Thank you for the question on Bible reading or preaching, “Why do pastors skip around the Bible instead of reading it front to back?”
For one’s consideration of why pastors preach or read from different parts of the Bible:
A. That pastor’s church may have a reading program from Genesis to Revelation for its attendees.
Many members have their own reading program or follow some devotional guide online. Thus, he may not feel it is critical to duplicate what the members are already reading.
B. That pastor knows that the attendees are not interested in the Levitical Laws or the listing of names.
I am not too sure how many people want to hear a series of sermons on Leviticus or I Chronicles. Most people will find it “boring” and want to skip over those sections since it is hard for them to find relevance for them. If they skip over it, they want their pastor to skip over it. He shouldn’t but he does to accommodate the attitude of the attendees.
C. That pastor may read or preach from a particular passage to address the needs of the attendees.
This may be one of the primary reasons why a pastor preaches or read from different portions of the Scriptures. He perceives the challenges of today and wants to be relevant to our times. The people want to know what does the Bible have to say about the “Cancelled Culture” or racial equality?
D. That pastor may read or preach a series of topical messages to help the attendees grow in an area of their Christian life.
The pastor may feel that the attendees need to know what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, to explain a doctrine as salvation or future events, or on marriage. He wants to give the Biblical view so he may give a topical series. There are pastors who preach through the Bible or preach by books of the Bible while others are more topical in their reading or preaching style.
SUMMARY: Pastors want the attendees to mature in Christ Jesus. He accomplishes this by bringing Bible passages that is relevant to the topic.
-Kingston