Each year a number of excellent leadership books are published. Of course, so are a lot of bad ones. It’s hard enough for busy leaders to carve out time to read, let alone hunt for the best titles. That’s why we do the annual Leadership Book Awards. We comb through stacks of ministry and leadership books, and select the ones we believe are worth your valuable time. Again the winners have been chosen by our contributing editors in two categories: The Leader’s Inner Life and The Leader’s Outer Life. We highly recommend these titles as you strive to develop the leadership gifts to further the ministry God has entrusted to your care.
The Leader’s Inner Life
Best of The Best:
Humilitas A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership by John Dickson (Zondervan)“A transformative yet largely unexplored virtue is explored from various angles to reveal its surprising depth and power.” —Wayne Schmidt
Our Very Short List:
Sanctuary of the Soul Journey into Meditative Prayer By Richard Foster (IVP)“The author plumbs the deepest biblical view of meditation and its ability to transform … an excellent refocusing on a crucial topic.”—Nina Gunter
WithReimagining the Way You Relate to Godby Skye Jethani (Thomas Nelson)“This book changes the way we think about God. If we understood even half of what it means to live with God, our world would be transformed.”—Kara Powell
Going DeepBecoming a Person of Influence by Gordon MacDonald (Thomas Nelson)“The author calls for helping people to go deep with God. This book is a timely and practical guide on how to disciple others in a way that will foster spiritual maturity.”—Nina Gunter
Love Wins A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell (HarperOne)“Bell’s book stirred the evangelical community like nothing in recent history. As he concedes, his conclusions are not new, but he started a lively conversation based on the questions a generation is asking, questions that won’t go away anytime soon.”—Katherine Callahan Howell
The Leader’s Outer Life
Best of The Best:
The Pastor A Memoir by Eugene Peterson (HarperOne)“With poetic imagination and prophetic insight, Peterson reviews a pastoral life dedicated to a community of everyday people being formed by Christ.—David Swanson
Our Very Short List:
Renovation of the Church What Happens When a Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual Formation by Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken (IVP)“A fascinating peek behind the mega church curtain … this book about an unlikely transition is startlingly honest, provocative, and humbling.”—Lillian Daniel
Move What 1,000 Churches Reveal about Spiritual Growth by Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson (Zondervan)“Compelling research breaks church leaders out of denial and directs them to the truth about our greatest commission—making disciples.”—Wayne Schmidt
You Lost Me Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church … and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman (Baker)“The next generation is leaving institutional Christianity but they are drawn to movements of God which invest in relational discipleship. Kinnaman sounds the alarm while providing savvy advice on connecting with disaffected youth.”—Charles Kyker
Radical Together Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God by David Platt (Multnomah)“Platt challenges churches to move beyond self-centered Christianity and live out the gospel with abandon. An excellent reminder that only in losing your life will you ever find it.”—Charles Kyker
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