The following is a list of books that I would recommend for church planters to read, whether in the USA or overseas. These books have been a blessing to me. You will not agree with everything but you will be able to get some ideas. I am always happy if I get one good idea from a book. One idea makes the book worth reading for me.

The books are not in order especially but I am placing them in some what of an order. That means that they will end up more or less in how much they influenced me.

Lectures to My Students

On Being a Servant of God

Master Plan of Evangelism

Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer

Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?

The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes That Hinder It

Indigenous Church

Indigenous Church Planting, a Practical Journey

Planting Churches Cross-Culturally: North America and Beyond

Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts

Starting a New Church: The Church Planter’s Guide to Success

Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch

This all I have time for right now. I will get more out later and try to get them in a better order.

Leaders are readers so I hope you are reading!

I got a note from Pastor Rick Groover asking us to pray for him and Celebration Baptist Church.

Rick Groover Brother Gardner, Please have your folks pray for us as we have the opportunity to get in our first real building. The bank has approved us but we have to raise the $90,000 down payment in the next two weeks. We’re trusting Him who owns it all to come through just like He always has. Thanks and God bless you and the work there.

Brother Groover is a wonderful man that really loves the Lord Jesus. He is very involved in world evangelism and God is greatly using him.

I want to ask all of you to be praying for him and this great need. You can learn more about them and the church by clicking on the link above or here.

The following is from his blog so you can know a little more about his heart!

What a God!
February 12, 2010

I’ve spent the last few days being amazed again by Jesus! Just when you think you’ve seen crazy things, Jesus will one-up Himself and do something even more crazy! Here’s just a little piece of how the Lord is working in us getting a new building for the ministry.

1. We Didn’t Start This Rodeo!

One of the amazing things to me about the ministry here is we didn’t decide to start it. It was and is a total “God thing.” Out of nowhere God invaded our lives and said two things – One – “I want you to start this ministry.” And two – “This is for My glory!” Since February 27th of 2005 God has been changing lives and building disciples. If you have any idea that miracles don’t happen any more then you need to come up for a visit. Somebody greater than us started this thing AND IT IS AWESOME!

2. We Don’t Know What We’re Doing!

When we first started I thought I had a little bit of an idea of what I was doing. (Yes, God had prepared us but as long as you think YOU CAN DO IT it’s not going anywhere!) Now, God has finally got us in the place where we seek Him on every decision and He is leading in different and amazing ways. As soon as we started doing it His way IT TOOK OFF! What are we gonna do next? I have no idea! But Jesus knows AND WE ARE FOLLOWING HIM!

3. We Don’t Have Any Way Of Financing What Is Happening! BUT HE DOES!

This makes me laugh more than anything else. We have nothing! Really! If you were to visit here you would take one look at our small rented building and what little we have and not think much about it UNTIL…UNTIL YOU SAW THE CHANGED LIVES EVERYWHERE. Here’s the deal though – most of our people are young, or ex-addicts, or ex-homeless, or just others struggling to get by. If you look at what we have there’s nothing to it! BUT – OUR GOD IS BIGGGGGG! AND HE IS ALL WE NEED!!!!! AND HE IS ROCKING OUR CITY!!!

Please pray for us as a building we didn’t ask for that we couldn’t have imagined that we don’t deserve and that we don’t have what it takes to get HAS DROPPED IN OUR LAPS AND JESUS IS MOVING!

If we can see the lives changed that we have while trying to work out of a hole in the wall IMAGINE WHAT GOD CAN DO IF WE ACTUALLY HAVE A DECENT PLACE TO MINISTER OUT OF.

Our music is AMAZING! The messages and things our people do are OVER THE TOP, but even with all of that said – IT’S ALL GOD! Nobody ever leaves our services talking about the singers, musicians, or speakers. Everybody leaves every week saying, WHAT A GOD!

Thank You Lord for all YOU ARE DOING! MAY WE STAY OUT OF THE WAY OF YOUR GLORY!

THIS IS CRAZY! WOO HOO!!!!!

No religion – Just Jesus!

Rick

On November 4, 2007 Vision Baptist Church licensed these men to the ministry. This week the first will be ordained. He will leave for China this August. I am excited that God is working in their lives.

Not only that but David Velke will leave for Peru for 6 months. Scott Newton will be going to Spain on his survey trip. Robert Canfield has already done 6 months in Peru.

God is working in the lives of our young men!

Just a note to every missionary, pastor, and Christian worker. Breath mints are not expensive but can sure make a difference. No one ever knows how their breath smells but others do. Nothing can hinder what you are trying to do more than putting off people by the way your breath smells.

Do not hinder your sweet message of friendship and the good news of salvation with bad breath. People shouldn’t have to put up with your bad breath to hear your good message.

I suggest buying a box of mints that are small and not sticky. You can stick them in your pocket and then just pop them in your mouth when you get the chance. I try to always have them with me. I load my pockets every day and then proceed out to my work.

You say you do not think your breath stinks but you might not know. So take some precautions.