The Three Most Influential Books In My Ministry
I had a Seminary professor who told us on the first day of classes that in order to be the best minister we could be, and to best serve the people we would one day minister to, we all needed to be lifelong learners. And that meant reading books; lots and lots of books. I welcomed the message heartily, because I’ve always been an avid reader, but I couldn’t begin to imagine the scope of what he was saying. By the end of the semester, he had given us a list of book recommendations that could literally fill a library, and I still have a list on my Google Drive with about 250 books on it that I haven’t gotten to yet.
Truth be told, I’m thankful for that list because it gives me several years of reading material. While other people might be turning to social media or blogs like this for book recommendations, I’ve got a list I’m nowhere near completing. So, I thought for this week’s blog I would share with you the three most influential books I’ve read in my ministry (so far) just in case you were looking for your next read.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
I think every Christian should read this book. It’s a fantastic apologetic work that lays out the realities of the Christian faith in an academic, yet readable way. I don’t think there has ever been anyone quite as well versed in explaining grand, complex realities in simple ways than Lewis, and I’m so thankful for all his work in writing to defend the faith. I try to reread this book every few years (when I can fit it into my packed reading schedule), and I never regret it.
Dethroning Jesus by Darrell Bock and Daniel Wallace
Two Dallas Theological Seminary professors team up to write what is, in my opinion, the best book on the market defending the reliability of Scripture. If you want an academic, yet approachable book explaining the technical side of proving the accuracy of the Bible, this is without a doubt your book. Written in response to popular culture’s academic quest to dethrone Jesus and make him some sort of myth or legend, the authors debunk all the theories by explaining the reliability of Scripture historically. If you want to have an answer when people ask, “How do you know the Bible is even true?” I would read this book.
The Life of the Church: The Table, Pulpit, and Square by Joe Thorn
A quick, easy read with profound truths about the Biblical mission of the Church. It’s so easy to forget what the purpose of the church really is because of “all the things,” and no one feels that more than leaders. But, it’s important to remind ourselves of what God really wants us to do. Thorn does that really well in this book, turning us back to the Bible to define what we should do in the community of the church, during our worship gatherings, and in our communities. If you’re wanting a highly practical book about what the church should be and do, this is your book!
I’ll be honest, I could have listed about 100 books on this list because it seems like God uses each book at a specific time for a specific purpose in my life and ministry. However, when I think about books I continually come back to and either reference, recommend, or reread regularly, these are the three that pop in my mind first. Hopefully you check them out and they are as impactful for you as they have been for me. Happy reading!
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