Some Books

Here are some good books I read during 05: [not in any particular order]

• Who Runs the Church? 4 Views on Church Government. This is from the Counterpoints series [Zondervan]. I was particularly intrigued by the single-elder/multi-elder sections since this seems to be a growing discussion among Baptists. I'm a "single-elder" man, and this book did not change my mind. In fact, I think the multiple elder arguments are weak.
• It Only Hurts on Monday: Why Pastors QWuit and What You Can Do About It, by Gary McIntosh and Robert Edmondson. I read this book on the recommendation of a friend. It is an excellent treatment, showing how different pastoral ministry is from any other "job." It would be extremely helpful for pastor search committees.
• Paul and First Century Letter Writing, by E. Randolph Richards. Richards has done alot of work in this area. I liked this book not only for the information given concerning letter writing--both composition and collection, but I also appreciated the historical/social background given. Finally, Richards gives some plausible explanation for many of the so-called Pauline interpolations. I will likely require this book in future course on Pauline studies.
• Why Churches Die, by Mac Brunson and Ergum Caner. There are some great real-life case studies in this book. Every pastor should read it.
• Devotionally, my favorite book of 05 was Max Lucado's It's Not about Me. In essence, Lucado writes, it's all about God. He's right!