Church Planting books you MUST read

If your a church planter, a church looking to plant another church or sponsor a church plant, or simply want to read more on church planting, here are some of the books that I think you have got to read. This is not an exhaustive list, but a list of books that have been huge for me and will help you to.




Church in the Making by Ben Arment
This book was pointed out to me by another church planter and I believe every church planter (& pastor) has got to read it. Do you have momentum? What is the condition of the soil that you are planting in? Should you hit the eject button? I would encourage you to read this and then take an honest look at your surroundings and what God is doing around you.




Church Planting Landmines by Tom Nebel & Gary Rohrmayer
What sets this book apart is that it focuses on what can destroy a church plant in years 2 through 10. Regardless of what stage you are at in planting, this book will help you and your team. I plan on having our team refer back to this book regularly for years to come.






Launch by Nelson Searcy
When I finished reading this book someone asked me if it was good & my response was that it was so practical it was like someone wrote a book about putting on your pants. If you are thinking "God called me to plant a church, now what?", then you need to check out this book. The only book that goes into more practical detail, in my opinion, is Stetzer's book. Raising funds, where to meet, gathering a core team, systems, what to do after you launch and more, its all here.





Church Planter by Darrin Patrick
This book focuses on three areas: The Man, The Message, and The Mission. The opening section on the kind of man the planter needs to be is worth the entire book.









Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts by Jim Griffith & Bill Easum
Do you have a plan for the other six days of the week? Are you hesitant to talk about money? Are you planting a church but your love for God is tapped out? This book will get you thinking about things you need to be thinking about, but probably are not. Here's a great quote, "We plant churches because our love for God is so strong we can't do anything else."





Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer
This is another one-stop resource that you will probably refer back to again and again. It covers every area. I found Launch more profitable, but it was likely due to the particular season I was in while reading Launch verses this book. If your wondering, Stetzer does cover far more ground than Searcy does.





What have you read that has been helpful for you and your team?