The Four Types of Books a Youth Pastor Should Be Reading

We've all heard people use some sort of pithy quote about reading. "Readers are leaders and leaders are readers." I don't know how truth something like that is, but I do know that reading is important. Aside from the Bible, it is vital that a youth pastor be constantly reading in order to grow intellectually.

Here are the four types of books that I generally read to help me grow as a pastor and leader.

• Leadership Books - I will be honest, this is a new type of book for me. I never read much in the way of leadership before. However, as a youth pastor, you are a leader, a leader of students, parents, volunteers, and members of the church. Your effectiveness in ministry relies on your ability to lead. I am currently reading Developing the Leader Within You by John Maxwell. Other books you might want to check out are The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and How To Win Friends and Influence People.
• Youth Ministry Books - I want to constantly be growing as a youth pastor. To do this, I read a lot of youth ministry-related texts. Some I've read multiple times. I honestly can't tell you the number of times I've read Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry. I also highly recommend The Seven Checkpoints by Andy Stanley, Outbreak by Greg Stier, and Raising the Bar by Alvin Reid.
• General Christian Nonfiction - A lot of Christian leaders write books. Many of them are really good and are worth your time to check out. I read a lot of books in this category, mainly to learn and sometimes to get sermon ideas. Some of the books I've read in this category include The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler, Gospel by J.D. Greear, and Erasing Hell by Francis Chan. This is the category where I do most of my reading because I learn the most in this area.
• General Nonfiction - I don't read a lot out of this category because I tend to bounce from book to book way to easily. However, it is important to learn as much as you can to be an effective leader. Nonfiction is a great way to do that. Some of the most interesting books are nonfiction. Some of my favorites include Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, and Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.

Of course, the above list is not comprehensive. There are many other types of books that you should be reading. Commentaries and books to help you understand the Scripture are necessary. I also highly recommend that you take the time to read some fiction, just to give your brain time to relax. I am a huge fan of Michael Connelly, John Grisham, and Vince Flynn.

Of course, being a reader won't make you an effective youth pastor or leader. That being said, it certainly can't hurt. Grab a book and get started.

All of the books referenced have been linked to Amazon.com to make it easier for you to find out more about them. If you have a Kindle or the Kindle app on your iPad, most of these books are available in that format as well.

For other posts on this topic, please visit my friends Josh Evans (here and here) and Austin McCann (here). They both have written on this topic recently.

What books do you enjoy reading? How are these books helping you become a more effective youth pastor or leader?

Chapter Notes - Who Do You Think You Are: Chapter 9

The ninth chapter of Who Do You Think You Are by Mark Driscoll is called "I am Heard." This chapter, using Ephesians 3:14-21 as its basis, deals with prayer.

Driscoll uses the acronym PRAYER to list out and detail six principles about prayer. While there is too much in the chapter to describe here, allow me to share the acronym with you.

• Prayer is Personal.
• Prayer is Relational.
• Prayer is Asking.
• Prayer is Yearning.
• Prayer is Expecting.
• Prayer is Revealing.

Prayer has become a huge part of my life as of late. I prayed a good deal when I was a youth pastor, especially for my youth group. I pray a lot now that I am no longer a youth pastor, while I am seeking the right church to minister in. Prayer is vital to the Christian's walk and it is incredibly comforting that, for those of us in Christ, we have a God who hears us.

To read more, grab a copy of Who Do You Think You Are from Amazon.com.

Recommended Reading

Buy a Copy of Who Do You Think You Are by Mark Driscoll and Get Some Awesome Stuff!

Right now, I am working my way through Who Do You Think You Are by Mark Driscoll. It is a great book that talks about our identities in Christ, using the text of Ephesians to make his points.

