25 Books for Pastors & Church Leaders

Knowledge for Shepards Leading the Flock

        Welcome to the New Start Ministries Recommended Reading Section for pastors and church leaders. Here, we provide a curated selection of 25 books, all of which are rooted in the biblical principle found in Proverbs 4:7, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Christian author and speaker S. R. Watkins has carefully selected these books to provide valuable insights and practical guidance on how to lead and serve in the church, ensuring that they align with the spiritual needs of our audience.

        These books offer insights and practical steps for developing leadership skills, building effective teams, and creating a vision for a successful ministry. They cover various topics, from communication, collaboration, church planting, and culture-cracking, and are written by experienced leaders in the field. Each book is designed to equip you with actions you can immediately apply to your leadership and ministry roles.

“Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath

understanding…”    (Prov. 14:33)

top books for church leaders

  • The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential – by John Maxwell

  • 7 Practices of Effective Ministry – by Andy Stanley

  • 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – by John Maxwell

  • Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs – by Bill Hybels

  • Becoming a Coaching Leader: The Proven System for Building Your Own Team of Champions – by Daniel Harkavy

  • The Big Idea: Aligning the Ministries of Your Church through Creative Collaboration – by Dave Ferguson

  • Church Planting: God’s Plan for Transformation – by George Hill

  • Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication – by Andy Stanley

  • Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code – by Dr. Samuel Chand

  • Deep and Wide – by Andy Stanley

  • Embracing a Volunteer Spirit – by Andre Olivier

  • Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want – Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible – by Brian Tracey

  • Living Your Strengths: Discover Your God-Given Talents and Inspire Your Community – by Donald Clifton

  • The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently – by Tony Dungy

  • No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come-as-You-Are Culture in the Church – by John Burke

  • One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey – by Ken Blanchard

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

  • The Purpose Driven Church – by Rick Warren

  • The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness – by Stephen K. Scott

  • SIMPLE CHURCH: Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples – by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger

  • Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – by Simon Sinek

  • Sticky Teams: Keeping Your Leadership Team And Staff On The Same Page – by Larry Osborne

  • Surprising Insights From The Unchurched And Proven Ways To Reach Them – by Thom Rainer

  • Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrows Success – by John Maxwell

  • Visioneering: God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision – by Andy Stanley