Reading Lists
Here are the books and podcasts on my “short list.” For your convenience, we hope to soon hyperlink them to Amazon for you. As many of you know, if you buy them from here it helps us out a little so we greatly appreciate you partnering with us in this venture. Thanks in advance for your help!
Also, these are just the BOOKS and PODCASTS I use in my residency for prospective church planters. I will also be adding the articles soon as well. Most of them will be free PDF’s you can download.
Church Planting:
Church Planter by Darrin Patrick
Church in the Making by Ben Arment
Confessions of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll
Church Planting Landmines by Tom Nebel and Gary Rohrmayer
Launch by Nelson Searcy
First Steps by Gary Rohrmayer
Theology:
Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem
Doctrine by Mark Driscoll
Leadership:
Sticky Teams by Larry Osbourne
The Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley
7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Stanley, Jones, Lane
Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Making Vision Stick by Andy Stanley
Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels
Leaders that Last by Dave Kraft
7 Practices for Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
The 17 Irrefutable Laws of Teamwork by John Maxwell
Gospel:
According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy
The Gospel in Life DVD and Book Set by Tim Keller
How People Change by Lane and Tripp
Living the Cross Centered Life by CJ Mahaney
The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges
Eldership and the Church:
Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch
Vintage Church by Mark Driscoll
The Deliberate Church by Mark Dever
On Church Leadership by Mark Driscoll
Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
The Trellis and the Vine by Collin Marshall and Tony Payne
Preaching:
Christ-Centered Preaching by Bryan Chappell
Preaching Christ in All of Scripture by Edmund Clowney
Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley
Refining Your Style by Dave Stone
* These lists from Resurgence are also a gold mine. They are great and are categorized by topic. Click here.
Podcasts I Listen to Regularly:
Acts 29 Network
The Resurgence
National New Church Podcast
Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast
The Gospel Coalition
The Accidental Creative
Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World (Keller and Clowney class on preaching)
Covenant Worldwide: Christ-Centered Preaching (Brian Chappell’s Preaching Class)
Blogs:
Please keep in mind, I don’t agree with a fair amount lot of what gets said at some of them, but there are some absolutely gold nuggets in what these blogs have to share.
The Resurgence
Justin Taylor
Challies
Tullian Tchvidjian
Provocations and Pantings : Timmy Brister
Catalyst Space
Ed Stetzer
Check out Redeemer Presbyterian Church’s reading list here.
For a guy who is still 20 and believes that Church planting is in his future, would you suggest getting a resource like Logos Bible software?
I find myself buying more and more books on theology, but I want to be cost efficient. Should I make the jump and buy a gold/platinum version of Logos (over $1000)? The smaller language version ($500ish) looks particularly helpful. I’ve found courses through itunes U to learn into to NT Greek too.
Anyone reading this have any thoughts?
I don’t know that I would get it yet, personally…are you planning on going to Seminary? Tell me that first and then I would have some more counsel after that.
I’m not thinking Seminary. Instead, I’m looking to be trained by local churches (which I don’t always agree with, but I can learn lots from), and I’m also going for a Religious Studies minor at a secular University. I’m 2-3 years from planting.
My interest level is there, but I wanna stewart my money well… Does a church planter really need that sort of software?
Thanks Dustin, for the response and for putting together this website!
i dont know if i would get it just yet. pretty pricey and I don’t know if you “need it” until you are preaching regularly. My two cents. it is, however, fantastic and a great investment when you do.
Religious studies minor at a secular…that makes me nervous on several levels… a VERY difficult environment for your faith to flourish AND if you are thinking of changing THEIR minds, I would strongly dissuade you to invest your time elsewhere and just pray for God to change them. I am speaking from a level of personal experience here.
I would contact Tyler Powell at Acts 29 tell him I sent you and ask him what he thinks you could be doing to best prepare you for planting. Sharp guy who helps lots of dudes in your boat.
Blessings
thanks Dustin.
obviously a more complicated process than can be discribed quickly. So many different motivations; giving confidence to struggling Christians, evangelising my friends who are skeptics/seeking, growing personally, building my own skills and gifts, loving God with not JUST my mind but the whole heart and soul too.
I continue to re-think my plans… interning (or potentially volunteering) at an Acts 29 church could be in my future for a term… ultimately God has the plan. Just gotta trust Him in that really…
sounds good. like I said, man, I would contact tyler at Acts 29 and get his counsel. helps dudes in your position all the time. good friend.
Dustin,
Under your Eldership recommended reading, I’d like to throw out there “The Unity Factor” by Larry Osbourne. I love Strauch, but didn’t know how/what that looks like in the local context. Osbourne gives you that. Plus, it is included in most Logos packages. Thanks for the reading lists. Love it.