Category: Books

The book Essential Church, by Thom S. Rainer and his son, presents recent research that indicates that more than two-thirds of church-going young adults drop out between the ages of 18 and 22. The research was done by Lifeway Christian Resources.   Here are the top 10 reasons: Simply wanted a break from church. Church … Continue reading Essential Church

Rick Warren's best-selling book The Purpose Driven Church has become a bit of a classic since its release in 1995. Rick is the pastor of Saddleback Church in California and the founder of pastors.com, an excellent web site resource for church leaders. Each church is driven by something - tradition, personality, or programs. Rick proposes that churches … Continue reading The Purpose-Driven Church

The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch is a book about 'reactivating the missional church'. Alan calls us back to the beginning - to what he calls 'apostolic DNA'. This apostolic genius has six ingredients: Jesus as Lord, disciple-making, missional-incarnational impulse, apostolic environment, organic systems, and communitas. Alan critiques contemporary church growth models, making a call for a … Continue reading The Forgotten Ways

Frank Viola and George Barna's book Pagan Christianity boldly declares that everything most churches are doing is wrong: meeting in church buildings, having an order of worship, sermons, pastors, Sunday morning dress, ministers of music, tithing and clergy salaries, the way baptism and the Lord’s Supper are conducted, as well as Christian education. These are not the … Continue reading Pagan Christianity?

I have just finished reading the book ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost. The authors put forth a challenge for a re-reinstatement of Jesus as the central focus of our spiritual lives - both as disciples and as communities of his people. It's time we let go of … Continue reading ReJesus

I am currently reading a recently released book by Morag Zwartz entitled Apostles of Fear. It is a tragic story about a number of events that have taken place over the years in two related churches: Melbourne Christian Fellowship (formerly called "Immanuel") and Brisbane Christian Fellowship, under the leadership of Vic Hall. The injustices done … Continue reading Apostles of Fear

  Gary Kinnaman, a pastor from Phoenix, Arizona, is a good friend of mine who recently ministered at our church in Melbourne. His son, David Kinnaman, is the President of the Barna Group, a ministry which provides research and resources that facilitate spiritual transformation in people's lives.  David's latest book, co-authored with Gabe Lyons, is called … Continue reading UnChristian

In addition to reading the Bible regularly, and a variety of other books (see Recommended Reading and The Art of Reading), I also like to browse through various newspapers (online) and magazines from time to time. Here is a list of my favourites ... Newspapers ... The Herald Sun - Melbourne's most widely read newspaper. … Continue reading Recommended Newspapers and Magazines …

Peter Daniels has quite an amazing 'rags to riches' story. You can read about it in various resources available on his web site. His story has been an inspiration to many thousands of people. Throughout Peter's life journey he learned many lessons for doing well in life, including the principle of effective goal-setting. Peter's book … Continue reading How to Reach Your Life Goals [Book Review]

Bob Buford is the author of the best-selling book Half Time: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance. He is also the founder of the Half Time ministry, and of Leadership Network, an organisation dedicated to innovation in leadership. The basic concept of his book is that in the first half of our life … Continue reading Half Time [Book Review]

Dr. Arch Hart, co-founder of the Hart Institute, has written a very good book on Adrenaline and Stress that is worth reading. Dr. Hart is well known for his ministry to churches through psychological training, education, and consultation. A former dean of the School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, he is now retired from … Continue reading Adrenaline and Stress [Book Review]

Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has been on the best-seller list for many years now. Covey is the co-founder of the Franklin Covey company, dedicated to enabling greatness in people and organisations. Think about this for starters ... Who am I? I am your constant companion. I am your greatest … Continue reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People [Book Review]

This week we will review a few books worth reading ... Jan Hettinga's book Follow Me: Experience the Loving Leadership of Jesus is an excellent challenge to truly 'follow' Jesus, not just believe in him. Here are a few of his insights, worth reflecting on ... The ultimate issue in the universe is leadership. Who … Continue reading Follow Me [Book Review]