RECOMMENDED BOOKS - CHURCH

BROTHERS WE ARE NOT PROFESSIONALS
John Piper
Category: Church
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Pastor John Piper says, "We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry. . . professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake. For there is no professional childlikeness, there is no professional tenderheartedness. There is no professional panting after God." This is a call to all in "full time ministry" to stop being pragmatists, philosophers, and professionals, and to speak forth as prophets of the most high God!


CHRISTLESS CHRISTIANITY
Michael Horton
Category: Church, Theology
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Is it possible that we have left Christ out of Christianity? Is the faith and practice of American Christians today more American than Christian? These are the provocative questions Michael Horton addresses in this thoughtful, insightful book. He argues that while we invoke the name of Christ, too often Christ and the Christ-centered gospel are pushed aside. The result is a message and a faith that are, in Horton's words, "trivial, sentimental, affirming, and irrelevant." This alternative "gospel" is a message of moralism, personal comfort, self-help, self-improvement, and individualistic religion. It trivializes God, making him a means to our selfish ends. Horton skillfully diagnoses the problem and points to the solution: a return to the unadulterated gospel of salvation. This book is an outstanding expose and apologetic revealing how the gospel of works righteousness has infiltrated the "Christian landscape". Horton reveals its presence in prosperity theology, postmodern emergent circles, and seeker sensitive mega churches.


HE IS NOT SILENT
Al Mohler
Category: Church
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Is contemporary preaching suffering from an infatuation with technology, a focus on felt needs, an absence of the gospel? Mohler thinks preaching has fallen on hard times! Join him as he examines the public exposition of the Bible and explains why the church can't survive without it. A commanding exhortation and an encouragement to pulpit ministers. In the words of Tim Challies, “Mohler calls for the "re-centering" of an element of worship that has been pushed to the periphery. He does so with confidence based on Scripture and in a way that can appeal to any reader. Buy it, read it, and while you are at it, buy a copy for your pastor.”


NINE MARKS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH
Mark Dever
Category: Church
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What makes for a healthy church? A large congregation? Plentiful parking? Vibrant music? You may have read books on this topic before - but not like this one. This new expanded edition of Nine Marks of a Healthy Church is not an instruction manual for church growth. It is a pastor’s recommendation of how to assess the health of your church using nine crucial qualities that are neglected by many of today’s churches. Whether you’re a church leader or an involved member of your congregation, you can help cultivate these elements in your church, bringing it new life and health for God’s glory.


PREACHING THE CROSS
Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, John Macarthur, C J Mahaney, Al Mohler, John Piper, R C Sproul
Category: Church
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Proclaiming the gospel is without a doubt the most important task of pastoral ministry, yet often other, seemingly more urgent activities obscure it. From time to time all pastors and preachers need to be reminded of the primacy of the gospel. Preaching the Cross does just this. It is a call to expository, gospel-centered preaching as the center of pastoral ministry. This volume showcases an unprecedented combination of pastors representing a variety of evangelical traditions. Though they differ on some secondary points of church practice, they all enthusiastically celebrate the centrality of the cross of Christ — keeping the main thing the main thing. That message every reader can take away from this book and adopt in his pastoral ministry.


THE SHEPHERD LEADER
Timothy Witmer
Category: Church
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This is a book that strives to bring the importance of shepherding to the forefront of our thinking about what church leaders should do and, therefore, what they should be. Too many church leaders perceive of themselves as a board of directors when the Bible is clear that they are to know, feed, lead, and protect the flock entrusted to their care. The Shepherd Leader unpacks the four primary ministries of shepherds - knowing, feeding, leading, and protecting - on macro (church-wide) and micro (personal) levels, providing seven elements to be incorporated into an effective shepherding plan.


THE TRELLIS AND THE VINE
Colin Marshall, Tony Payne
Category: Church
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All Christian ministry is a mixture of trellis and vine. There is vine work: the prayerful preaching and teaching of the word of God to see people converted and grow to maturity as disciples of Christ. Vine work is the Great Commission. And there is trellis work: creating and maintaining the physical and organizational structures and programs that support vine work and its growth. What’s the state of the trellis and the vine in your part of the world? Has trellis work taken over, as it has a habit of doing? Is the vine work being done by very few? And is the vine starting to wilt as a result? The image of the trellis and the vine raises all the fundamental questions of Christian ministry. Colin Marshall and Tony Payne answer these urgent questions afresh. They dig back into the Bible’s view of Christian ministry, and argue that a major mind-shift is required if we are to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, and see the vine flourish again.


THIS LITTLE CHURCH HAD NONE
Gary Gilley
Category: Church
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This is Gary Gilley's latest addition in a trilogy of books he has written (following on from This Little Church Went To Market and This Little Church Stayed Home) that address the contemporary evangelical movements and discerning their affects on the church and the individual Christian. Gilley has written extensively on the culture's affect on the Church. The content of this book is broken up into 3 parts: 1. Obstacles to Truth, 2. The way back, and 3. Evangelism. Gilley makes another plea in this book for a return to biblical preaching and a renewed confidence in the word of God. In the final chapters dealing with evangelism, co-author Jay Wegter outlines a series of questions and discussions that are designed to simplify worldviews, and then gives practical, biblical ways to practice sound evangelism with our surrounding culture.


WAR OF WORDS
Paul Tripp
Category: Church, Marriage, Parenting
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Getting to the heart of your communication struggles. A biblical look at our words and our God. Few of us really think about the power, the blessing, the gift, the effect, and the dangers of our words." "Filled with searching, realistic & honest illustrations coupled with large doses of biblical truth. One thing we do daily is talk. Communication is the lifeblood of a good relationship and the deadly weapon of a bad one. If you've ever said anything you've regretted - this book is for you. Few of us really think about the power, the blessing, the gift, the effect, and the dangers of our words. War of Words is filled with searching, realistic and honest illustrations coupled with large doses of biblical truth. Learn about your words and your God. Obtain biblical insight and tools for change as you get to the heart of your communication struggles.


WHY REVIVAL TARRIES
Leonard Ravenhill
Category: Church
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One of the twentieth century's greatest authorities on revival, Leonard Ravenhill gives a no-compromise call to the principles of biblical revival. The heart of his message to the church is in this volume. Appalled by the disparity between the New Testament church and the church today, his message is drastic, fearless, and often radical. As timely a call to revival today as when published nearly fifty years ago, more than 350,000 copies are in print worldwide. This book is somewhat dated through no fault of the author. The dead orthodoxy that Ravenhill rails against doesn't even exist today. I struggle to find any orthodoxy - living or dead. It is important to remember this when reading this book that this is not a call to indifference to theological training, but rather that orthopraxy would follow orthodoxy.