Recommended Reading

Pastors: If you have a book you would like to recommend, email Glen Howe or call 770.478.1635.
	Recommendation by Glen Howe, Associational Missionary South Metro Baptist Association Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy? That is the question Gary Thomas seeks to answer in this thought-provoking book. Whether your marriage is dynamic or difficult, God can use it as a means to making you more like Christ. Read this book together as a couple. It will impact your marriage.
	Recommendation by Rick Stone Music Pastor of First Baptist Church Jonesboro RADICAL By David Platt Sometimes God uses a book to shake you to the core. Actually, the Holy Spirit uses scripture in this book to convict, correct and challenge your “spin” on what it means to be a follower of Christ. Radical asks the hard questions. What is biblical salvation? What does it cost to follow Christ? What kind of sacrifices do I make as an American to be part of the Great Commission? Have I simply customized a Jesus to support my own agenda and American dream?
	Recommendation by Dr. Walter Burns, pastor of Christian Home Community Baptist PREACHING THROUGH A STORM By Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr. In this book Dr. Hicks relates his spiritual experiences in relocating an inner city transitional church. He relates the ramifications of dealing with unspiritual contention, a transitional and growing congregation and how God guided him as he built a new edifice. All this was done while in the midst of unusual difficulty—the unexpected loss of his mother. Dr. Hicks is the pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church of Washington, DC.
	Recommendation by Glen Howe, Associational Missionary, South Metro THE GOSPEL FOR MUSLIMS: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence by Thabiti Anyabwile Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor of First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman, is a former Muslim. He clearly declares that the most important tool for sharing the gospel with a Muslim is simply a solid grasp of the gospel message. Thabiti reviews gospel basics in the book’s first half and then gives practical suggestions on how to talk to Muslims. He says, “In my experience, Christians know the gospel. They simply lack confidence in its power.”
	Recommendation by Ron Little, Pastor of Tara Baptist Church IN PRAISE OF INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZED RELIGION: Why We Love the Church by Kevin Deyoung and Ted Kluck This is an awesome resource to equip pastors and church leadership concerning the latest reasons why people are leaving church. The authors remind us to be exactly what God has called us to be and that our preaching should be full of meat, manifest the scriptures, soaked in godliness and delivered with passion and humility.
	Recommendation by Glen Howe, Associational Missionary South Metro Baptist Association Brothers, We Are Not Professionals by John Piper Much has been made lately of leadership development for pastors. Many of the seminars and workshops focus on principles for effectiveness and influence. Few, if any deal with the heart of the man leading God’s church. John Piper says, “Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake.” Warning: Brothers, We Are Not Professsionals will challenge you at the very core of your being.
	Recommendation by R. Chris Reynolds, Senior Pastor, Mt. Zion Baptist Church The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret Joy of Giving by Randy Alcorn In contemporary, easy-to-understand language, Alcorn offers readers a six-step plan to finding the immediate pleasure and eternal rewards of The Treasure Principle. Once readers discover the liberating job of giving, life will never look the same . . . and they won't want it to!
	Recommendation by Glen Howe, Associational Missionary, South Metro Baptist Association Legacy Churches by Stephen Gray and Franklin Dumond Like people, churches have a "life cycle." The local church was never meant to last forever. Dr. Gray and Dr. Dumond declare, "If closing the doors of a church is the hallmark of failure, then the church has been failing for thousands of years. "Yet many church members will do anything to keep their church alive when perhaps what would be best is for a dying church to intentionally leave a legacy. A thoughtful and prayerful reading of "Legacy Churches" will give pastors and church leaders much to consider.
