Ten Books to Read In the First Five Years of Ministry

First, take a break! You finally finished seminary, and I’m sure that you’ve got a lot of good learning under your belt. Use what you’ve got already and take some time to just read for fun. Or don’t read anything at all! Once you’re feeling that itch to dig into some theology or theory again, here are some good books to check out.

1. The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle

Phyllis Tickle was a crucial thought leader of the Emergence movement in the 90’s and 2000’s. She developed the idea that every 500 years the church holds a big yard sale and figures out what needs to be revitalized in our tradition and what needs to be cleared out to make room. We are going through one of those yard sales now. I think it is important for pastors to start their careers with a 10,000 foot view of what is going on in the church and how they might contribute. This book will help you remember that we are not the only generation of saints that has had to minister amidst a challenging religious landscape. If you’d like to know more about Phyllis Tickle, listen to episode four of the podcast, Emerged.

Click here to read the rest of the list at Fidelia Magazine, a digital publication of Young Clergy Women International where I am a Writer-in-Residence.