Should a Preacher Be Well-Studied?

By: Brian G. Chilton, Ph.D., M.Div. | June 9, 2023

As we travel down the road of life, we often come across events that cause us to stop and ponder, such as observing the beauty of a mountainside or taking in the calm of the rhythmic patterns of the ocean waves. But on other occasions, we take off-ramps that force us to consider deeper-level ideas that have pervaded our communities and church life.

Recently, I took one of those off-ramps when I heard some folks say something that seemed quite bizarre. Within the same week, I heard two or three people assert that a preacher should not study for their message on Sunday. Should a preacher be well-studied? According to this logic, a preacher should not consider what message to bring prior to standing up in the pulpit. No notes should be used, and no outside study should be employed. According to this viewpoint, a preacher should just stand up and let the Spirit speak through them.

The idea is especially fluent in Appalachian culture, particularly in some independent Baptist and charismatic circles—but certainly not all.¹ The viewpoint comes from a flawed interpretation of Jesus’s messages, where Jesus said that a person should not focus on what one will say, but rather the person should depend on the Spirit for guidance. But did Jesus intend to say that a preacher should be ill-prepared for their message? Most assuredly, he did not. We will speak more on a proper interpretation of this message a little later. Nevertheless, when we examine the totality of Scripture, we note that a preacher—and really every child of God—should be well-studied in the Word of God for three important reasons.

A Preacher Should Be Well-Studied to Proclaim Accurate Messages

I cannot stress enough the vast importance of being fully prepared for a message. Paul writes, “Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. Avoid irreverent and empty speech, since those who engage in it will produce even more godlessness, and their teaching will spread like gangrene” (2 Tim. 2:14–17a).² This text alone shows the vast importance of being well-studied in preparation for a message and anytime the Word of God is expounded.

In Paul’s day, those who had not been faithful to the proper exposition of God’s Word had allowed godless teaching to spread like a virus. Paul used the descriptive term γάγγραινα—meaning gangrene—to illustrate the toxicity that false teaching causes. Gangrene is an infection that spreads to the point that the limb becomes useless and needs to be amputated. If the infection is not stopped, it will spread, poisoning the entire system.

Paul was one who certainly placed a high value on being a well-studied man. 2 Timothy is likely the last letter that Paul wrote before his execution. Even facing the potential of death, Paul placed a high value on his studies, as he requested that his friends bring “the scrolls, especially the parchments” (2 Tim. 2:13). The scrolls and parchment were likely Old Testament Scriptures along with personal books and writing papers that Paul held in his possession.³

A Preacher Should Be Well-Studied for Deeper Devotions

I attended a leadership seminar in which a CEO asserted a leadership principle that is especially pertinent for Christian discipleship. The CEO said, “To be a good leader, you must first learn how to be a good follower.” He went on to say, “Everyone has to answer to someone. Even as a CEO, I answer to my board members.” This is a principle of such magnitude that it cannot be over-emphasized.

A pastor is not the ultimate authority over the church. Christ is. Even then, Christ, while coequal with the Father in essence, is under the Father’s authority. Thus, God is the ultimate authority of the church. If a pastor is not under the direct authority of God, then that pastor is not qualified to lead the church. Understanding this principle makes it even more necessary for a pastor to be well-studied.

Throughout the pages of Scripture, the biblical writers highlighted the magnitude of one’s meditation on God’s Word. For instance, Joshua asserts that the “book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do” (Josh. 1:8).

The psalmist illustrates the importance of being well-studied in God’s Word when it comes to devotional life in saying, “May my meditation be pleasing to him, I will rejoice in the Lord” (Psa. 104:34). The psalmist also states that “I will meditate on your precepts and think about your ways” (Psa. 119:15). When preachers and the Christian world understand their subjection to the Father’s authority, then it becomes even more important to learn from God. The best way to learn from God is to spend time in God’s Word.

A Preacher Should Be Well-Studied to Answer Challenges

I once heard it said that a law enforcement officer loses the right to be out of shape due to the nature of the job. In like manner, I think it should be said that a preacher of God’s Word loses the right to be uneducated in the truths of Scripture. By this, I am not saying that everyone should earn a Doctor of Philosophy or a Doctor of Ministry. There is a special calling for that. I am honored to be one of those who were called to pursue higher academia. However, not everyone has that calling, and neither should they. Those who pursue post-graduate studies should have a calling to specialize in a particular area so that they can advance scholarship in that area.

Answering Challenges about the Faith

While not everyone has a calling to specialize in higher education, everyone does have a calling to prepare themselves so that they can provide an answer to those who ask about their faith. This is Evangelism 101. Simon Peter admonishes his readers not to fear those who may try to persecute them for their faith. Rather, they should be prepared to answer those who ask about the faith they hold so dear.

