Recommend Reading for Ministers
By Steve Waldron
Bro. Waldron, what are some books that you would recommend as reading to a young minister?
This is an interesting question, and I will try to answer it in a very serious way. Before we begin, know this, that of the reading of books there is no end! There is not enough hours in our life (around 720,000 or so as a generic average in life, not counting sleeping working, family time etc.) to read everything that you”must” read. So don’t be intimidated by people asking if you have read something, and you haven’t. It may make them feel smarter, but just keep plugging away, reading what you feel led of God to read.
The first book I would recommend is the Bible. Read it, love it, pray it, live it, memorize it, ask God humbly for wisdom in studying it. In it you have eternal life, and everything else is not to be compared to it. In reading other books, remember to be as smart as a goose: eat the food, and spit out the sticks. So don’t believe everything in every book that you read. That being said, any of the biographies of our great Pentecostal pioneers is certainly beneficial reading. Seeing the hardships they overcame is a great benefit in the Christian life. Basic books on Pentecostal doctrine are also good nurture for the soul, and can strengthen others as well.
Other books and authors that I have benefited from include A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards, most any of the early works of Max Lucado, Halleys Bible Handbook, Willmingtons’s Guide to the Bible, any books or commentaries by John Phillips, John MacArthur’s commentaries, and both editions of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Some other books and resources I would recommend are Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell, any creation science books by Henry Morris or Ken Ham, anything by T. DeWitt Talmedge (Hint: he is the hidden secret behind the eloquence of some tremendous Apostolic preachers), anything by Clarence MaCarthy and Ivor Powell, also Leonard Ravenhill to put you on your knees, Spurgeon to lift you up, and Moody and Finney to help you walk straight!
Other great resources are the New Ungers Bible Dictionary, the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia, and the Moody Bible Atlas. 2 books by Clive Staples Lewis have been of special benefit to me: Surprised by Joy and That Hideous Strength. Leaders should be readers! And this is just the tip of the iceberg of the tens of thousands of beneficial books you could read. God bless you on your journey!
From, “IBC Perspectives Magazine”/July 2008, By Steve Waldron
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