Pastoral Ministry: Be Widely Read

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.—2 Timothy 2:15

All else being equal it is desirable that Christians, especially ministers of the gospel, should be widely read. It is a disagreeable experience to present oneself before a teacher for religious instruction and discover in less than three minutes that the said teacher should have changed places with his listeners and learned from them rather than they from him. If he is a humble man and sticks close to the small plot of ground with which he is familiar, he may, if he loves God and men, succeed in ministering to the spiritual needs of his flock. If, however, his ignorance is exceeded by his arrogance, then God help his hearers. If he boasts of his ignorance and scorns learning, show me the nearest exit! I can learn more from a child laughing on the lawn or a cloud passing overhead. The Size of the Soul, 28-29.

"Lord, I'll never be able to keep up in knowledge of every field from which my hearers come. But as someone once wrote, 'I'm trying to be a specialist in relationships with God.'* Help me at least to be well read and humbly authoritative in my speciality! Amen."

*Fred Smith, "Dissecting Sense From Nonsense," Leadership, Winter 1980, p. 107.