Pastor's Recommended Reading
God has blessed His people with many gifted and knowledgeable saints who have shown in their writing how the gospel transforms your life. Pastor Nathan has selected 10 books from his library to be his suggested 2021 church reading list. It is our prayer that you would be blessed and edified by reading good and substantive books. Whether you want to read every book on the list or just pick the one or two that stands out to you, let this list encourage you to draw near to God, glean from the wisdom God has given to these authors, and to find encouragement and instruction from God’s Word.
God has a wonderful vision for your family. Unfortunately, most families don’t function how God intends for them to function. In this essential book by pastor Voddie you will be shown God’s vision for the Christian family and how to be intentional with spreading the faith within your family.
Whether it is an evening headache or a tragic loss in your family, your suffering is never for nothing. God is always working in and through the suffering and trials in your life. Elizabeth Elliot was not novice to suffering of various kinds. From her vast wisdom she offers tremendous insights.
Is all doctrine equally important? How do we know what is essential for Christian belief, what is beneficial for unity, and what we can agree to disagree on? This book, based on Al Mohler’s concept of Theological Triage, answers those questions in a very easy to read manner. You will be helped tremendously by this book.
Is the church service really that important? Is gathering to worship really that essential? Does God care how He is worshiped? The answer to all three is a resounding “YES!” In this short book, Jonathan answers those questions with rich biblical teaching. If you want to learn more about what is happening during the assembled worship of God on the Lord’s Day, get this book.
It’s a topic nobody likes to talk about but needs to be addressed: addiction. Whether it is a substance addiction or a habbit you can’t seem to break, or something else, this book walks you through how you can be finally free from your sin that so enslaves you and find true joy and rest in the gospel of Christ.
Any church, and by extension and Christian, who desires to glorify God needs to be committed to maintaining the health and unity of the church by pursuing conformity to the biblical image of what a healthy church is. Pastor Mark Dever, in this excellent book, helps to navigate just what it means to be a healthy church and calls us to live up to God’s vision for the church in the scriptures.
In this short and easy to read book Donald Whitney provides immensely needed and practice instruction on how to pray and how to pray God’s Word back to God. Prayer is a powerful activity that God has called all His children to do. If you need to learn to pray, you will learn by praying and this book will provide you with incredibly powerful and practical instruction on how to do that.
This document is the foundational doctrinal statement that Baptists are built on. Roughly 75% of the initial churches that made up the Southern Baptist Convention held to this statement. The Prince of Preachers himself, C.H. Spurgeon held to this statement. While significantly shorter than any of the other books on this reading this, this book offers a tremendous amount of truth to ponder, to learn, and to experience the gospel of Christ through. If you’ve never read this statement I highly recommend it!
Have you noticed that western culture has changed drastically in the last couple decades? Have you been perplexed by how someone today can say, with a straight face, that they are “a man trapped in a woman’s body”? In this landmark book, Carl Truman explains how the psychological and philosophical trends of the last century paved the way for this strange new world we live in. By better understanding the world you live in, you can be better equipped to proclaim the gospel and defend the truth in this world.
Note: a shorter version of this book is available by the same author – “Strange New World.”
This classic, written by the Prince of Preachers himself, is a wonderful read. An essential for every Christian. Spurgeon discusses the gospel of God’s grace in such a wonderfully powerful and personal way in this short book. Whether new to the faith or well-seasoned, this book will bless you and nurture in you a deep-seated appreciation of God’s amazing grace! If you have never read a book from Spurgeon, I suggest you start here.
Speaking of C.H. Spurgeon, who just happens to be one of Pastor Nathan’s favorite preachers and authors, has a saying that deserves repeating here, “Visit many good books but live in the bible.” There is so much to learn from in the wisdom and teaching from other Christians, it would be foolish to not learn from them. Yet, we must always remember that no book or collection of books is as significant as the scriptures themselves. I encourage you to read your scriptures daily. You can use a reading plan, such as the “90-day New Testament reading plan,” or one of the many one-year bible reading plans. Abide in God’s Word and you will know the truth, who’s name is Jesus, and Jesus will set you free from sin and give you life in His name.
Be blessed!
Contact us for more recommendations or if you have any questions.