Leadership Ministry: Resources
Resources abound to help equip and provide ideas for today's church and ministry leaders. A variety or avenues exist for leaders to learn how to lead effectively.
- Learn from other churches and ministries' experiences. Remember, though, to tailor what you do to the specific needs and resources of your group.
- Learn from books and articles in journals and online. Remember, though, to filter all that you read through the grid of Scripture.
- Learn from the wise counsel of others. Remember, though, to always seek God first.
- Learn by trying new ideas to see what works. Remember, though, to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
- Learn from God Himself by yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Remember, though, that God often does use a variety of means to teach you.
Below you will find a variety of resources covering a spectrum of issues leaders might face or practices they could implement. Be a more effective leader by learning from these resources but remember that even the best ideas are not good if God is not leading you to implement them in your church or ministry. Just because God blessed someone else who did it, doesn't mean it is right for you.
Please Note: While seeking to choose sites and books that are doctrinally sound, the Ministry Tools Resource Center makes no claim to total endorsement of any listing. Most of the book links will take you to our affiliate Christian bookstore. When the book is not available there, the link will take you to Amazon.com.
Click on a link of interest or scroll down for the entire list of resources.
A Leader's Greatest Resource
| ![]() The Ministry Worker's |
Administration:
- Book: Business Management in the Local Church by David Pollock
- Book: Church Administration: Creating Efficiency for Effective Ministry by Robert Welch
- Book: Church Administration, Effective Leadership for Ministry by Charles A. Tidwell
- Book: Church Administration Handbook, Third Edition: Revised and Updated by Bruce P. Powers
- Book: Church Operations Manual: A Step-by-Step Guide to Effective Church Management by Stan Toler
- Book: Feeding and Leading: A Practical Handbook on Administration in Churches and Christian Organizations by Kenneth O. Gangel
- Book: Leadership Handbook of Management & Administration by James D. Berkley
- Book: Management Essentials for Christian Ministries by Michael Anthony
- Resource Kit: The Church Administration Kit: Resources for Daily Operations by Gene Grate
Boards, Committees, Meetings:
- Book: Leading Leaders by Aubrey Malphurs
- Book: Meetings That Work: A Guide to Effective Elders' Meetings by Alexander Strauch
- Book: Nailing Down a Board: Serving Effectively on the Not-for-Profit Board by Charles Ryrie
- Download: Becoming a Great Church Board: Practical Ministry PDF Download by Christianity Today, Intl.
- Article: Healthy Church Boards
- Article: Ideas to Revitalize Church Board Meetings
- Article: Making the Most of Meetings
- Article: Responsibilities of the church board
- Article: Working Together
Change:
Church Health and Church Growth:
- Book: Becoming a Healthy Church by Stephen A. Macchia
- Book: Effective Church Growth Strategies by Joseph Walls, Gene A. Getz
- Book: Growth by Accident, Death by Planning: How Not to Kill a Growing Congregation by Bob Whitesel
- Article: Church Health: Doing Right Things, Doing Things Right
- Article: Stay Out of the Church Growth Quicksand
- Article: Healthy Church Organization
- Article: Spiritual Principles of Church Health
Communication:
- Book: Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication by Andy Stanley, Lane Jones
- Article: 4 Keys for Improved Communications with Church Staff
Conflict Management and Dealing with Criticism:
- Book: Antagonists in the Church - How to Identify and Deal with Destructive Conflict by Kenneth C. Haugk
- Book: Caring Enough to Confront by David Augsburger
- Book: Firestorm: Preventing and Overcoming Church Conflicts by Ron Susek
- Book: Resolving Disputes in Christian Groups by Marlin E. Thomas
- Book: The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande
- Book: Transforming Conflict In Your Church: A Practical Guide by Marlin E. Thomas
- Book: Well-Intentioned Dragons: Ministering to Problem People in the Church by Marshall Shelley
- Book: When People Throw Stones: A Leader's Guide to Fielding Personal Criticism by Blaine Allen
- Article: A Crash Course in Conflict
- Article: Basic Principles
- Article: Conflict Diagnosis: Are you Hot or Cool?
