9. August Book Review (2020)

Church plant residents read a lot of books 📚. In this video, Michael talks about two really helpful books he read in August. One book every church planter should read, and one book everyone should read.

Starting a New Church by Ralph A. Moore is a book I would recommend that every church planter reads. It challenges you to think deeply about many practical and personal aspects of church planting while providing you with great questions to consider. Each chapter includes questions that I would suggest you take the time to answer. I know that my answers to these questions are something I will revisit throughout our church plant journey. A few of my favorite things this book challenged me to consider were my values and what moments of my life were “value-defining", what exactly I envision my future church to look and feel like, and how I plan approach some difficult conversations throughout different season of our church plant. If you are interested in reading this book - you can purchase it here!

Crucial Conversations is a book that everyone here at Grace Church is required to read. Why? Because the ability to communicate with one another when stakes are high is an important skill to cultivating positive team work and a healthy culture. This book is full of age old truth to guide conversations - especially difficult ones. It lays out a practical model which can help anyone prepare to create safety in relationships and communicate well when feelings are hurt, expectations are not met, or accountability is necessary. If you are interested in reading this book - you can purchase it here!