Ministry Books

I absolutely believe that leaders are learners and while there are tons of ways to learn, reading books is a must for everyone who wants to grow. You can read the hard copy, e-book, or even listen to an audio version, but it's hard to replace the excellent content you can get from books.

This is a list of ministry books that are great reads for church leaders of all types: children's pastors, youth pastors, executive pastors, senior leaders and everyone else who volunteers or serves on staff in a church. This list was formed by talking with other ministry leaders and asking which books impacted them the most as leaders, pastors, and followers of Jesus. I categorized them, but don't hold me to them since most of these could be put in multiple, better categories than I came up with.

What books would you add? Comment below.

Books About Faith

Mere Christianity

The Grace of God

The Jesus I Never Knew

The Pursuit of God

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

What's So Amazing About Grace?

Family Ministry Books

(Children's Ministry Books and Youth Ministry Books)

7 Family Ministry Essentials

Almost Christian

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Children's Ministry Leadership

Children's Ministry Volunteers That Stick

Collaborate: Family + Church

Creating a Lead Small Culture

From Santa to Sexting

Generational IQ

Growing Young

If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry

It's Just a Phase

Kidmin Leadership

Lead Small

Leading Not Normal Volunteers

Making Your Children's Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid's Week

Not Normal: Seven Quirks of Incredible Volunteers

Playing for Keeps/Losing Your Marbles

Sticky Faith

Sustainable Youth Ministry

The DNA of D6

The Dumbest Generation

The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce

The Volunteer Project: Stop Recruiting. Start Retaining

Think Orange

Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

Zombies, Football and the Gospel

Leadership Books

A New Kind of Leader

Amplified Leadership

Chess Not Checkers: Elevate Your Leadership Game

Coaching In Ministry

Confessions of a Reformission Reverend

Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times

Courageous Leadership

Creating Magic

Daring Greatly

Death By Meeting

Decisive

Developing the Leaders Around You

Extreme Ownership

God's Armorbearer: Running With Your Pastor's Vision Volume 3

H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle

How to Lead When You're Not In Charge

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Killing Cockroaches

Lasting Impact

Leaders Eat Last

Leadership and Self-Deception

Leadership Axioms: Powerful Leadership Proverbs

Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth

Leading Change Without Losing It

Love Does

Love Works

Next Generation Leader

Onward

Shackleton's Way

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars

Spiritual Leadership

Start with Why

Sticky Teams

StrengthsFinder 2.0

The 5 Levels of Leadership

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The Effective Executive

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

The Synergist

Tweetable Leadership

Visioneering

Wooden on Leadership

Books on Parenting

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

The Legacy Path: Discover Intentional Spiritual Parenting

The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family

Books on Productivity

Beat the Clock

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

The Myth of Balance

The ONE Thing

Books About Soul Care

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

From Hectic to Healthy

Leading on Empty

Sabbath as Resistance

Soul Detox

Soul Keeping

Survive or Thrive

Unstoppable: Running the Race You Were Born To Win

Books on Strategy

Deep and Wide

Good to Great

Breakout Churches

It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It

Outliers

Predictable Success

Purple Cow, New Edition

Remarkable!

Seven Practices of Effective Ministry

Sticky Church

Stretch-Structuring Your Ministry For Growth

Switch

The 4 Disciplines of Execution

The Advantage

Communicating for a Change

Made to Stick

Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism

Teaching As Jesus Taught

Disclosure: These are my Amazon links, meaning if you buy from them Amazon pays me for the referral at no cost to you. Read my disclosure statement here.