In order to get as many people to read the book as possible, the publisher is giving away some awesome stuff to anyone who purchases the book during the next week (January 21-27). Here is a list of all the great stuff you get:

• Three eBooks from Pastor Mark (Pastor Dad, Porn Again Christian, and Puff or Pass: Should Christians Smoke Pot?)
• A sampler of MP3’s from Mars Hill Music
• A collection of wallpapers and graphics
• A PDF copy of Pastor Mark and his wife Grace’s book, Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship, and Life Together

All of this can be yours, just for purchasing the book! You should read the book anyway and now you can get some other stuff as well.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Purchase your book or books from any retailer that sells it. Click on this link to get it from Amazon.com.
2. Scan your receipt and e-mail it to driscollpromotion@gmail.com.
3. Thomas Nelson will verify that your purchase is eligible and send you an email with instructions on how to download your freebies.

There are also some great freebies if you purchase five or more copies. So if you are thinking about doing this with a small group, it might be worth it. Visit The Resurgence for more information.

Enjoy!

Recommended Resources

Book Review - Flimsy Ministry by Brian Seidel

If someone was to ask you to describe a youth pastor, how would you do it? Would you describe him as the goofy guy who wears his hat backward and whose office is a disaster? Would you describe him as the staff member who is most likely to destroy the church van?

This is often the way that most youth pastors are described and thought of. In Flimsy Ministry, Brian Seidel describes the common view of the youth pastor as the "paradigm" and he seeks to overcome that view. Describing the common view of youth ministry as a house of cards, Brian describes each card in the house and offers a plan to help pull that card from the house.

Perhaps the strongest part of the book is the inclusion of many personal stories, both his own and those of others. Perhaps the most encouraging, and devastating, one was that of a youth pastor who was nearly destroyed by his job and was able to live to tell about it.

Seidel looks at many of the issues with youth ministry, examines the common thoughts about that particular issue, then offers ways to overcome that particular issue. The one that resonated the most with me was the idea of using youth ministry as a stepping stone to another ministry. I have been accused of this in the past and it was hurtful. I appreciated the mindset that he encourages of being a youth pastor until God takes me somewhere else. More youth pastors should have this thought.

My only complaint about the book was the formatting. I do not believe this to be the fault of Seidel, but it was not properly formatted in the Kindle format. This takes nothing away from the content, but does make it a bit difficult to read at times.

Flimsy Ministry is a much needed book. I would recommend that youth pastors read it and share it with their senior pastors. There is much to be discussed in the book.

Book Review - Ministering to Gay Teenagers by Shawn Harrison

I have to be honest: I don't know many gay people. In fact, I only have one gay friend. During my stint as a youth pastor/volunteer, I have never had any gay students in my ministry. Maybe there were and I didn't know it, but to my knowledge, I have never crossed paths with a gay student.

It was for that very reason that I was pleased when Shawn Harrison sent me a copy of his book, Ministering to Gay Teenagers to read. I wanted to be adequately prepared for the day that the Lord brings a student experiencing same-sex attraction into my ministry.

Shawn writes the book from his own experience with same-sex attraction. He shares his story of being bullied and harassed in high school and how Christians were some of the worst. He also shares how a young lady came into his life and accepted him as a person. Not as a project or a sinner, but as a person. She took him to church and it was through her witness and friendship that he came to know Christ.

Ministering to Gay Teenagers offers many tips to both the youth pastor/volunteer and to the parents. There are many helpful suggestions and ideas on how to handle what can be a devastating revelation. Throughout the book, Shawn never seeks to prove a point or states whether homosexuality should be embraced as a viable, alternative lifestyle. He strives to help the reader understand that change is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit and that youth pastors and parents should not for change or guilt, but pray for the Holy Spirit to move and work.

The book is very short, only about 50 pages. I read it in less than an hour. While it is not exhaustive, Ministering to Gay Teenagers is a good resource and should find a place on every caring pastor's bookshelf or Kindle.

Thank you, Shawn, for sharing this book with me. I pray that it will be a tool to help bring others, gay or straight, into the loving embrace of Jesus Christ.

If you would like to know more about Shawn's ministry, please visit his blog at Six:11 Ministries.

