The Top 35 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2018

I am often asked for my recommendations on top blogs Christian leaders should be reading.  As a resource to Christian leaders everywhere, I am pleased to announce my annual listing of The Top 35 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read For 2018.  The following is the criteria I use to determine which great sites I prefer:

• First, my recommendations are my personal list.  They are writers which have had a tremendous impact on how I personally learn and lead.
• I only recommend leaders who have conservative views on Jesus, the Trinity, Heaven and Hell, personal behavior, marriage and politics.  I care less about what is divisive and more about what should unite all of us – the one we love, Jesus Christ.
• Great blogs provide solutions to the issues Christian leaders face.
• Great blogs provide inspiration.  A great blog tells you you can make it and then how to do it.
• Great blogs have credibility because they are written by proven expert practitioners.  There is definitely a difference between exposure and experience.
• Great blogs have consistent new content and are worth re-visiting on a regular basis.  This is a BIG deal.  Bloggers who go through extended periods of drought do not make this list.  Unfortunately, this removes many potentially great writers from the list.
• And finally, consistency is queen but content is king.  Great blogs have 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 2018.  If some of your favorites were not included, be sure to check back on Monday, January 8th as I promote more great Christian writers with my Top 30 Christian Leaders You Need To Follow On Twitter In 2018.

Aggregators 

• ChurchLeaders.com – One of my favorite sites on the internet.  This site does a tremendous job in aggregating the best Christian writings on a daily basis.  Specializing on current events, this site is a must-read  – Written for all Christian leaders.
• Pastors.com – Founded and primarily written 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.  He is truly a pastor to pastors.

