Basic booklist for those serving in the local church

These are intended to be middle-level introductory books rather than more academic ones - and so for church workers, trainees and elders rather than the minister who should be reading to a greater depth too. They are not provided to put pressure that they must all be read within a couple of years, but more to highlight key books it would be good to read at some time and that can be accessed when needed to help in ministry.

Conviction:

1 Reformed theology - What is reformed theology - Sproul

2 Biblical theology - God's big picture, Roberts

3 OT theology book by book - The Faith of Israel, Dumbrell

4 NT theology book by book - New Testament Theology, Morris

5 Systematic theology – Systematic theology, Grudem

6 Church - Centre Church, Keller

7 Culture - Mission of God, Boot

8 Ethics - New Issues facing Christians today, Stott

9 Work - Every good endeavour, Keller

10 Suffering - How long O Lord, Carson

11 Independency - Independency, ed. Stevens

12 Church history - Church history in plain language, Shelley

Character:

13 Commitment - Don't waste your life, Piper

14 Disciplines - Spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, Whitney

15 Prayer - A praying life, Miller

16 Godliness - The practice of Godliness, Bridges

17 Bonhoeffer (biography), Eric Metaxas

18 A chance to die (a biography of Amy Charmichael), Elizabeth Elliot

Competence:

19 Time management - Time for everything, Fuller

20 Eldership – The shepherd leader, Witmer

21 Ministry - The trellis and the vine, Marshall and Payne

22 Preaching - Speaking God's words, Adam

23 Leading worship - Worship in Spirit and Truth, Frame

24 Pastoral Care - Instruments in the redeemer hands, Tripp

25 Tackling sin - You can change, Chester

26 Leadership - Wisdom in leadership, Hamilton

27 Evangelism - Everyday church, Timmis and Chester

28 Apologetics - The reason for God, Keller

29 Bible study - Growth Groups, Marshall

30 One to one - One to one, DeWitt

31 Youth - Gospel centred youth ministry, Cole and Nelson

32 Women - Word-Filled Women's Ministry, Furman and Nielson

33 Parenting - Parenting against the tide, Benton

34 Family - Gospel centred family, Chester and Moll

35 Marriage - Married for God, Ash

Computer software:

1 The one I use is Logos bible software. You can have it on your PC, tablet and phone, and the amount of resources it can access means you can do a lot of cross-referencing within it. You can download the basic software for free and then pay to add modern Bible translations (I predominantly use the NIV and the NASB as a more literal version – Greek too if you are up to it), and reference books (there are an innumerable amount and the various IVP dictionaries in particular are worth looking at, but key would be the New Bible Commentary and the New Bible Dictionary).

2 E-Sword is an extremely good and free Bible software package that you can have on your PC or as an app on tablet or phone.

Some more historical reading:

A theology reader, Ed. Alistair McGrath

Early Christian writings: The apostolic fathers, ed. Louth

Confessions (autobiography), Augustine

Ecclesiastical history of the English People, Bede

Calvin's Institutes, John Calvin

Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, Brooks

Concerning the end for which God created the World, Jonathan Edwards

Lectures to my students, CH Spurgeon

The inspiration and authority of the Bible, BB Warfield

The cost of discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Essentials: A liberal-evangelical dialogue, Edwards and Stott

Three Views on Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism, ed. Packer and Stamoolis

Roman Catholic Theology and Practice, Gregg Allison

The kingdom of the cults, Walter Martin

Amazing Grace (a biography of William Wilberforce), Eric Metaxas

Susanna Wesley (biography), Arnold Dallimore

The Apocrypha

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Am I being called to full time word ministry?

We live in a day when almost anyone can decide to plant a church and with sufficient ability set themselves up as its minister. However the key questions to be asked are these: As Christ is the one who holds "all authority," has he actually called and appointed a person to this role? Do their bear their authority as given to them by God's king?

When reading John Owen's "True nature of a gospel Church" some years ago I was particularly struck at his concern for this if a church is to be truly established by Christ.

Chatting with a student on the training course last week, I suggested there are four key things to consider in discerning whether Christ is calling them to this role:

(1) Has Christ given me the qualifications he asks for (Titus 1v5-9)?
He will not call any he hasn't qualified. So I must ask whether I fulfil the qualifications Paul outlines to Titus. Am I considered as "blameless" in the sense of not being charged with fault by those around me? Am I proved as sufficiently able to "manage" a church, especially by my ability to manage my family? And am I able to teach, not just by knowing sound doctrine and being able to encourage people in it, but by having the courage and readiness to confront error too? A prayerfulness of life is another qualification we might add as it should accompany the ministry of the word (Act 6v4). And we must note that if one considers the role or elder/overseer is reserved only for men, being male would be another qualification that is necessary.

(2) Has Christ given me the affirmation of his church (Acts 6v5-6)?
Elders in Israel were put forward by the people for appointment by the authorities, and in replacing Judas two candidates were nominated from which one was to be chosen. The sense is that the church is assumed to reflect the mind of the Spirit when it agrees that someone is fit for the role of elder/overseer - although this is generally subject to the agreement of others in authority, such as the apostles in Acts 6 or Titus in Titus 1. What this means is that the affirmation of the congregation any individual belongs to is paramount in discerning whether they are called to church ministry, as is giving the potential receiving church sufficient opportunity to get to know respective candidates for a role. Of course this presumes that the members of the church are truly converted, filled with the Spirit and so seeking to weigh someone's calling according to Christ's priorities. So churches that don't in some sense try to ensure a believing membership would need to look for affirmation only from those it sees signs of conversion within.

(3) Has Christ given me the desire to serve (1 Tim 3v1)?
This is a more subjective aspect of calling. And we should be cautious of it. We are not told Jesus only calls those who are eager, nor that an inner peace about a role is necessary if we are to conclude the Lord wants us to take it. Moses was quite reluctant and certainly without peace with respect to his calling. Nevertheless, Paul acknowledges the place for desire and was "compelled" by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. Moreover, Nehemiah set out on his great city-building task because the Lord placed it on his heart. And he kept to it because of that. In the same way, the elder/overseer is unlikely to persevere in building up the new Jerusalem of the church amidst all the pressures of the role, unless he has a deep desire to take on that role for the glory of God no matter it might entail.

(4) Has Christ given me the opportunity to serve (2 Cor 2v12)?
Given the above, if on applying for roles and praying for the Lord's guidance, an opportunity consistently fails to arise there may be a time for concluding that Christ may not be calling me to the role of elder/overseer after all - or at least not now.

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