Recommended Resources

Book Review: Love Does by Bob Goff

I recently finished reading Love Does by Bob Goff. My wife and I first heard of Bob Goff while listening to a Catalyst podcast on the drive home from graduation at Liberty University. He and his friend, Donald Miller, were talking about writing the book and the adventure that went into it.

Love Does is not so much a story as it is a collection of stories. Bob has had quite the life and he recounts many of his adventures in the book. My favorite stories include how he got into law school, the young man who wanted to use his house and boat to propose to his girlfriend, and the giant Valentine he made for the girl he was pursuing.

The part of the book that was a bit off for me was Bob's attempt to tie all of his adventures to some sort of Jesus moment. This was done as a means of application, but, at least in my opinion, not all of them fit. I did think it was great that Bob was attempting to see God's hand in all that he did.

If you are a fan of Donald Miller's writing style, you will see much of that in Bob's book. I recommend that you get a copy of it. It is not overly spiritual and will probably not change how you look at God, but the stories are pretty awesome. They might just cause you to do something incredible.

Here is a video of Kid President interviewing Bob Goff. It's pretty awesome!

Recommended Reading

Goals for 2013 - Reading a Minimum of 25 Books

In continuing to discuss my goals of 2013, I have decided to read a minimum of 25 books, both fiction and non-fiction.

In previous years, I have attempted to read 50 books or more. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't. The first year that I read 50 books, I was reading for volume, not understanding. I can barely remember any of the books I read that year. I read a lot, but retained little.

This year, my goal for reading is lower. Not because of a busier schedule or anything. I simply want to be able to understand and apply what I am reading. The main focus of my reading is ministry, but I do enjoy other books as well. I particularly enjoy crime novels, especially those by Robert Crais and Michael Connelly.

As I read, I will be posting several reviews. I hope that you will be able to find something that will be of benefit to you this year.

What books are you reading this year?

Book Review - 1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ by Jonathan Falwell

I chose to read 1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ by Jonathan Falwell mainly because he is the pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church. As a graduate of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, I had the opportunity to hear Falwell preach and I was impressed by his style of communication.

The book 1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ is about exactly what it seems to be. Through fifteen short chapters, Falwell highlights a number of events from the three year ministry of Jesus. The events include the announcement of His ministry in the temple, the choosing of His disciples, the parable He told the lawyer about the Good Samaritan, and the messages Jesus gave while He was on the cross. Each chapter contains an explanation of several Greek phrases that can be found in the Scripture, chosen to help the reader understand the intensity of the vocabulary, something not easily conveyed in English.

The book is written in an easy-flowing manner, as if Falwell were talking directly to you. I would not be surprised (although I have not looked it up) to discover that this book was based on a series of sermons that Falwell preached at his church. Each chapter begins with an illustration, an examination of the Scripture passage, and an application for the reader. It should be viewed as a plus that Falwell writes the same way that he preaches. His writing style makes it much more accessible to a broader audience than most books that are written about Jesus.

This book would be a great resource for pastor and teachers who want to communicate the truth about Jesus. Much like a book by Craig Groeschel, this book can easily be used by a pastor to produce an excellent series of sermons. I would suggest that additional research go into the preparation, but Falwell has done an excellent job with the material he presented in this book.

I was provided a free copy of 1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review of the text.

Recently Read Books

I like to read. I haven't been able to do it as much as I would like as of late, but I'm starting to get back in the habit. As time permits, I will post reviews of some of the books that I have read, but for now, here is a list of some of the books that I have read recently, in case you want to check them out.

• The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler.
• Gospel by J.D. Greear
• The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
• Greater by Steven Furtick

There are a number of other books that I have read, but that is a pretty good list to start with. I will highly recommend all of these titles as excellent resources for ministry. In fact, I believe that Gospel would be an excellent book to use with a student leadership group or with a group of adult leaders.

Don't forget that we are in the gift-giving time of year.

What books have you recently read that you would recommend to other ministry leaders?