“Best books” lists are unavoidably idiosyncratic—hence an effort at recommending “significant” books for pastors. This may well mean a pastor should read them, but it certainly means a pastor should, at least, be aware of them. My criteria remain the same: (a) I try to include a range of genres, since different books contribute different kinds of things to pastors; (b) I’m looking for books that specifically benefit pastors, but this necessarily means keeping in mind the people they serve.

A few years ago I wrote a post that has become a habit—collecting a list of “significant books” for pastors published during the past year. A wealth of books and the crunch of time conspire to make reading choices both frustrating (how does one choose?) and critical (I must choose wisely).

“Best books” lists are unavoidably idiosyncratic—hence an effort at recommending “significant” books for pastors. This may well mean a pastor should read them, but it certainly means a pastor should, at least, be aware of them. My criteria remain the same: (a) I try to include a range of genres, since different books contribute different kinds of things to pastors; (b) I’m looking for books that specifically benefit pastors, but this necessarily means keeping in mind the people they serve—some books may deepen a pastor’s well, others stir his soul, still others serve as a reference work, while some serve those in his church more directly by becoming a go-to recommendation or a book-table staple; finally, (c) devotional books and “how-to-do-ministry” books will be rarer on this list, not because they’re unimportant but because their benefit and relevance can differ so widely from person to person.

This list names no “winner” since different pastors have different needs and interests. I’ve enumerated these for ease of reference, with no hierarchy of importance implied.

1. The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision, Kevin Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan. In this important book, a manifesto of sorts, the authors issue a clarion call for pastors to be what they’re called to be. Amidst the dizzying array of pastoral models currently on offer—most of the recent vintage and doomed to a shelf-life of months—this book is like a dose of smelling salts that will awaken, rouse, and clarify the self-understanding of the pastor and a vital aspect of our calling. Inspiring, convicting and ennobling.

2. A History of Western Philosophy and Theology, John Frame. This is simply a stunning book. Frame’s project here is massive: to survey the most influential thinkers in the Western tradition and to evaluate them through the lens of Scripture, its truth claims, and its assumptions about revelation, human reason, the noetic effects of sin, etc. Whether you’re well versed in philosophical categories or your Philosophy 101 course is but a distant (and unpleasant) memory, Frame proves to be a remarkably clear and unrelentingly biblical guide. This is a book that will not only inform the mind—an education lies within these pages—but will help discipline it to think theologically.

3. Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel, Russell Moore. Christians are called to be “in the world but not of the world,” but the recent velocity of cultural change has made the urgency of careful reflection on this calling all the more pressing. Russ Moore provides insightful analysis and wise counsel to equip Christians to be a faithful presence that is at once winsome, prophetic, and unswervingly focused on the abiding reality and priority of the gospel.

4. Newton on the Christian Life, Tony Reinke. Crossway’s series “Theologians on the Christian Life” is a tremendous idea that’s brilliantly executed. I’ve yet to be disappointed by the entries in this series that explore giants of the past for wisdom specifically on the path of discipleship. Tony Reinke has written a splendid book on John Newton that, far from being a biography, mines Newton’s life, and especially his letters, for a veritable fount of Christ-imbued spiritual wisdom. You will quite simply savor Jesus more after reading this, and you’ll be better equipped to care for others through the tutelage of Newton’s compassionate, discerning, and Christ-besotted pastoral counsel.

5. Faith Alone: The Doctrine of Justification, Tom Schreiner. Luther’s claim that justification by faith alone is the doctrine by which the church stands or falls is both supported by scripture and borne out by history. Because this doctrine is central, frequently misunderstood, and often under assault, pastors can never take sola fide for granted and must be alert to mistakes in its formulation (including our own) and attacks against its importance. In this focused, substantive, yet accessible book, Schreiner examines this doctrine biblically and historically, and with extraordinary fairness explains and responds to some of the main contemporary challenges lodged against forensic justification. Having written commentaries on the biblical letters in which justification is central (Romans and Galatians), and, significantly, having changed the view on justification he had previously defended in the Romans commentary in his later book on Paul’s theology, Schreiner has thought long on this subject and is particularly qualified to write this book.

6. Identity and Idolatry: The Image of God and Its Inversion, Richard Lints, and Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God, John Kilner. Few areas of theology are more crucial in our cultural moment than the nature of man, and no topic is perhaps more central to biblical anthropology than the image of God. This year produced two excellent books that deal with this idea from different angles. Lints’s treatment (in the NSBT series) traces this theme from a biblical-theological standpoint (and in the process does some excellent systemization) and focuses on the profound way in which our identity is a reflection of God himself. The resultant reflections on idolatry are insightful and penetrating. Kilner’s learned book is a much more comprehensive treatment—perhaps the most comprehensive treatment in print—on the imago dei. And, as a leading evangelical ethicist, Kilner’s insights on the implications of this doctrine are critical for the brave new world in which we’re living.

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