This was a question shared on Twitter recently as a poll. The originator suggested that by being a “reader”, he meant beyond the bible and commentaries. Responses both in the voting and in comments suggested that most people assumed that wide reading was if not essential at least very important for pastoral ministry.
Some people suggested that it would be okay not to read in some contexts. For example, there may be some indigenous pastors in remote places who have not access to books and literature. Indeed, it was even suggested that book learning was less necessary in urban working class contexts. However, for those ministering to University type contexts it is pretty crucial.
Now, I don’t think the guys making the comments intended to come across in this way but that kind of message does suggest that there is an ideal but that some people can get away with not meeting it because they are in a lesser, almost second class situation. Indeed, we may even get the impression that those contexts are the exceptions, the minority to the rule which is found in those university contexts. Perhaps the majority of pastors do work or wish to work in graduate/university contexts but should that be our aim?
In answering the question I think we need to ask a few further questions first. These include:
- Who are you reading for?
- What is it that you need to read?
- Why?
The reason why I start with “Who are you reading for?” is because sometimes in Christian ministry, we can get drawn into fulfilling the expectations of others. So, some people may think that they need to read and at least have an extensive library because that is what is expected of pastors. Others may be concerned of how they will be viewed by the church and community around them. This is especially a risk in those university/graduate contexts. The pastor may want to be seen as well read and able to draw in a few quotes from prominent writers into their sermons. If that’s what is influencing decisions then I would encourage you to ignore those concerns. In fact, I think that seeking to be “well-read” can be damaging in such contexts. Throw out those unread books, cut down your reading time and strip out the scatter gun quotes from your sermons!
In terms of the what and the why, much of the discussion turned on the need to be informed about a range of ethical issues such as AI, gender, end of life decisions etc. Another suggestion was that we might want to be informed about the culture and history of those who we work amongst, especially if from a different culture to our own.
Now, I agree that we will want to be informed about the people we are seeking to serve. However, whilst books may be one way of finding out about the history of the Hispanic or Punjabi members of your congregation, it isn’t the only way and may not be the best. Far better to start talking to people and learn from them.
In terms of ethical issues, there may be benefits also from knowing the science behind particular issues, though again, reading is not the only way of discovering this. On the other hand, do our congregations really need us to know all the philosophical commentary on a subject whether from secular ethicists or Christian theologians? Surely what they need from us is an understanding of their own hearts and the word of God applied to them.
I happen to love reading and because of how my brain works, it is a helpful way for me to learn stuff. Is reading essential to effective pastoral ministry though? I would say no.
Faithroots 