Best Reads for 2024 - Pastoral and Ministry

Because of my new gym walking habit, I read more books in this category than any other.  As a result, a picked a few more “best” books than I usually choose.  Honestly, I could have picked 10 more books in the “best” category – picking the couple handfuls I did was challenging.

The Thrill of Orthodoxy:  Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith by Trevin Wax.  This book is an amazing reminder of the awesome nature of Christian orthodoxy.  Wax does an especially good job of addressing the various ways our modern world, under the guise of theological or personal freedom, actually narrows and limits the remarkable things God offers us in Jesus Christ.  Progressive society, which thinks it has more freedom, has actually settled for much less than God offers us in Christ.

Competing Spectacles:  Treasuring Christ in the Media Age by Tony Reinke.  At first glance, I thought this was a worldview books with spectacles being the lens through which we see the world.  But in actuality, when Reinke speaks of spectacles, he is speaking of the way the world around us seeks to draw attention to itself (celebrities, politics, etc.).  Reinke argues that no matter how attractive or absorbing the spectacle is that society offers us, the ultimate “spectacle” that should draw our attention is Christ crucified.

Ministry in the New Realm:  A Theology of 2 Corinthians by Dane C. Ortlund.  As I prepared to preach through the book of 2 Corinthians in church, I read this wonderful little book as preparation.  I am so glad I did.  Ortlund does a wonderful job of drawing out the themes in this magnificent book, enabling the busy pastor to get a birds-eye view of the book and greatly aiding his preparation.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.  This is the first book on my “best” list that was not written by a Christian, but is so timely and helpful in so much of what is going on in the world.  Haidt argues that smart phones, social media and online gaming have changed childhood, bringing with them increased anxiety, immaturity, depression, and many other problems. 

Truth We Can Touch:  How Baptism and Communion Shape our Lives by Tim Chester.  This short book is a excellent book on the ordinances/sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Chester is a bit more “presbyterian” than me, so I did not agree with him on everything, but despite that the book is excellent for bringing out the deeper meaning and prompting personal reflection regarding these tangible gifts from God that provide pictures of our salvation.

Bad Therapy:  Why the Kids aren’t Growing Up by Abigail Shrier.  This is the other ministry “best” book not written by a believer.  That said, this is a remarkable expose of how the so-called therapy that is offered our kids, especially in public schools, is so damaging.  Continually hunting for trauma, foregoing actual parenting, “saving” kids from any risk that actually brings growth and resilience, and over medicating them are some of the many issues Shrier addresses.  And she is very clear – both therapists and parents are guilty in equal measure.

Shepherds for Sale:  How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda by Megan Basham.  This book was a bit terrifying.  Basham has the evidence of how prominent pastors have been bought and paid for by leftist organizations to promote their agendas under the guise of biblical truth.  Others have fallen into the trap of being so enamored by the attention of the secular media that they are willing to fudge truth for the praise of men.  A wonderful reminder to me – preach the Word!

You’re Only Human:  How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News by Kelly M. Kapic.  As a person who has, in the past, had a tendency to work too many hours and not take enough time off, Kapic’s book is a good reminder.  He speaks of all the ways we are limited as human beings and how those limits, rather than being a curse or a frustration, are actually blessings God has built into our lives.

Uprooting Anger:  Biblical Help for a Common Problem by Robert D. Jones.  This book so wonderfully biblical.  As a person who has struggled with anger in the past and a person who has to counsel others struggling with anger, this book has so much practical, Scriptural wisdom.  It will be a wonderful tool to share with others or use as a basis for counseling.

The Heart of Jesus:  How He Really Feels about You by Dane Ortlund.  This little book – only 100 pages – is a distillation of Ortlund’s book Gentle and Lowly.  Although I read and enjoyed Gentle and Lowly, this book is wonderful because the same truths are there, but in a package that is much more digestible and much less intimidating for those who are not avid readers.  What is the heart of Jesus toward you?  Read it and find out!

Great books, but did not make it into the “best” category:

Trusting God even when Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges

Warfield on the Christian Life:  Living Life in the Light of the Gospel by Fred G. Zaspel

Letter to the American Church by Eric Metaxas

Voices from the Past, vol. 2, by Richard Rushing, ed. 

Owen on the Christian Life:  Living for the Glory of God in Christ by Matthew Barrett and Michael A. G. Haykin

Word Centered Church:  How Scripture Brings Life and Growth to God’s People by Jonathan Leeman

God’s Grand Design:  The Theological Vision of Jonathon Edwards by Sean Michael Lucas

Understanding Scripture:  An Overview of the Bible’s Origin, Reliability and Meaning by Wayne Grudem, C. John Collins, and Thomas Schreiner, eds

The Flourishing Pastor:  Recovering the Lost Art of Shepherd Leadership by Tom Nelson

The Toxic War on Masculinity:  How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes by Nancy R. Pearcey

Heart of the Holy Land:  40 Reflections on Scripture and Place by Paul H. Wright

The Saints of Zion:  An Introduction to Mormon Theology by Travis S. Kerns

Is the Commission Still Great?  8 Myths about Missions & What they Mean for the Church by Steve Richardson

Can We Trust the Gospels? By Peter J. Williams

Israel and the Church:  An Israeli Examines God’s Unfolding Plans for His Chosen People by Amir Tsarfati

Reactivity:  How the Gospel Transforms our Actions and Reactions by Paul David Tripp

Gospel-Shaped Marriage:  Grace for Sinners to Love like Saints by Chad and Emily Dixhoorn

The New Creation Model:  A Paradigm for Discovering God’s Restoration Purposes from Creation to New Creation by Michael Vlach

Malachi:  God’s Unchanging Love by Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus:  A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi

From Weakness to Strength:  8 Vulnerabilities that can Bring out the Best in your Leadership by Scott Sauls

Crucial Accountability:  Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior by Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, Switzler

Live Your Truth and Other Lies:  Exposing Popular Deceptions that make us Anxious, Exhausted and Self-Obsessed by Alisa Childers

The Advantage:  Why Organizational Health Trumps everything else in Business by Patrick Lencioni

The Titus Ten:  Foundations for Godly Manhood by J. Josh Smith

The Joy Switch:  How your Brain’s Secret Circuit Affects your Relationships – and how you can Activate it by Chris M. Coursey

The Prodigal God:  Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Timothy Keller

The Secular Creed:  Engaging Five Contemporary Claims by Rebecca McLaughlin

Social Justice Fallacies by Thomas Sowell

The Unwavering Pastor:  Leading the Church with Grace in Divisive Times by Jonathan K. Dodson

Reforming Joy:  A Conversation between Paul, the Reformers and the Church Today by Tim Chester

Budgeting for a Healthy Church:  Aligning Finances with Biblical Priorities for Ministry by Jamie Dunlop