Launch Resources
Our launch is informed by a number of books, authors, blogs, and podcasts. Of course, our primary text is the scriptures, but it wouldn't be fair to say we're only being informed by them. In fact, we want to be informed by the wider church. Here is a list of the various resources that have informed this launch.
Church Planting
Why Plant Churches: While this is a short article, it was one of the first articles that started to shift our perspective on the importance of church planting.
New Churches Podcast: This podcast is a weekly resource on a number of topics regarding church planting and multi-site churches.
Viral Churches by Ed Stetzer: This is a great book on both the history and theology of why God calls us to plant churches.
Launch by Nelson Searcy: A practical resource for launching a church. We're not following this plan exactly as it's laid out, because we don't agree with all of the presuppositions, but on a practical level, our launch has been influenced by this plan more than any other.
Social Justice and Mission
Many Colors by Soong-Chan Rah: This book might be one of the most important books for our day and age. It deals with the issue of race and diversity in a beautiful and powerful way. It is required reading for our summer interns.
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett: A great book on how to serve people without hurting them in the process.
Church Renewal & Discipleship
Flood Gates by Sue Nilson Kibbey: We took a class with Sue and her style of leadership has had a big impact on our ministry.
Deep and Wide by Andy Stanly: A basic ministry primer. We especially like the "deep" part of this book.
Renovation of the Church by Kent Carlson: A great book on why we need to make disciples and not just be "seeker friendly".
The Class Meeting by Kevin Watson: A beautiful explanation of what made the Wesley movement a movement. This has had a huge impact on our view of small groups.
Leadership and ENTREPRENEURIAL
The Lean Start Up by Eric Reis: A great model for starting something new, geared toward the tech sector, but applicable to church plants.
Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull: One of the best books on leading a creative culture I have ever read. It might be one of the best books on leadership in general.
Culture Making by Andy Crouch: A theological and scriptural basis for being creative and changing the world.
Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller: A theology for why we are called to work.
Growing Generous Givers
The Spirituality of Giving by Henri Nouwen
Funding Ministry with Five Loaves and Two Fishes by Rosario Picardo
Honorable Mentions
The Autobiography of Peter Cartwright: A strange book, and a strange story, but an important picture of what early American church planting looked like.
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew: This book has helped shape our faith more than any other book on this list.