Page 15 - Pastoral Ministries -Student Textbook

• If a pastor is to speak authoritatively on any portion of God’s Word, the pastor needs to be aware of the
whole scope of Scripture. Therefore, he should plan to read through the entire Bible every year.

• In any given week, the pastor should spend considerable time studying the portion of Scripture he will
be expounding in his sermon the next sermon. The pastor working on a new sermon should expect to
spend at least fifteen to twenty hours preparing it. Each sermon should call for some type of decision on
the part of the hearer, and that the sermon should build toward that decision. The sermon should
emanate from the Scriptures; the Scriptures should not be made to fit a preconceived sermon.

Concluding Thoughts

The first part of this discussion focused on the pastor’s personal life. In the second part we focused on a pastor’s
study habits, noting that preparing for his pulpit ministry is an important part of the pastor’s overall ministry.
People who will not or cannot study should not be in the pastoral ministry. An essential part of a pastor’s
sermon preparation is the time he spends with his people getting to know them. That aspect of sermon
preparation is not possible if the pastor barricades himself in his study and studiously avoids contact or
interaction with people. The solution is balance, something that requires a great deal of discipline to maintain.
All of his professional life a conscientious pastor will struggle to attain and maintain such a balance. Sometimes
he will succeed. At other times he will fail. But when he tries conscientiously, God always will reward his effort.

The Pastor’s Tools

Certain professions require certain tools. For the pastor, his tools are his Bible and his books.

I. Books as Tools

For years the principal tools of the pastorate have been books. What books should be included in the pastor’s
library?

1. Bible Translations

Despite the heavy emphasis in biblical languages, few pastors actually become
experts in Hebrew and Greek. In sharp contrast, the people translating the Scriptures
for contemporary versions are experts and scholars who have immersed themselves in the relevant languages.
Their work may prove to be extremely helpful to the pastor when his is puzzling over the meaning of a particular
passage. The Amplified Bible is a great tool in this regard.

2. Bible Study Aids

These include Greek and Hebrew lexicons, word-study books, Bible dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias, and
concordances. Periodicals are also a good source for discovering new works and for obtaining an evaluation of
them as they are produced.

On a personal note, I hardly ever purchase an entire commentary set. Purchasing an entire set at one time can
be quite expensive. Instead, as I preach through certain books of the Bible, I have found it best to purchase two
or three really good commentaries to use for my sermon study. These books are those that become permanent
to my library.

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