How do you as a church leader stretch yourself and stay fresh? Pastors must engage their minds in creative, fun and dynamic reading. As important as physical exercise, mental exercise excites intellectual curiosity. By seeking out new ideas from a wide range of sources, a pastor stays mentally sharp. With wide learning and a broad perspective, a pastor is in a better place to minister to a congregation.

Warren and Fletch will share how they make time to read. Some set a monthly goal for an amount of reading time. Some listen to audio books and a few play them at faster speeds—does that work? Both will share several of the books they have recently read. Why did they read those books? Why read material that is Christian or secular, fiction or non-fiction? If you say you are too busy to read, keep a scorecard of how much television you watch in a week …

The audio on XPastor’s Apple podcast channel.

Books mentioned by the audience:

  • At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor by Carey Nieuwhof. Very good.
  • The Technological University Reimagined: Georgia Institute of Technology, 1994-2008 by G. Wayne Clough.
  • In the Name of God: The Colliding Lives, Legends, and Legacies of J. Frank Norris and George W. Truett by O.S. Hawkins.
  • The Edge of The Inside by Fred Smith.
  • The Wright Brothers by David McCoullough.
  • Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.
  • First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents by Gary Ginsberg.
  • A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message by Winn Collier. The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene H. Peterson. Fairly new biography of Eugene Peterson and the autobiography of Peterson should be read together.
  • The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides by Arnold Kling. My biggest must read, a short book.
  • Friday the Rabbi Slept Late (The Rabbi Small Mysteries Book 1) by Harry Kemelman. Books about Rabbi Small. I learned lots about Judaism and ties to Christianity. Murder mysteries with Rabbi as Detective. In the audio books, the narrator, George Guidall, is fanstastic through the whole series. It is dated – 1960s and 1970s … but clean fun.
  • Lessons from the Church Boardroom by Dan Busby and John Pearson.
  • Maximizing Board Effectiveness: A Practical Guide for Effective Governance by James C. Galvin. Excellent.
  • His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope by Jon Meachum. A spiritual biography of John Lewis.
  • My Broken Language: A Memoir by Quiara Alegria Hudes.

About Warren

Warren Bird is the Vice President for Research and Equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Warren is an award-winning writer and researcher. His background includes pastoring and seminary teaching, and a 13-year run as research director at Leadership Network. Warren has authored or co-authored 30 books including Hero Maker with Dave Ferguson, How to Break Growth Barriers with Carl George and Unleashing the Word with Max McLean.

Warren is a graduate of Wheaton College (BA, MA), Alliance Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Fordham University (Ph.D.). He and his college sweetheart wife Michelle live in Metro New York City.