In what has become the apologetic mantra of our day, Peter writes, “Do not fear them, or be intimidated, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame” (1 Pet. 3:14–16).

Answering Challenges Requires Study in Scripture

How can a person be prepared to give a defense of their faith if they do not know what they believe? And how can they know what to believe if they do not know what the Scriptures teach? And how can they know what the Scriptures teach if they are not well-studied in the Scriptures? It seems fairly self-explanatory.

Conclusion: A Preacher Should Be Well-Studied

Some contend that a person should just rely on the Holy Spirit without any formalized study of God’s Word. They will then refer to the Scripture mentioned at the outset of this article where Jesus said that a person should only rely on what the Holy Spirit tells them to say (Lk. 12:12). As this article has shown, there are numerous reasons for a preacher—and really any saint of God—to be well-studied in the Word of God. However, two additional points need to be made concerning Luke 12:12.

The View is Biblically Flawed

First, Jesus is not speaking about whether a preacher should be prepared for a Sunday sermon. Rather, when the verse is kept in its proper context, one sees that Jesus references what a person says in one’s defense if that person is brought to trial for their faith. Jesus taught, “Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. ¹²For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said” (Lk. 12:11–12).

Instead of worrying about what you will say, a person should instead trust in the Spirit’s leadership and direction in the moment of trouble. Nothing in this teaching says anything about a preacher’s preparedness for a message. Instead, it speaks to the importance of a person’s trust and dependence on God, especially in tumultuous times. Even the use of the verse in that manner illustrates the incredible importance of rightly handling the Word of Truth.

The View is Historically Flawed

Second, early Jews knew nothing about biblical illiteracy. In first-century Israel, every boy was required to attend Hebrew school. Rabbis and scribes would regularly commit the entire Old Testament to memory. In Jewish schools, boys would learn Hebrew, memorize Scripture, and learn biblical stories. By 75 BC, Rabbi Shimon ben-Shetach declared elementary education compulsory for young children.

Rabbinic teachers even observed four kinds of learners: the sponge—one who retains everything but is unable to distinguish between true and false points, or significant and insignificant information; the funnel—one who lets information go in one ear and out the other; the strainer—the one who forgets significant material and retains the unimportant information; and the filter—the one who retains important information and discards that which is of unimportant.⁴

Rabbinic Training

So, in ancient Israel, there was no such thing as a young Jewish person who was not at least partially studied in God’s Word. Unfortunately, the level of our biblical training is often subpar compared to the training of our biblical ancestors. Even for those who did not have a formal education, the community afforded an important didactic using oral traditions. The community made biblical training part of their cultural identity. They would pass along stories from one generation to another. The community ensured that their stories remained intact.

Additionally, rabbis—the official teachers of the day—were often expected to have memorized the book from which they were teaching before they could teach from it—rabbinical schools moved from the midrashic stage to the mishnaic before moving to the Talmudic phase.⁵ Therefore, the argument that a person should not study the Word of God to proclaim a message finds no accurate parallel in antiquity or in Scripture.

In the end, we can simply say that such an accusation is guilty of intellectual laziness at best, and spiritual irresponsibility at worst. Our final assessment must be that the idea that a person should not study and prepare oneself to present a biblical message should be wholeheartedly dismissed and rejected.

About the Author

Brian G. Chilton is the founder of Bellator Christi Ministries and the co-host of the Bellator Christi Podcast. Dr. Chilton earned a Ph.D. in the Theology and Apologetics at Liberty University (with high distinction), a M.Div. in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his B.S. in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); earned a Certificate in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and completed Unit 1 of Clinical Pastoral Education at Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine. Dr. Chilton is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, working out in his home gym, and watching football. He has served in pastoral ministry for over 20 years and serves as a clinical chaplain.

https://www.amazon.com/Laymans-Manual-Christian-Apologetics-Essentials/dp/1532697104

https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-about-Heaven-Difficult-Questions/dp/1666762687

Notes

1
My appreciation goes out to Dr. Mark Phillips for pointing this out to me in an online forum.
2
Unless otherwise noted, all quoted Scripture comes from the Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman, 2020).
3
Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, Jr, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, New American Commentary, vol. 34, David S. Dockery, ed (Nashville, TN: B&H, 1992), 254.
4
Robert E. Sutton, “Ancient Jewish Education,” AMITchildren.org, https://amitchildren.org/ancient-jewish-education/.
5
Birger Gerhardsson, Memory and Manuscript: Oral Tradition and Written Transmission in Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1961), 90–91.