Question on whether pastors should be required to have read the entire Bible

June 17, 2015

My own question for the group: I guess I’m just curious about this more than anything, so here goes. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m thinking that if God calls someone to be a pastor and be in ministry and preach and teach His Word, I would think that the person should be able to say that they have actually read the Bible. I’m not talking about bits and pieces; I’m talking about the whole thing, start to finish, cover to cover, every word. I honestly cannot understand how someone could be a pastor unless they had actually read the one Book that God had sent to us. Yeah, I know that you can learn a lot from studying, reading commentaries, reading certain “important” parts of the Bible, and listening to sermons of others, but I still think that someone leading a church should be able to say that they’ve actually read the Book that everything in that church revolves around.

This came up the other day with a young man whom God feels has called into the ministry to plant a church. He realizes that he needs to read all of the Bible but basically told me that he is too busy trying to get the church plant off the ground and reads it when he can.

Am I off base here? Is this something that is up to the individual? I am supposing that many many people would say that they had read and studied the Bible for years but couldn’t actually say that they had ever read the entire book from start to finish. Is that enough for someone called into the ministry? Thanks in advance.

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Ed Romero, Gina Cook and Timothy Craig Munger like this.
Tim White Dwight, your question confuses me. First, “should be able to say” sounds like it is just for show. I know you don’t mean it that way. Second, everyone should systematically read the Bible through (systematically as opposed to little here, little there and finally say it has all been read). Basically, I must say you are correct in your overall premise, that if one has not read the Bible, they may be in love with the wrong things and misunderstanding that as the call to ministry.

Yesterday at 2:20pm · Like · 1
Dale Agner Dwight, I totally concur that a person serving in the capacity of an elder(church planter/pastor) should have read through the Bible at least once. The exhortation to those wishing to serve as an elder is in Titus 1:7-9…”[If one aspires to be an eld…See More

Yesterday at 2:55pm · Like · 1
Dwight Payne Tim, my phrasing of “should be able to say” is not to enable the reader to brag about it. It is not about show. But I can imagine a scenario where a pastor tells a lost person about the Bible and the person asks, “Have you read this book? All of it?” That’s when, in my mind, the pastor should be able to say, “Yes, I have. Every word of it.” Otherwise, I think he loses a certain amount of credibility. Obviously, just reading the Bible does not make anyone a better Christian, or a Christian at all for that matter. But, like Dale mentioned, it does speak about about their self-discipline. I wonder about someone in full-time ministry who hasn’t bothered to read the only book that God sent to us. If it’s not important enough for the pastor to read it, how can it be expected that the members of the congregation will read it?

Yesterday at 4:11pm · Like
Christopher Dupre I believe knowledge and wisdom is more important than having read it through. I’ve never done it because I’m ADD, and when I’ve attempted, I really didn’t get much out of it. It was something to get through. It’s to tiring for me mentally to try to get something out of it. But I’m not nor ever was a pastor. Many other reasons for that.

Yesterday at 4:53pm · Like
Steve Ray Webb In some of today’s churches I’m not sure if they have even seen the movie.

23 hrs · Like · 4
Dwight Payne LOL….Steve Ray Webb, that’s pretty funny. Unfortunately, it’s probably true!

23 hrs · Like · 1
Doug Andre I have only been a believer for 12 years and I have gone cover to cover over 10 times. And while to some that may be somewhat impressive I’m not sure how much stuck. I’m not a vocational pastor but I have discipled more than my far share of people along the way.

22 hrs · Like · 1
Doug Andre You need to know scripture and handle it carefully if you want to pastor for a living. Dont just read it but study God’s Word so that you can live out 2 Timothy 2:2.

22 hrs · Like · 3
Steve Ray Webb I would think all Christians would want to read the entire Bible just out of interest. I have found fascinating things in every book.

22 hrs · Like · 4
Ed Romero I totally agree that, in a sense, a pastor who is able should have read the whole Bible. Every Christian should read the whole Bible, in a desire to know God. If a pastoral candidate has not read the whole Bible, the next question would be, Why not?

At the same time, I would be cautious to say that it is required by the Lord, without explicit command. I can only imagine that not all pastors were even literate in the first century or had access to the whole canon

22 hrs · Like
Marc Weiss Yes, a pastor should have read the Bible. I know some passages are boring, but the whole Bible is full of life lessons to love for God. While I am not a legalist nor am I saying the man is ‘not of God’, I am saying that church planting is part of our mission. The other is preaching the Gospel. We want to be more like Jesus and we do it by studying His word. What happens when a new believer in the planted church asks him a complex question like we get?

It is not about qualifications or salvation, but about example.

21 hrs · Like · 2
Ed Romero A Weiss statement in that last sentence especially!

21 hrs · Like
Tim White Marc Weiss, for your last question, if he is asked a question like we get, he gets online, goes to GotQuestions.org, and asks the question. No big whoop.

Bible Questions Answered

Bible Questions Answered by GotQuestions.org! Fast and accurate answers to all your Bible Questions!

GOTQUESTIONS.ORG

21 hrs · Like · 2 · Remove Preview
Ed Romero Hahaha!

21 hrs · Like
Alyson Dreyer Anyone desiring to lead a church should be a teaching elder with years of experience and accountability. Many false teachers and wolves want to plant churches for their own gain. Examine their motives and test every spirit. Not all are from God.

16 hrs · Like · 2
Marc Weiss Tim – touché

9 hrs · Edited · Like · 2
Bob N Kelly Russell Paul makes it clear in 2 Tim 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Since the Word of God is what every church, pastor & Christ follower stands on, without it, there IS no foundation in which to ‘build’ or ‘plant’ a church.