I discovered the most important practice for my pastoral ministry while sitting on a bench in Africa.
Forty years ago, I was waiting for a bus to Nairobi, Kenya. I was a relatively new Christian and had made a significant break in my life, quitting my job as an engineer to go on a 10-week mission trip. God had called me to that trip, and to vocational ministry after that. Though I later earned two seminary degrees, what God began in me on that bench has proved far more valuable for my pastoral ministry than all the excellent seminary courses I completed.
On that bench, looking for some way to fill the time, I started memorizing Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Nothing has been so fruitful, multifaceted, life-transforming, practically helpful, or eternally consequential as my ongoing memorization of extended passages of Scripture. It’s an important discipline for anyone preparing for a lifetime of good works, especially in vocational ministry.
Consider four major benefits of memorizing Scripture as a pastor.
Intimacy with Christ
To be effective in pastoral ministry, we need to know Jesus deeply. In John 15, Jesus made it plain that he is the vine and we are the branches. Only by abiding in him and his words abiding in us can we bear much fruit. Apart from him, we can do nothing (vv. 1–8). But what does it mean to abide in him?
Nothing has been so fruitful or eternally consequential as my ongoing memorization of extended passages of Scripture.
Abiding in Christ requires knowing him better and better. That was Paul’s greatest goal in life. He was willing to give up every earthly blessing so he could “know him and the power of his resurrection, and . . . share his sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). No one on earth knew Christ better than Paul when he wrote that, but he knew he was just scratching the surface. For in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). We get to know Christ through his Word.
Paul’s lofty theological statements never seemed as real to me as when I was memorizing the Gospels. Memorization helped me live moment by moment as if I were in the boat with Christ while he stilled the storm. Day by day, as I labor to get God’s words into my mind, my love of Christ grows. That growing intimacy with Christ has been essential over four decades of pastoral ministry.
Illuminating Insights from the Word
Effective pastoral ministry flows from a love of Scripture and a desire to share that love with others. Because of the Bible’s simplicity, its most essential lessons—like the gospel of Christ—are clear enough for a child to learn. Because of the Bible’s complexity, it can overwhelm readers with insights and connections, immeasurable depth, and lofty grandeur.
Memorization requires slowing down, noticing details, asking questions. This helps us glean insights that were always there but that we never noticed before. The careful focus of memorization transforms our minds and renews our spiritual lives. That’s why memorization is worthwhile for every Christian.
However, these benefits are particularly valuable for pastors. Over the years, the people I’ve shepherded received a steady stream of insights from Scripture they had never seen before. It’s not that I ever discovered a connection or interpretation that other believers before me haven’t also made; it’s just that even regular Bible readers tend not to slow down to notice some of Scripture’s intricate details and patterns. People get excited when they see something in the Bible for the first time and realize that, no matter how much they’ve learned, the Bible’s truths are limitless.
Advanced Sermon Preparation
The single most influential ministry in every local church week after week is the clear preaching of God’s Word. Paul urged Timothy to devote himself fully to his craft, developing his spiritual gift of preaching and teaching the Word so that everyone could see his progress. In so doing, Paul said Timothy would save both himself and his hearers (1 Tim. 4:13–16). What in pastoral ministry could be more vital?
Scripture memorization greatly enhances sermon preparation. A preacher’s spiritual power is multiplied if he marinates his mind in the text for weeks, months, or even years before writing the sermon.
Decades of memorization give me access to the whole counsel of God in illustrating and supporting the truths God wants me to declare. I have a deep understanding not just of that week’s sermon text but of countless others that I’ve pored over and written on my heart. Memorization has helped form an internal living concordance in me. It has given me tools that help me build up my hearers so they can fight their spiritual enemies. There’s no way to shortcut that sort of sermon preparation.
Power in Counseling
A central part of pastoral ministry is helping people apply biblical wisdom to their daily lives as they try to heal relationships, fight sin, and overcome obstacles. An intimate knowledge of Scripture gained through memorization helps me in that task.
For example, as I’ve counseled married couples struggling with relational bitterness caused by years of conflict, I’ve leaned heavily on Romans 6, which makes it plain that Christians are no longer slaves to sin. That means we never need to sin again—no temptation ever comes to us with irresistible power such that we must say, “I have no choice but to sin.” Romans 6:11 says we’re to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ.
A preacher’s spiritual power is multiplied if he marinates his mind in the text for weeks, months, or even years before writing the sermon.
This means that changing our bad habits, like bitterness, isn’t like turning a massive oil tanker. No! Right here, right now, we can put sin to death by the Spirit and stop arguing, complaining, and tearing down our spouse.
Scripture’s truths are available to every pastor who has a Bible, but having them stored in my mind helps me explain them in a way that flows more powerfully into the ears and hearts of couples who have come to believe they have no choice but to keep arguing in bitter unforgiveness.
The same happens in many other counseling situations, whether people are facing lust fueled by online pornography, or hopelessness in a chronic health situation, or loneliness in bereavement. God’s Word has liberating power, and pastors and church leaders who store it up in their minds can wield it skillfully for the lasting good of the flock.
I commend Scripture memory for every Christian, especially pastors. After decades of pastoral ministry, no spiritual discipline has been more helpful in the work God has called me to.
