Scot McKnight reflects on the results of a recent Barna survey that asked pastors the question: What are the three books that have been most helpful to you as a ministry leader in the last 3 years?
Here’s my answer:
1. The Challenge of Jesus by N. T. Wright.
2. A Theory of Everything by Ken Wilber.
3. A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman
What are your three?
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
Too hard to narrow down. How about 3 authors. McLaren, Friedman, and Bill Hull.
Joe
While I’m not a formal ministry leader, the primary books that have influenced my serving are Mere Discipleship by Lee Camp and (not to be flip) the Bible.
HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH by Michael Wittmer
THE JESUS CREED by Scot McKnight
THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell
Wade,
I’d be interested in hearing more about “A Theory of Everything”. It looks interesting to me, but I just finished “A Brief History of Everything” which I bogged down in some, and I’m wondering how similar they are.
Big thumbs up regarding Mere Discipleship though. What a fantastic and challenging book.
I’ll go with 3 authors:
Dallas Willard
Barbara Brown Taylor
Frederick Beuchner
Renovation of the Heart – Dallas Willard
The Pursuit of Holiness – Jerry Bridges
The Heart of a Great Pastor – H.B. London and Neil B. Wiseman
I highly recommend the last one for anyone who is in or thinking about Ministry in anyway shape or form. They have all three affected me greatly.
Kyler
The Brothers Karamazov- Dostoyevsky
Blue Like Jazz- Donald Miller
Searching for God Knows What- Donald Miller
McLaren’s trilogy (we’ll call that one book)
Theology for the Community of God – Stanley Grenz
Selected Writings – Dorothy Day
oh, i’m not a ministry leader either but read this in grad school. and dito about Lee Camp’s book. i was privledged enough to have class with him last fall. awesome. i’m surprised no nouwen yet.
I’d list these:
Free Culture, by Lawrence Lessig
Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment, by Richard Winter
Unstuck, by Keith Yamashita and Sandra Spataro
I also liked The Jesus Creed but can’t say it did all that much for me as a “ministry leader.”
A New Kind of Christian (Trilogy) – Brian McLaren
Divine Conspiracy – Dallas Willard
Blue Like Jazz – Donald Miller
Aw man, I kind of look like a bandwagoning copy cat wannabe who only reads the “cool” books. I guess it’s because I am.
Has anyone ever seen Dallas Willard and Donald Miller in the same place?
I thgouth not. So, what DOES that mean, anyway?
Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
A New kind of Christian by Brian McLaren
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott (Didn’t necessarly influence my ministry but me personally which has to have an impact on my minstry…right??)
Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Waking the Dead by John Eldredge
The Shaping of Things to Come by Hirsch and Frost
Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard
St. Francis and the Foolishness of God, Marie Dennis, Joseph Nangle, Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, Stuart Taylor
Building a Church of Small Groups, Donahue and Robinson