The Top 30 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2014

The following is my list of the Top 30 Blogs that Christian Leaders Need To Be Reading In 2014.  The following are the criteria in which these great sites were chosen:

• Christian leaders read blogs in search of solutions to the issues they face.  Great blogs provide those solutions.
• Great blogs provide the inspiration for Christian leaders to keep paying the price to continue paying the price to move forward.  A great blog tells you you can and will make it.
• A great blog has the credibility of being written by an expert with a track record of success.
• A great blogger posts regularly, at least 3-5 times per week.  These means that their blog has consistency and is worth re-visiting on a regular basis.
• Content is king and a great blog has great content.  It rarely, if ever, disappoints.

With that as the criteria, the following are The Top 30 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2014.

Overall 

• 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.
• 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.

Pastors – I like pastors whose blogs have a global appeal but also helps their individual churches advance mission and vision.

• 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.  If you are a church planter, you need to be reading Brandon’s site on a daily basis.
• Artie Davis – Artie views ministry and life as creatively as anyone you will ever read.  He is the Senior Pastor and Church Multiplier of Cornerstone Church.  Artie is also the Director of The Sticks & author of the books Craveable and Craveable Church.
• Derwin Gray – The Senior Pastor of Transformation Church in Indian Land, SC is America’s leading voice on multi-cultural, multi-generational ministry.  Often done in a video blog form, if you are looking to create a church that has the ability to break down generational, racial, and socio-economic barriers, then look no further than this marvelous pastor as a role model.
• Pastor Joe McKeever – Joe is the senior member of this list at 73 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.  Everyone should subscribe to his site.
• 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.
• Geoff Surratt – Geoff has served on staff at Seacoast Church and Saddleback Church. He now serves as Pastor of Church Planting at Southeast Christian in Parker, Colorado as well coaching churches and leaders around the country.  This site is an unbelievable resource for church leaders.

Church Consultants 

• ChurchThought.com – Written by Matt Steen, this site comes alongside church leaders and helps them navigate their leadership journey.  Matt is uniquely gifted at helping churches accomplish their mission and vision.
• 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.
• Michael Lukaszewski – The President/CEO of The Rocket Company, and in the spirit of full disclosure my boss, writes one of the most insightful blogs for church leaders you can read.  No one takes you into the mind of a pastor while providing how-to content better than Michael.
• Tony Morgan Live – Tony is simply the finest church consultant I know. His book Killing Cockroaches is one of the finest Christian leadership books I’ve ever read.  Tony’s 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.  For a sample, read his Top 13 most read posts of 2013 by clicking here.
• Todd Rhoades – I was following Todd when he used to write Monday Morning Insights.  Currently, Todd is the Director of New Media and Technology Initiatives for Leadership Network.  His site is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in church growth or their own development as a church leader.
• 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 

• Jenni Catron – Jenni serves as the Executive Director of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, a 10-year old multi-site church. She leads the staff of Cross Point and oversees the ministry of its five campuses.
• Jen Hatmaker – An accomplished author and speaker, Jen’s messages are constantly developing, but in general, her talks center on application discipleship, living on mission, serving the poor, biblical proficiency and obedience, and engaging God’s dreams for this planet.  I can tell you from personal experience, if you run a conference, you will want to book Jen as one of your speakers.
• 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.

Next Generation Leadership 

• Brad Lomenick – Brad heads up the Catalyst Conference and movement. No one understands and resources NextGen leaders like Brad. Anyone wanting to know what young leadership is about needs to read this site.  I also want to tell Brad “Thank You” for over 10 years of faithful service with this movement.

Social Media and Technology 

• Christian Web Trends – Hosted by Paul Steinbrueck, this site gives you tools, resources, and ideas into all things technology and social media. A must read! Paul is also the co-founder and CEO of OurChurch.Com.

Money And Finance 

• Dave Ramsey – Dave is no stranger to anyone.  But just in case you need an introduction, he formed The Lampo Group in 1992 to counsel folks hurting from the results of financial stress. As he puts it, he paid the “stupid tax” (mistakes with dollar signs on the end) so hopefully now some of us don’t have to. Dave wrote the book, Financial Peace, based on all he had learned, and began selling it out of his car. With the help of a friend, Dave started a local radio call-in show called The Money Game, now nationally syndicated as The Dave Ramsey Show.

Encouragement 

• Serving Strong – Burning out is happening at an alarming rate for pastors and church staff.  It is at epidemic levels.  Personally, I always read Scott Couchenour’s posts for encouragement.  If you are a Christian leader who is burning out, you should as well.  Also, if your church needs new construction, Scott is President/CEO of Cogun Builders.  I cannot recommend another church builder more.

Church Staff 

• Rich Birch – As the writer of UnSeminary.com (everything you wished they would have taught you in seminary), Rich currently serve as Operations Pastor at Liquid Church in the Manhattan facing suburbs of New Jersey.  As applicable a site as you will ever read.
• Ben Reed – Ben is a small groups pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church.  His passion for launching healthy communities comes through as he oversees small groups for their five campuses.  This site focuses on the intersection of life and theology.  Ben’s goal is to help you grow in your faith as he shares what God is doing in his heart and life.

Worship Leaders 

• Chris From Canada – Chris Vacher is the new 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.

Compilations 

• Church Relevance – Founded by Kent Shaffer in March 2006, Church Relevance was created help ministries become more effective and efficient.  While informing you of the stories of what is working in other ministries, this site helps you gain a clearer understanding of both the spiritual and scientific laws God put in to place and how they can be leveraged to help you best fulfill your calling.
• Pastors.com – Founded by the incomparable Rick Warren, Pastors.com is a place for Christian leaders to connect. Their passion is healthy pastors leading healthy churches.  They have put together a flowing stream of content to nourish and enrich the lives and leadership of Pastors everywhere.  In addition, a dynamic community, of which I am privileged to be a part of, where church leaders draw encouragement and wisdom from one another.

Well, that is my list of 30.  What other great sites do you read?  If some of your favorites were not included, be sure to check back on Monday, January 6th as I promote more great Christian writers with my Top 30 Christian Leaders You Need To Follow On Twitter In 2014.

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