Pastors are deep thinkers. We are trained to read complex books, write in-depth papers, and speak profound thoughts. In the modern academic setting, in which many pastors are schooled, there is a drive to come up with new and innovative ideas. Many dissertations require some contribution to the body of knowledge. Sometimes this drive for newness can be helpful and necessary. However, the downside is that it creates a mentality that new is better than old, with a distrust of what came before us. This can even trickle to how we view the Bible. Innovative and creative interpretations of the Bible and/or theology are in vogue and often praised by others. In our effort to contextualize and be relevant to modern cultures, we must not forget the source of our revelation.
First, we must remember that in ministry and life, the Bible is our primary textbook. It is the record of the unfolding of God’s purpose and message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Pastors must read many books and gather insights from other people. However, in this pursuit of knowledge, we must not forget that the primary place of the Bible. It is the measure and test for all other ideas.
Second, the Bible is the primary source for spiritual growth. In the rush to prepare sermons and Bible studies (sometimes 3-4 a week), it is difficult to apply personally all that we study. The crunch for time too easily pushes personal growth down the agenda until sometimes it even drops off. We must keep the well replenished. It is helpful to find consistent ways to read and study, such as a method, place, time, setting. I travel a lot, which makes this even more challenging for me and requires flexibility and creativity.
Third, our sermon preparation can be nourished by consistent and careful study of the Bible. I have listened to many sermons that, unfortunately, were not biblical or even theologically accurate. They were innovative and creative but lacked good interpretive methodology, or did not touch on the central message of the passage. They may have included a word study, but the meaning of the word was obscure and not the plain meaning. I have heard some sermons that read a passage at the beginning, middle, or end but did not explain the passage. The Bible was used more as a proof text. I understand that sometimes a sermon will be a parable and not exposition. There are times and situations for creative presentation. But accuracy matters. Good hermeneutics (interpretation) is a learned skill that comes through study and practice. Even though I have taught this topic many times at colleges and seminaries, I am still learning new things myself. Preachers would serve their churches well by spending more time in studying how to interpret the Bible well.
One of the difficult transitions for students to make after college or seminary is to allow the Bible to speak spiritually and not approach it academically, which is how many students are trained when it comes to the Bible. Part of the fault for this lies with instructors and the academic side of training. We produce good scholars but do we produce good preachers of the gospel who have been transformed by what they preach? If we have been on the receiving end of this training, we must make the conscious choice to move to spiritual formation through what we read. Spiritual growth is always a choice. This can happen even in the most academic of programs.
It is one thing to preach the message of a passage accurately but it is another thing to communicate this message clearly. Good communication is a skill that can be learned. Proper grammar, clear enunciation, and good organization. Poor speaking can get in the way of communicating the Bible.
As “stewards of the divine mysteries” like Paul (1 Corinthians 4:1), those who preach or teach must approach their jobs with utmost seriousness and careful work. Speaking forth the good news of Jesus is one of the most important things we can do.
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