- Article: Conflict in the Body
- Article: Conflict Management Index at Lifeway
- Article: Handling Conflict
- Article: How to Handle Criticism - 7 biblical and practical steps
- Article: How to Respond to Conflict in Your Church
- Article: Obstacles in Becoming More Purposeful
- Article: The Escalating Stages of Unresolved Church Conflict
- Article: The Pastor's Role in Managing Church Conflict
- Article: The Slippery Slope: Staying on Top of Conflict
- Article: Transforming Your Church: Cultivating a Culture of Peace
- Article: Understanding Church Conflict: A Bible Study
- Article: Variety of Articles at ResolveChurchConflict.com
Core Values:
- Book: Ministry Nuts and Bolts by Aubrey Malphurs
- Book: Values-Driven Leadership: Discovering and Developing Your Core Values for Ministry by Aubrey Malphurs
Decision-Making:
- Article: Evaluating Alternative Options
- Article: Decision Impact Analysis (This is a Word Doc file)
- Article: Making the Tough Calls
- Article: Ministry Decision-Making
Delegation:
- Article: 6 Basic Steps to Successful Delegation
- Article: Delegation Skills
- Article: The delegating process
- Article: Tips for Successful Delegation to Staff Members or Volunteers
Developing Leaders:
- Audiobook: Called to be God's Leader: How God Prepares His Servants for Leadership - Audiobook on Cassette by Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby
- Book: Developing the Leader Within You by John Maxwell
- Book: Mentoring Leaders: Wisdom for Developing Character, Calling, and Competency by Carson Pue
- Book: The Leadership Baton: An Intentional Strategy by Rowland Forman, Jeff Jones, Bruce Miller
- Book: The Making of a Leader by J. Robert Clinton
- Training Kit: The EQUIP Leadership Series: Contagious Leadership Kit
- Article: How To Grow A Leader
- Article: Leaping Into Leadership: The Perils Of Giving Too Much Responsibility Too Soon
Developing the Next Generation of Leaders:
- Assessment: Leadership Type Assessment
, -- also: Leadership Type Facilitator Manual
- Assessment: Team Leadership Assessment
, -- also: Team Leadership Facilitator Manual
- Curriculum:
Avalanche Vol 1 Facilitator Guide
, also Avalanche Vol 1 Student Guide
- Curriculum:
Avalanche Vol 2 Facilitator Guide
, also Avalanche Vol 2 Student Guide
Evaluation:
- Article: Evaluating the Ministry
- Article: How to do a year-end evaluation
- Article: Leader - Organization Fit (pdf)
- Article: Leadership Ministry: Critique
- Article: Ministry Assessment
- Article: Ministry Assessment: A Tool to Assess Your Ministry Situation (pdf)
- Article: Strategic Analysis: SWOT
- Article: The Party's Over - Debriefing after an Event
- Article: Turning Performance Evaluation Into Contribution Analysis
Examples to Follow:
- Book: Excellence in Leadership: Reaching Goals with Prayer, Courage, and Determination by John White - from Nehemiah
- Book: Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard
- Book: The Book on Leadership by John MacArthur - 26 principles in the life of the Apostle Paul
- Book: The Good Book on Leadership: Case Studies From the Bible by John Borek, Danny Lovett, Elmer L. Towns
- Article: Great Leaders Of The Bible And How They Led
- Article: Jesus' Leadership Style
- Article: Nehemiah : A Visionary Leader
- Article: The Revolutionary Leadership Of Jesus
Facilities Management:
- Book: Planning and Building Church Facilities by Gwenn McCormick
- Article: Estimate Space Needs for Parking, Worship, and Education (pdf)
- Article: Rules of Thumb (pdf file)
- Article: The Planning and Building Process (pdf file)
Financial Management:
- Book: Basic Accounting for Churches by Jack A. Henry
- Book: Basic Budgeting for Churches by Jack A. Henry
- Book: Business Management in the Local Church by David R. Pollock
- Book: Money Matters in Church: A Practical Guide for Leaders by Aubrey Malphurs, Steve Stroope
- Book:Zondervan Church & Nonprofit Tax & Financial Guide by Dan Busby
- Article: ABC's of Church Budgeting
- Article: Choosing the right people
- Article: Financial accountability in church administration
- Article: The Basics of Budgeting
General Leadership Helps:
- Book: Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels
- Book: Leadership 101, What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
- Book: LeadershipNext: Changing Leaders in a Changing Culture by Eddie Gibbs
- Book: Reclaiming God's Original Intent for the Church by Wes Roberts, Glenn Marshall
- Book: Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
- Book: Spiritual Leadership: Moving People On to God's Agenda by Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby
- Book: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
- Book: Who Runs the Church? 4 Views on Church Government by Steven B. Cowan, Stanley N. Gundry, Paul E. Engle & Steven B. Cowan, eds.
