The Absolute Must Read Books for Pastors and Church Leaders
Deep and Wide
by Pastor Andy Stanley
Pastor Andy Stanley's amazing book about creating a church that unchurched people love to attend! If you want to get better at reaching unchurched people this is the book for you.
The Living Church
by John Stott
John Stott's masterful book is jam-packed with wisdom about the purpose and life of the local church. It will challenge and encourage you at every level as a pastor and leader! He wrote the book after a lifetime in the trenches of ministry. So much wisdom...
Wikichurch
by Steve Murrell
This book changed my entire outlook and strategy of ministry. It is one of the simplest yet most profound books I've ever read. It will encourage you to get back to the mission of Jesus: making disciples! You won't be the same as a leader after reading this. So good!
How to Break Growth Barriers
by Carl F. George and Warren Bird
This book has helped me tremendously as a pastor! It's not about how to grow your church but rather on the barriers that are potentially holding you back. It will save you time, money, and years of frustration. The authors provide wisdom at each level of Do it right or do it twice! I recommend this book to every single pastor and church leader I know.
Leadership Pain
by Samuel Chand
This book is deeply cathartic. Every pastor and leader should read it whether they've experienced deep pain as a leader or not. It's not a matter of if but when! Ministry is about helping hurting people and hurt people often hurt people, leaders included. Leadership Pain is a masterful exploration of how to persevere and even enjoy the benefits of pain in ministry. Your capacity to endure pain is the threshold of your ministry. Don't miss this one!
The Up the Middle Church
by Matt Keller
This book is very similar to Deep and Wide but more focused on church planting and establishing culture/atmosphere in a church. I highly recommend it to any church planter, pastor, or staff member that wants to develop an outreach focused and visitor friendly environment in their church. There are numerous time and headache saving wisdom tips in this book as well.
Essentialism
by Greg McKeown
One of my new favorites. If you're in any form of church leadership this book will revolutionize your life. We often try to solve problems by working harder and adding more to our plate when what we really need is to focus on what is truly essential. Don't miss this one!
Spiritual Leadership
by J. Oswald Sanders
I have used this book several times to develop leaders. It is an incredible lesson by lesson book that will challenge your character, habits, and discipline level. I especially enjoy taking groups of 5-10 young men through the book. It's a timeless classic!
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen Covey
The most important person you lead is yourself! This book will help you do just that. It is one of the seminal works on self-leadership and personal development. If you haven't read it you are missing out! It is full of practical principles and action steps that you can implement right away to live and lead better.
Humilitas
by John Dixon
This amazing book will change the way you look at leadership forever. I first heard John Dixson speak at a Global Leadership Summit and I was blown away. His book is insightful, thought-provoking, and backed up by research to boot! He clearly demonstrates the power and influence of humility upon the western world and advocates for a new brand of leadership. So so good!
