It will come as no surprise to regular readers of my blog that I love to read. My library is a place where I am surrounded by books. My office at the church is filled with books. I have two stacks of unread books in my library. One is recreational reading. The other is more related to my work. These days I’ve been reading a lot of history as part of my recreational reading. Often there are novels in that stack. And I guess it isn’t accurate that there are only two stacks. My stack of poetry is a bit smaller - only about 3 books right now. I read poetry much slower, but I read poetry every day.

I suspect that I would be a good candidate for a tablet computer or e-reader, though I haven’t taken the plunge yet. It would make sense for me to be able to take a dozen books with me on a trip in one small, lightweight package.

I also know that I need to devise a strategy to get rid of some of my books. I could probably sell some of them on the Internet, though I doubt that they have much value. A good used book store is probably my best bet and I need to find one and start sorting. But that is a task that I’ll leave for another day.

Yesterday, at a meeting of a clergy book club, the discussion of what book to read next came up. I had expected the group to have that discussion a week earlier and I had a half dozen titles to suggest. But yesterday, I was having trouble contributing anything to the discussion. There is a big difference between what i want to read and what is a good book to read as a group. Reading a book with others forces me to slow down and to digest the book more thoroughly than I would otherwise do. Beyond that, while it is easy for me to say what I like, it is difficult for me to know what might appeal to my colleagues.

The majority of the participants in this particular book club are retired ministers. There are four of us who are active clergy, but the rest are all retired. Being retired doesn't mean disinterested. The participants in the group all bring active and inquiring minds and lively discussion to the table. But I think that they are less focused on practical skills and more interested in theoretical concepts. On the other hand, they have not been overly engaged with highly theoretical books that appeal to the intellect only.

Had we held our discussion a week earlier, I would have suggested some very hands-on, practical, ministry books: a volume on Christian faith formation and how to design educational programs for churches; a couple of titles on finding the natural voice and storytelling in preaching; a book theological concepts that have gotten less attention in the contemporary setting; and other books that might inform the practice of ministry in the everyday setting.

I find that I am more reluctant to assume that I know what is right for the group than once was the case. A few years ago, I would bring four or five suggestions each time we finished a book. I tried to direct the group into books that were more suitable for graduate theological education and away from popular reads. One of the reasons to read books as a group is to engage very challenging ideas that need to be processed in a group in order to be fully appreciated.

When I was a student in seminary, our seminary encouraged students to live on campus and to form a learning community. The discussions of theology and the practice of ministry went long into the night. We read really difficult books together and used our classmates as colleagues to help us grapes really difficult concepts. There were ideas that were, in a sense, too big for an individual - concepts that required the insight of several different perspectives to be understood. I miss that very challenging and rich academic environment.

In the four decades that have passed since those days, however, not only have I changed, but so too has theological education. Today theological seminaries are primarily commuter schools, where students commute in for class sessions and live elsewhere. Studying is primarily a solo adventure undertaken in private settings. And, upon reviewing the textbooks that are being used for seminary courses, I discovered that there is a definite trend away from the extremely academically challenging and difficult ideas. The reading list for a seminary course today is far more likely to have a paperback book that will be used for one or two times and then discarded. The huge tomes of systematic theology are less likely to make the required reading list.

I am well aware that academic preparation doesn’t make one into a minister. There are lots of practical skills that are required. And have a lot of intellectual knowledge and being able to prepare academic papers does not make one an engaging preacher. Compassion doesn’t come from a textbook. Still, I can’t avoid the feeling that the trend towards a less academic preparation for a lifetime of ministry involves the lowering of standards in some way.

Is the next generation of leaders for the church going to be a group that spends less time reading and growing in intellectual knowledge?

The ministry is a very challenging career. It requires the best of our skills in many different ways. Intellectual strengths are important. One needs to understand how one’s ideas and beliefs fit into the universe of ideas and beliefs that are present in the world. There are, however, other qualities that are required. Strength and endurance come to mind. Those who give up easily soon will find themselves in another calling. The ability to refrain from taking everything personally is another difficult quality required. This isn’t about me - it is about the people of God and their relationship with God. I need to keep learning that one over and over.

So there is no one textbook to recommend. Still, you’d think I could come up with a suggestion for the next book for the book club.

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