64 books to help you follow Jesus better

Making disciples and training leaders are two of the three things Jesus has called me to do with my life. At our church, we invite all of our staff, leaders, and volunteers to be a part of the Cornerstone Leadership Team (CLT). The CLT meets a couple times a year to connect all of our leaders together and equip them to lead and serve.

“Leaders are readers“

I adopted the phrase “Leaders are readers” many years ago. For all kinds of reasons that I’ll talk more about another time, reading is an indispensable part of growing as a leader and a NEARLY indispensable part of following Jesus.

I can think of very few Christians I look up to who have managed to mature in their faith apart from reading quality spiritual, devotional, or theological books. Likewise, there are not any leaders I admire who are not committed to personal and spiritual growth through reading.

All of that to say, reading–even at a tortoise-like pace–is essential for leaders and incredibly beneficial for every follower of Jesus. With that in mind, here are 64 books for you to consider reading that will help you grow in your faith.

Daily Devotionals

• New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp
• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
• The Promises of God by Charles Spurgeon (Tim Chester)
• Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung

The Bible

• A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better by George Guthrie
• Before You Open Your Bible by Matt Smethurst
• Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung
• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglass Stuart

Spiritual Life

• The Hole in our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung
• Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Don Whitney
• (Men) Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes
• Desiring God by John Piper
• The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
• The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
• Knowing God by J.I. Packer

General Christianity 

• Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart by J.D. Greear
• The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra
• 9 Common Lies Christians Believe by Shane Pruitt
• Essential Christianity: The Heart of the Gospel in Ten Words by J.D. Greear
• (Women) Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin
• (Men) When Poets Were Warriors by Casey Hough
• Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund
• Uncommon Trust by Erik Reed
• Reset by David Murray
• Why We Love the Church by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck
• The Thrill of Orthodoxy by Trevin Wax
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis

Marriage and Family

• The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
• When Sinners Say “I Do” by Dave Harvey
• Adopted for Life by Russell Moore
• Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
• What Do I Say When… by Andrew & Christian Walker

Prayer

• Prayer by Tim Keller
• A Praying Life by Paul Miller
• Praying the Bible by Don Whitney
• 21 Days to Childlike Prayer by Jed Coppenger

Discipleship and Missions

• The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
• The Imperfect Disciple by Jared Wilson
• Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper

Theology

• God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts
• Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem
• You Are a Theologian by J.T. English & Jen Wilkin
• Concise Theology by J.I. Packer
• The Cross of Christ by John Stott
• Heaven by Randy Alcorn

Leadership

• Spiritual Leadership by Oswald Sanders
• Lead by Paul David Tripp
• Lead Like it Matters by Craig Groeschel
• The Conviction to Lead by Albert Mohler

Apologetics

• The Reason for God by Tim Keller
• Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin
• Why I Am a Christian by John Stott
• Doubting by Alister McGrath
• Truth Matters by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw
• The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

Ethics

• The Dignity Revolution by Dan Darling
• Following Jesus in a Digital Age by Jason Thacker
• Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel James
• Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? By Sam Allberry 
• Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey
• God and the Transgender Debate by Andrew Walker
• To Be a Woman by Katie McCoy
• The Secular Creed by Rebecca McLaughlin

Conclusion

Here are a few quick tips I gave to Cornerstone’s leaders. Pick a book that interests you. There are 64 books here. You can find one that sounds good. If you get bogged down, move on. Don’t stay stuck in a book that you don’t love. Just move on. Finally, don’t be surprised when you learn to love it. Reading is good for you. It will make you a better follower of Jesus and a better leader. You can do it!

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Note: Some of the authors above are friends of mine. Still, I chose each book with the specific goal of helping the Christians in my church follow Jesus better.

I received no royalties or reward for their selection. I don’t make any money if you purchase them.

As I told the CLT, I think each book in the list above is at least 80% profitable for your spiritual growth. If you should come across something you disagree with in one of the books above, save yourself the email and just assume I agree with your critique.

Seriously, these are some great books. Read them and follow Jesus.