The single greatest way you can grow as a leader in 2025 is to read books. Books will help you far more than your newsfeed on Facebook! Books have the ability to expand you and your ministry in unique ways.

As a fellow pastor, I’d like to save you time and focus your attention where it needs to be for maximum growth and development. Take this inside look into what I’m reading and learning — and add these to your own reading list.

I’m counting down my top 15 best books for church leaders, narrowed down from hundreds of books that I’ve read in 2024…here’s the first 3, in no particular order.

#1: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems” that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

#2: Revival: When God Comes to Church by Steve Gaines
Why don’t our churches today look like the church in the book of Acts? Could they? When God manifests his presence to a fellowship of believers in Christ, God’s people experience revival. That’s one way to define what revival is — when God comes to church. Pastor Steve Gaines analyzes how churches can look like the church of the first century. Infused with the Holy Spirit, they evangelized most of the civilized world within only three centuries. The Holy Spirit is our primary draw, and when he touches people, they’re never the same.

#3: Jesus, The High Road Leader: Follow the Path He Wants Us to Travel by John C Maxwell and Chris Hodges
The most important words Jesus ever spoke were, “Follow me.” But how are we to follow him in a divided world with so much bitterness, anger, and hate? We can do it the same way Jesus did: by taking the high road! Best-selling authors John C. Maxwell and Chris Hodges show how every step of Jesus’ walk on earth was on the high road, and they explain how you can take that same path. Immerse yourself in the life of Jesus, and you will be equipped and inspired to take the high road in every situation, just like he did.

Stay tuned for more of my best books for church leaders, to add to your reading list for 2025!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S. Can’t wait for the full list to be revealed? If you’d like to access the full report now, just click here to request it for FREE ($39.95 value).

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.