pat loughery

Just in time for Christmas, we’re setting up a book table. One of our early church plant coaches strongly recommended that we set up a table – not because you’re looking to make any money selling anything, but more because people can look at the books you treasure and get a picture of the church you hope to be.

I looked for books that I wished everybody in our congregation would read, and books that I think make a huge impact on one’s life. I also looked for stuff that wasn’t too hard of a read – while I enjoy N. T. Wright a lot, he’s not for everybody. Stuff that I have read, or will read, multiple times.

So we started out with these (in no particular order):
The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
More Ready Than You Realize by Brian McLaren
The Gospel of the Kingdom by George Ladd
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection
Of the Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
The Search for Significance by Robert McGee (Shannon’s addition – I haven’t read it yet).

That’s the first group. I’d like to add Fee & Stuart’s How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth, Wimber’s Power Healing and Power Evangelism, The Case for Christ (good modern apologetics), Blue Like Jazz, maybe The Divine Conspiracy. But I’m already stretching the budget with this batch.

So, my challenge to you: You have $100 for 2 each of a limited set of books that define what you want your church to look like. What do you choose?