Friday, January 2, 2015

The Top 30 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2015

The Top 30 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2015

I am often asked which blogs Christian leaders should be reading.  Therefore, the following is my list of the Top 30 Blogs that Christian Leaders Need To Be Reading In 2015.  The following are the criteria in which these great sites were chosen:
  • Great blogs provide solutions to the issues Christian leaders face.
  • Great blogs provide inspiration for Christian leaders to keep paying the price to move forward.  A great blog tells you you can and will make it.
  • Great blogs have credibility from being written by proven experts.
  • Great blogs have consistently new content and are worth re-visiting on a regular basis.
  • Great blogs have great content.  It rarely, if ever, disappoints.
  • There are also some bloggers listed below who may be well-known yet but should be on your radar.
With that as the criteria, the following are The Top 30 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2015.  If some of your favorites were not included, be sure to check back on Monday, January 5th as I promote more great Christian writers with my Top 30 Christian Leaders You Need To Follow On Twitter In 2015.
Overall 
  • ChurchLeaders.com – My favorite site on the internet.  Brian Orme does a tremendous job in aggregating the best Christian writings on a daily basis.  A must-read for all Christian leaders.
  • Outreach Magazine – Each day I am privileged to have their resources emailed directly to me.  No site will equip you to grow your church numerically than Outreach.
  • Pastors.com - Founded by Rick Warren, Pastors.com is an invaluable resource for relevant content and resources.  There is not a more loving Christian leader than Pastor Rick.  There are few places you can go to draw more encouragement and wisdom than this site.
Pastors 
  • Brandon A. Cox – In addition to being an incredible blogger, Brandon is the Lead Pastor of Grace Hills Church in Bentonville, AR.  He is also the content coordinator for Rick Warren’s www.Pastors.com.  Whether it is church planting, church growth, scripture references or developing a biblical framework, if you are a church planter, you need to be reading Brandon’s site on a daily basis.
  • Ron Edmondson – As pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church, a church leader and the planter of two churches, Ron is passionate about planting new churches and helping established churches thrive. He also assists pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy, marriage, parenting and life.
  • Derwin Gray – Now featured on Christianity Today, the Senior Pastor of Transformation Church in Indian Land, SC is America’s leading voice on multi-cultural, multi-generational ministry.  If you are looking to create a church that reflects the New Testament church and breaks down generational, racial, and socio-economic barriers, then look no further than Pastor Derwin as a model.
  • Bryan Loritts – The magnificent pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Memphis, TN is a must-read for putting race and current events in a Biblical framework.  Few writers will challenge your thinking more.  Bryan is simply one of Christianity’s great leaders.
  • Pastor Joe McKeever - Joe is the senior member of this list at 74 years of age.  Prior to his recent retirement, he was Director of Missions for the 100 Southern Baptist churches of metro New Orleans.  Few church leaders are as seasoned and have the wisdom of this man.  I love this site and everyone should subscribe to it.
  • Carey Nieuwhof - No one writes better Christian leadership content than the Lead Pastor of Connexus Community Church located just north of Toronto, Canada.  Simply put, the best Christian leadership blog on the web.  Make sure you sign up for his podcast.  I will be appearing on the February 10th episode.
  • Perry Noble – The most unfiltered pastor on the internet.  No site is more transparent, raw, and applicable than Perry’s.  If you are looking to join a coaching network, I recommend no one more than the amazing Senior Pastor of NewSpring Church.
  • John Piper – John  is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as the incomparable pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. John has also authored over 50 books.
  • Charles Stone – With Neuroscience, how the brain works, becoming a point of discussion with church leaders, few are better equipped to discuss the topic than the Senior Pastor of West Park Church in London, Ontario, Canada.
Church Consultants 
  • Scott Cochrane – Scott is a key leader in the Willow Creek Association.  You can tell from his writings that few people are as generous and have as much desire to invest in pastors and church leaders as Scott does.
  • Justin Lathrop – Justin is obsessed with connecting people and living his life daily to make the world a smaller place.  Justin serves as a consultant in the area of strategic relations for organizations like Assmeblies of God, Leadership Network, and Convoy of Hope.  He is helping to build bridges with people and ministries to more effectively reach more people.  This blog is as good as it gets.
  • Tony Morgan Live – Tony is simply the finest church consultant I know. His book Killing Cockroaches shaped my thinking as much as any book I have read.  On a side note, his blog actually inspired me to launch this site several years ago.