	Recommendation by Chad Ellis, BCM Director, Clayton State Humility: True Greatness by C. J. Mahaney “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). A battle rages within every one of us every day. It’s the clash between our sense of stubborn self-sufficiency and God’s call to recognize that we’re really nothing without Him. It’s pride versus humility, and it’s a fight we can’t win without looking repeatedly to Christ and the cross. C. J. Mahaney raises a battle cry to daily, diligently and deliberately weaken our greatest enemy (pride) and cultivate our greatest friend (humility). His thorough examination clarifies misconceptions, revealing the truth about why God detests pride and turns His active attention to the humble.
	Recommendation by Glen Howe, Associational Missionary, South Metro Baptist Association THE CHARACTER OF LEADERSHIP: Nine Qualities that Define Great Leaders by Dr. Jeff Iorg This is one of the best books written by Dr. Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Seminary. Dr. Iorg says, “This is a book about developing strategies to build character.” The author believes that God puts us into leadership positions not only because the local church needs leaders, but also because God wants to use leadership positions to develop Christ’s character in us. Just the chapter on “Learning Humility” is worth the price of the book.
	Recommendation by Rodney Rosse, M. Div. First Baptist Jonesboro Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders Sanders has written a masterpiece on leadership principles that all members of the body of Christ can apply. This easy-to-read book is concise, conservative and biblical. It is a must read for Christians who are serious about glorifying God!
	Recommendation by Todd Dionne, Pastor, Corinth Baptist Church Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever In this book the author identifies the nine core operating principles every church needs in order to truly be called a "healthy" church.' Dever not only describes how to use church discipline effectively, but he also explains why discipline is an essential part of a healthy church. Pastor Todd Dionne describes this book as a must read if you want to know what a healthy church looks like.
	Recommendation by Glen Howe, Associational Missionary, South Metro Baptist Association HE IS NOT SILENT: Preaching in a Postmodern World by Dr. Al Mohler In this new book Dr. Al Mohler explains not only what expository preaching is, but also why it is so needed in our world today. Mohler writes, “The absence of authority in much contemporary preaching is directly attributable to the absence of confidence in the authority of the Bible. Once biblical authority is undermined and eroded, preaching becomes a pretense.” This is an easy read for pastors and church members.
	Recommendation by Dennis Watson, Pastor of Harp's Crossing Baptist Church PRACTICING HIS PRESENCE by Brother Lawrence & Frank Laubach This is the account of two believers who sought to keep their mind on God. One recorded his experiences in the 1930’s, and the other in the 1660’s. As a pastor, it encourages me to take my own thoughts “captive to the obedience of Christ."
	Recommendation by Ron Little, Pastor of Tara Baptist Church THE PASSION DRIVEN SERMON: Changing the Way Pastors Preach and Congregations Listen by Jim Shaddix In a day when we are told to chase after the latest church marketing ploy, quick fix attendance strategy and silver bullet programs, it is refreshing to be reminded exactly what we are to be about in God's church. "Preaching should be driven by a passion for the glory of God, a passion jointly possessed by both pastor and people. A preacher's call and his call to Christ is rooted in a quest for the glory of God."
	Recommendation by Todd Dionne, Pastor of Corinth Baptist Church THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JESUS by John MacArthur, Jr. Is Lordship an intrinsic part of the gospel proclamation? Is it an essential but often left out element of our presentation of the gospel? Is discipleship a choice that is to be made later on after conversion? How is the Lordship of Christ essential to conversion and discipleship? This is a highly recommended reading if you plan on taking your walk with Christ to the next level or if you are interested in making discipleship a priority at your church.
	Recommendation by Glen Howe, Associational Missionary WHO STOLE MY CHURCH: What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century by Gordon MacDonald This is a fictional story packed with life-like situations that are happening in many of our churches today.
	Recommendation by Jeff Sarine, Pastor of Pointe South Community Church REFRIGERATOR RIGHTS by Will Miller & Glenn Sparks Due to societal changes fewer of our relationships are the kind with ‘refrigerator rights’—where we can drop by and grab a glass of lemonade from the refrigerator without asking first. This book addresses the need to return to a lifestyle of close connections and relationships amidst a world of growing isolation.