- Article: Church Management: Combining the Spiritual and the Organizational
- Article: Leadership Defined
Legalities:
- Book: Nonprofit Law for Religious Organizations: Essential Questions & Answers by Bruce R. Hopkins, David Middlebrook
- Book: Safe Kids: Policies & Procedures for Protecting Children in the Church by Blake Caldwell
- Download: Better Safe Than Sued - Interview with Youth Ministry Veteran Duffy Robbins
- Download: Keeping Your Church Safe and Legal PDF Download by Christianity Today
- Article: 7 Building Blocks of the 21st Century Church
- Article: 7 Ways to Protect Your Church Staff from Scandal
- Article: How to Protect Your Church from Lawsuits
Personality of the Leader:
- Book: Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction by Gary L. McIntosh, Samuel D. Rima Sr.
- Article: Temperamentally Yours
Prayer:
- Book: Leadership Prayers Richard Kriegbaum
- Book: Partners in Prayer John C. Maxwell
- Article: 8 Reasons to Pray for Your Ministry
- Article: Not By Programs . . . But By a Spirit of Prayer
- Article: Prayer for Vision
- Article: The Prayers Of A Leader
Project Management:
- Article: Project Management in the Church
Purpose of the Church:
- Book: The Purpose-Driven Church by Rick Warren
- Article: Church Purpose Resources & Training
Qualities, Character, Attitude of the Leader:
- Book: Leading with Love by Alexander Strauch
- Book: Leadership from the Inside Out: Examining the Inner Life of a Healthy Church Leader by Kevin G. Harney
- Book: Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership by Gary L. McIntosh, Samuel D. Rima
- Book: The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John C. Maxwell
- Book: The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset by John C. Maxwell
- Book: The Servant Leader by Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges
- Article: 4 Qualities Of A Godly Leader: A heart check for those who lead
- Article: Biblical Requirements of Leaders
- Article: Leadership Character
- Article: Leading with Integrity
- Article: Leading With Integrity
- Article: Qualities For Spiritual Leadership: Questions that can help you become a better leader
- Article: Servant Audit (pdf)
- Article: The Correctable Christian Leader
- Article: The Ethical Administrator
Relationship Building:
- Book: Becoming a Person of Influence: How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others by John C. Maxwell
- Book: Relationships 101, What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
- Book: Winning With People by John C. Maxwell
- Article: Developing Your Discernment: How to read the people you lead
- Article: Level Five Accountability: Developing a Trusted Relationship
Staffing:
- Resources: Variety of Book & Internet Resources
- Training: Staffing Ministry Training
Strategic Planning:
- Book: Advanced Strategic Planning: A New Model for Church and Ministry Leaders by Aubrey Malphurs
- Download: Vision & Strategy: Assessment Pack PDF Download by Christianity Today
- Article: 5 Basic Principles of an Effective Strategic Plan
- Article: Advanced Strategic Planning Method (pdf)
- Article: Characteristics of Strategic Leaders
- Article: Developing a Strategic Plan for Your Church: What to do - and what not to do
- Article: Is Strategic Planning Biblical?
- Article: Strategic Analysis: SWOT
- Article: Strategic Planning for Christian Organizations
- Article: Strategy: a biblical perspective
Team Building:
- Book: Doing Church as a Team: The Miracle of Teamwork and How it Transforms Churches by Wayne Cordeiro
- Book: The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player
- Book: The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork by John C. Maxwell
- Book: The Power of Team Leadership: Achieving Success Through Shared Responsibility by George Barna
- Article: A Team Health Check
- Article: Good Leaders Are Good Teammates - geared to children's ministry but point apply elsewhere
- Article: Ministry Teams as a Shepherding Venue
- Article: Team Building
- Article: What makes a good team leader?
Time Management:
- Article: Time Management
Vision Casting:
- Book: Developing a Vision for Ministry in the 21st Century by Aubrey Malphurs
- Book: Ministry Nuts and Bolts by Aubrey Malphurs
- Book: The Power of Vision by George Barna
- Book: Transitioning by Dan Southerland
- Book: Turning Vision Into Action by George Barna (out of print - may be able to find used on Amazon.com)
- Book: Visioneering by Andy Stanley
- Article: Communicating vision requires you answer seven key questions
- Article: Developing a Vision
- Article: Good leaders aren't afraid to look ahead
- Article: How to communicate your vision
- Article: How's Your Vision? - What's the key to achieving great impact for God?
- Article: Mission and Vision Statement
- Article: Nehemiah : A Visionary Leader
- Article: Prayer for Vision
- Article: Vision Forming
- Article: Vision Killers (pdf file)
- Article: Writing Vision Statements


