Library Favorites

Over the years, I have read books on subjects ranging from leadership to church history, from eschatology to evangelism. Some of these books I would not wish upon anyone. However, some have had great impact, and others provoked further study and reflection. Below is a list of those I found profound, helpful, inspiring, and certainly worth the time to read.

The Mission of God
by Christopher J. H. Wright    

In a day when being missional is all the rage—and rightfully so—it’s important to be grounded Biblically in why we are missional. This magisterial work is a biblical theology of missional. His argument is that God is preeminently about making Himself known as The God. The acts of God recorded in the Bible then tell us both about God and demonstrate how He is making Himself known. Wright makes a compelling case for a missional hermeneutic as we read Scripture and extrapolates how the church should engage with the rest of creation in light of how God has pursued His mission. 

Retro-Christianity
by Michael Svigel

Svigel critiques the contemporary church in light of the beliefs and practices of the early church. I think there’s something to be said for allowing our spiritual ancestors to speak into evolution of today’s faith and practice. For example, the importance placed on the sacrament of communion by the early church warrants thoughtful consideration at a time when we practice communion with greater infrequency and increasing casualness, when pizza/doughnuts and coke are replacing bread and wine. 

Simple Church
by Thom. S. Rainer and Eric Geiger    

In a culture so busy with so many activities and things to do, should the church contribute to the insane scheduling? Rainer and Geiger made the case that the church needs to rethink its myriad of ministries and boil down to those which are central. The fruit of such hard work will be Christ-followers who are not sucked into the church-world vortex and instead be freed to invest in relationships with nonbelievers outside, who are free to serve and be a blessing to their communities and schools.    

Leading with a Limp
by Dan Allender

There was a day when I thought leaders had to perfect, blemish-free, with every duck in a row. God has taken me to task on that view. For some years now, he has been teaching to lead as Allender prescribes—out of my brokenness. I need grace, desperately. In coming to grips with that reality, I became able to lead from a place of authenticity, confident not in myself but in the God who sustains me. Reading Allender’s work was affirming and validating of the journey God has had me on. It was also gave constructive advice on how to better lead with authenticity.

Leading Change
by John P. Kotter

This book ought to be required reading for all pastors. It is a great framework for navigating change. Leaders ignore this wisdom at their own peril.    

The Next Christians
by Gabe Lyons

The thought that I continue to ponder from Lyons’ work is this: how does the church move to intentionally and effective influence the seven major cultural levers identified by Lyons. I look forward to gather people involved in each of those seven fields and brainstorming how the church can proactively influence them and impact our culture for Christ.

Reveal
by Greg Hawkins    

How do we determine whether or not the church is being effective in its ministry? I’ll be the first to say that God is the only one who can change the human heart. But, as church leaders, we create times and spaces and activities and content that prepare or seed or fertilize the soil of a person’s heart. Reveal and its sequels help to identify what God often uses to grow people spiritually. Moreover, it draws attention to the need to understand where your people are actually at, especially in determining what needs to be done to achieve the accomplish the mission.   

Who Owns the Land
by Stanley Ellisen 

I think we can all agree that the Middle East, particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, is a mess. In fact, I would go further to assert that the conflict there is a quagmire of unrivaled complexity in our present day. Prior to reading this book, I was ignorant to the dynamics in play in the conflict. I had no idea of the unfulfilled promises and mixed messages, the international politics and regional power grabs that characterized the last 150 years in the region. The book helped illuminate me, and while I’m not an expert by any means, I feel better able to appreciate the grievances and suffering on both sides.

The Apostolic Fathers 
translated by Michael Holmes    

One of the areas of study that was foreign to me prior to seminary was the study of the historic theology, and in particular, the patristic fathers. I read the Apostolic Fathers as part of a church on history class, and it has stirred in me a desire to study further the thoughts and theology of these men, some of whom knew the apostles themselves. I’m inclined to think that the guys who knew and spent time at the feet of, say, the Apostle John, would have a unique authority in understanding what John believed and what John wrote. I hope to explore this area further after I finish seminary.    

The Reason for God
by Tim Keller

Keller's mind is exquisite. His ability to see beneath the surface of the objections to Christianity is profoundly helpful for those of us wanting intelligently and insightfully engage with people outside and skeptical towards Christianity.