I do not know any pastors who believe they’ve got it all figured out! So here are some book recommendations on the subject of pastoring.
Top Recommendation
The Conviction to Lead by Albert Mohler.
I have read all of Mohler’s books and I am convinced that this is his best. Each of his previous books has been helpful in its own way, but they have generally been repurposed sermons or blog posts and have carried the weight of mixed media. The Conviction to Lead has all the marks of an original work, oozing with wisdom and dripping with passion. This is Mohler in his most natural habitat, doing what he does best. If you are a pastor or elder, if you are an owner or CEO, if you are in any form of leadership, I am convinced that this book will transform the way you lead. I highly recommend that you read it.
Other Recommendations
- The Care of Souls by Harold Senkbeil. Pastoral ministry is first about pastoring people. It is first about being a shepherd to sheep. It is not less than expositional preaching and organizational leadership, the emphases of the great majority of pastoring books and conferences, but it is so much more.
- Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson – D.A. Carson’s beautiful tribute to his father simply shows an ordinary pastor serving the Lord.
- The Pastor’s Justification by Jared Wilson – Wilson writes as a pastor to and for other pastors—for those who desperately need to understand, ponder and apply the gospel to their lives and ministries.
- Church Planter by Darrin Patrick – This one is (obviously) geared specifically to the church planter.
- John MacArthur by Iain Murray – This biography of John MacArthur will challenge any pastor.
- The Trellis and the Vine by Collin Marshall and Tony Payne – Marshall and Payne help distinguish between ministry and the structure necessary to support ministry.
