Interestingly a small number of respondents still justified the existence of Readers on the basis of a shortage of resources, two examples being a Reader who specifically stated that Readers were relevant because of "the shortage of money to pay full time staff" and a member of the clergy who stated that "Readers should cover as much of the service as possible when the Vicar is away".

Keiser (1995) provides one of the few personal reflections and evaluations of Reader ministry. His conclusion after fifty years of service is disturbing because it seems that his Christian ministry in the world and the church was almost independent of his role as a Reader. He states "Have I gained anything from being a Reader? It was not the Readership which brought me to Christianity. It was not the Readership which made me a lay minister. The Readership has had little effect on my career. If I had not been a Reader life would have been a little easier and I might have had a few more free week-ends."