ to a reasonable balance and never to let it crowd out reading on the substance of the faith.

A final balance. It’s easy to slip into a pattern of reading mostly within your own ‘frame’. That is to read people with who you agree, who are trusted authors, whose general approach mirrors your own. That’s helpful to reinforce and fill out your frame. However, might it also be helpful to test and examine your frame by reading other materials? This may indeed reinforce the frame, or perhaps modify it and maybe take us in a new direction altogether.