  • Thom Rainer – Thom is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources.  Prior to LifeWay, he served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism.  One of the most important resources for helping pastors lead churches on the web.
  • Ed Stetzer – Ed’s primary role is Vice President of Research and Ministry Development for LifeWay Christian Resources.  There is no one’s research and insights that I trust more.
  • Big Is The New Small – Hosted by Scott Williams, this site is the most creative leadership blog on the web.  Scott is the Chief Solutions Officer for Nxt Level Solutions, a consulting company he founded to help businesses, non-profits and individuals with both internal and external growth.  I feel Scott is the finest church growth consultant in the world.
Women 
  • Mary DeMuth – Mary’s popular site is an inspiration to those who have suffered sexual abuse.  As she says, “I’m no longer the little girl who shuddered at the thought of death… I’m not the girl who experienced repeated rape at five. I’m not the daughter who lost a father to the specter of death. I’m not the teenager bent on destroying herself. I’m not the look-at-me-notice-me young adult who needed success to be her god.  I’m simply Mary, loved wildly by Jesus. And my greatest desire and joy is to share that message of hope with you, to see you experience the Everything Life Jesus wants to give you.
  • Leading And Loving It - As the site says, this blog is for pastors’ wives and women in ministry.  This incredible site is co-authored by a number of leading Christian ladies.  Lori Wilhite serves alongside her husband Jud who is the Senior Pastor at Central Christian Church in Las Vegas.  Brandi Wilson is married to Pete who’s the Senior Pastor at Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee.  Along with her husband Herbert, Tiffany Cooper started Peoples Church in Oklahoma City in 2002.  David and Lisa Hughes have been at Church by the Glades in South Florida, where David serves as Senior Pastor, since 1998.  Bil and Jessica Cornelius planted Bay Area Fellowship in 1998 in Corpus Christi, TX. They also mentor Church Planters and their wives.
  • Lysa TerKeurst - Lysa is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who helps everyday women live an adventure of faith through following Jesus Christ. As president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, she has led thousands to make their walk with God an invigorating journey.
Money And Finance 
  • Joseph Sangl – Joe’s passion and mission “to help people accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances.” He firmly believes that when people are financially free, they are much more likely to go do exactly what they have been put on Earth to do – regardless of the income potential.  He is the founder of I Was Broke. Now I’m Not., an organization that provides financial teaching through live events, print and web resources. He is also the President and CEO of INJOY Stewardship Solutions where I happen to work.  Make sure you check out all the free budgeting tools on his site.
Church Staff 
  • Rich Birch – As the writer of UnSeminary.com (everything you wished they would have taught you in seminary), Rich also serves as Operations Pastor at Liquid Church in the Manhattan facing suburbs of New Jersey.  As applicable a site as you will ever read.
  • Tim Parsons – Already an extraordinarily popular site in less than two years, Tim serves at First Assembly Community Ministries as the Executive Pastor.  He also blogs with his wife at www.timandconsuela.com where they write on marriage, parenting, and family.  Check it out.
Worship Leaders 
  • Chris From Canada – Chris Vacher is the Worship Pastor of C4 Church in Ajax, Ontario near Toronto.  As Founder of WorshipRises, his blog is for sharing resources with worship leaders to help them get better.
Small Groups
  • Mark Howell – With over 25 years in ministry, Mark is the Pastor of  Communities at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He is also the founder of SmallGroupResources.net, offering consulting and coaching services that help churches across North America launch, build and sustain healthy small group ministries.  There is not a better small group resource on the web.
Children’s Ministry
  • Dale Hudson – Dale has been in Children’s Ministry for over 25 years.  He is currently the Director of Children’s Ministry at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach, Florida.  Christ Fellowship has 9 campuses and ministers to over 20,000 people on weekends.  Dale leads a Children’s Ministry staff team of over 50 and a volunteer team of over 2,600.  There are few sites this good on the internet.
Leadership Resources
  • Jon Acuff - Jon needs little introduction.  For 16 years he’s helped some of the biggest brands in the world tell their story, including The Home Depot, Bose, Staples, and the Dave Ramsey Team. Most recently he’s spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences, colleges, companies and churches.  And just in case you did not know, Jon has over 215,000 followers on Twitter.
  • Russell Moore – A must-read resource for current social events.  Russell is president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the moral and public policy agency of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
  • Paul Sohn – Paul is a dear friend and one of my favorite bloggers.  A Korean-Canadian/American, he is known as an Organization Development (OD) Consultant, Executive Coach, and Leadership Blogger. Make sure you read his content.
Well, that is my list of 30.  What other great sites do you read on a regular basis?

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