Ten Books to Read in Your First Five Years of Ministry

Post Author: Pastor Courtney R. Young

First, take a break! You finally finished seminary, and I’m sure that you’ve got a lot of good learning under your belt. Use what you’ve got already and take some time to just read for fun. Or don’t read anything at all! Once you’re feeling that itch to dig into some theology or theory again, here are some good books to check out.

1. The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle
   Phyllis Tickle was a crucial thought leader of the Emergence movement in the 90’s and 2000’s. She developed the idea that every 500 years the church holds a big yard sale and figures out what needs to be revitalized in our tradition and what needs to be cleared out to make room. We are going through one of those yard sales now. I think it is important for pastors to start their careers with a 10,000 foot view of what is going on in the church and how they might contribute. This book will help you remember that we are not the only generation of saints that has had to minister amidst a challenging religious landscape. If you’d like to know more about Phyllis Tickle, listen to episode four of the podcast, Emerged.
2. The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider
   I picked up this book on a whim and was surprised by how much I was moved by it. Kreider lays out compelling evidence that patience, not love or grace, was the most revered of virtues among the early Christian church. The practice of patience is what formed early followers of Jesus into faithful disciples. This book convinced me that patience, the ability to bear with God and our communities, is a trait desperately needed by today’s clergy both to keep them near God’s heart and for longevity in ministry. Plus, this book described early Christian worship and catechetical practices in the most comprehensive way that I’ve come across.
3. The Pastor in the Secular Age by Andrew Root
   Andrew Root’s Ministry in a Secular Age books (there are 6 in total) make for a good conversation partner with Tickle’s book above. Root’s books are a heavier read with more theory and theology, but they bring welcome depth to the constant lament over the decline of the church. They also bring a healthy skepticism to any quick or flashy fixes. You can read through them in any order.
4. You choose – A Failure of Nerve or Generation to Generation by Edwin Friedman
   If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Edwin Friedman has been a revered teacher for decades now. Both of the books listed above are frequently cited on many clergy’s lists of favorite ministry books. If you like more of a leadership lens, read Failure of Nerve. If you like learning about emotional processes, start with Generation to Generation.
5. Everything isn’t Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities, Interrupt Your Anxiety, and Finally Calm Down by Kathleen Smith
   A lot of the work that you will need to do as a new pastor is to learn how to manage your anxiety, expectations, and boundaries. Using Bowen family systems theory, Smith guides people in this practical book to calming down and learning to play the long game. Plus, there are exercises to try out at the end of each chapter.
6. The Enneagram by Helen Palmer
   I haven’t found anything that makes you own up to your shadow with such deadly precision and then blesses you year after year as well as the Enneagram. There are a bunch of books out there to introduce you to the Enneagram. Palmer’s is my favorite. I particularly enjoyed all the different stories she included for each type. Don’t take a test – read the book and figure it out. Also check out The Enneagram for Black Liberation: Return to Who You Are Beneath the Armor You Carry by Chichi Agorom.
7. Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
   I read Jesus and the Disinherited for the first time just last year. Though Thurman came into my life at a good time for me, I’m also sad that I was just introduced to him now. Though this book is nearly 75 years old, I was struck by how contemporary and fresh it sounded. I’ve since gone on to read other works by Thurman, and I appreciate his approachable voice and his pastor’s heart in all his works.
8. Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
   I am a strong believer in coming at complex subjects sideways because it helps to keep hearts and minds open and flexible. Books that teach you ministry should not only be non-fiction books! When you need a break from reading theology or theory books, check out this new series by Becky Chambers about a robot wandering the world asking, “What do people need?”
9. My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
   I appreciated the body/nervous system focus of this book. Though its focus is on racism, many of the strategies and practices described could be applied to a wide variety of scenarios. Just heads up – there are different practices to try at the end of each chapter so be prepared to work through this book slowly over the course of six months or a year. This book has a high re-readability.
10. Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Perception, and Strength by Kat Armas
    This book sprung out of the grief that Armas had never been taught a theological hermeneutic that spoke to the kind of Christian faith that she saw around her abuela’s kitchen table growing up in Miami. It highlights the wisdom and authority of those who have lived in exile in one way or another. In exile it becomes clear that survival itself is a sacred endeavor, and bodies are the place where we experience the grace of God.

Find all these book’s in this list: Ten Books to Read in Your First Five Years of Ministry