Pastors 

• Matt Adair – Matt is the Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church in Watkinsville, GA.  He is also the owner and operator of a wonderful leadership site Griddiron.com.  This is an amazing site which combines spiritual leadership, sports and business applications.  A one-stop shop for leadership development.
• Davey Blackburn – This is a long introduction but I am going to include because you need to be reading everything this man writes.  The following are his words: “I moved to Indianapolis, IN in 2012 with my wife, Amanda, to start a church that would connect people to Jesus who have been disconnected from Him and His church. For 3 long years we’ve worked hard to reach people for Jesus and what’s come of that work is Resonate Church.  On the morning of November 10th, 2015 I came home from the gym to discover Amanda had been shot in the head during a home invasion while our 15 month old was in his crib upstairs. She passed away in the hospital twenty-four hours later. Since that day Weston and I have been walking a road I would have never chosen for us or anyone else.Before her death Amanda had created quite a business following by restoring old furniture and home decor. She believed nothing was wasted and anything could be restored into a treasure.  Now I spend every waking moment following Jesus into his plan to restore this tragedy into something beautiful. My story is played out in the light of a greater Story – Jesus’ Story. Scripture tells me in Jesus’ Story Nothing is Wasted, even the most tragic of situations.This blog is somewhat of a memoir to invite you in on our journey. It brings me a lot of healing and a renewed sense of purpose to know that my pain could be used to serve and help you in yours. Truly, Nothing is Wasted.”
• Kurt Bubna – A self-proclaimed “recovering idiot,” Kurt Bubna, has been in pastoral ministry since 1976 and is the founding and Senior Pastor of Eastpoint Church, a vibrant, growing, and community-focused congregation in Spokane Valley, Washington.  Kurt’s ministry experience includes being a marriage and family pastor, teaching pastor, church planter, and senior pastor for many years. He is a regular contributor to Rick Warren’s Pastors.com, an active blogger, an international speaker, and a recurring radio and television personality.
• Brandon A. Cox – Brandon is the Lead Pastor of Grace Hills Church in Bentonville, AR.  He is also the editor and online community facilitator for Rick Warren’s Pastors.com.  If Brandon needed anything else on his plate, he also coaches pastors through Courage To Lead.  Whether it is church planting, church growth, pastoral coaching, scripture references, or developing a biblical framework for the issues facing our country today, you need to be reading Brandon’s site.
• Ron Edmondson – As pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church, a church leader and the planter of two churches, Ron is passionate about planting churches, but also helping established churches thrive.  He loves assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life.  His specialty is organizational leadership, so he also consults with churches and ministry leaders.
• J.D. Greear – J.D. is the pastor of The Summit Church, in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.  This church is characterized by its gospel focus and sending culture. As Pastor J.D. often says, “The gospel is not merely the diving board off of which we jump into the pool of Christianity, it’s also the pool itself.” The deeper we dive into the extravagant love of Christ, the more our lives will be filled with unquenchable joy, reckless generosity, and audacious faith.  Depth in the gospel also leads to width in the mission. Under Pastor J.D.’s leadership, the Summit has grown from a plateaued church of 300 to one of nearly 10,000, making it one of Outreach magazine’s “top 25 fastest-growing churches in America” for many years running.
• Pastor Joe McKeever –  I wish more senior adult Christian leaders entered the blogging conversation.  Pastor McKeever has been saved more than 65 years, been preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ more than 55 years, and has been writing and cartooning for religious publications more than 45 years.  He put in 42 years pastoring six Southern Baptist Churches, followed by 5 years as director of missions for the SBC churches of metro New Orleans. No site contains more wisdom than this one.
• Carey Nieuwhof – No one writes better Christian leadership content than the Teaching Pastor of Connexus Community Church located just north of Toronto, Canada.  Simply put, the best Christian leadership blog on the web.  Make sure you also sign up for his incredibly popular podcast by clicking HERE and coaching courses The High Impact Leader Course..
• Perry Noble – There is no leader I am praying for and rooting for more in 2018 than my good friend Perry.  Last year he launched a consulting ministry for growing churches which I cannot recommend enough.  If you want his assistance in helping your church grow, click HERE.  I pray we see a real-life story of restoration and redemption played out before our very eyes as Second Chance Church is launched.
• Joshua Reich – Joshua is the Lead Pastor of Revolution Church in Tucson, AZ.  The goal of this blog is to help you take your next step in leadership & life. You will find posts about healthy leadership because without healthy leadership, everything falls apart.  He is also the area lead for Acts 29 and speaks at a variety of conferences on church planting, leadership and marriage.
• Rookie Preacher – I love this site.  Written by Brandon Kelley and Joe Hoagland, their hope is that this website will be a resource for pastors who want to preach and lead better.  The role of a pastor is demanding.  Some weeks you probably find yourself wondering how you are going to get your sermon prepared or wondering how you are going to lead through a problem.  They want to help you in those areas.
• Senior Pastor Central – This site is written by Pastor Brian Jones who the founding Senior Pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley, a church that grew grown from 0 to 2,000+ amazing people in the northwest suburbs of Philadelphia.  It contains full-length articles of actionable ideas designed to challenge your thinking and push you out of your comfort zone.
• Charles Stone – Neuroscience, how the brain works, has become a focal point of discussion for pastors and Christian leaders.  Few are better equipped to discuss the topic than the Senior Pastor of West Park Church in London, Ontario, Canada.  He has been in ministry for 33 years—21 of those as a senior pastor.
• Adam Weber –  Adam is one of the pastors at a church called Embrace.  Embrace is a 10-year-old church that has grown to 6 campuses and 4,000+ people in weekly attendance, and is still growing.  In 2013, 2014, & 2015, Embrace was listed as one of the fastest growing churches in America according to Outreach Magazine.  Adam  also wrote an incredible book on prayer called Talking With God.

Executive Pastors 

• Rich Birch – Rich speaks at conferences like Orange, WFX and various regional multisite church events.  He is a featured writer on ChurchLeaders.com and MinistryBriefing.  His book UNREASONABLE CHURCHES: 10 Churches Who Zagged When Others Zigged and Saw More Impact Because of It, is an Amazon bestseller in the Church Leadership category. It’s designed to help church leaders think a new thought and take new risks in impacting their community.
• Dan Reiland – There is no leader I respect more than Dan Reiland!  He is the beloved Executive Pastor at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia.  He previously partnered with John Maxwell for 20 years, first as Executive Pastor at Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, then as Vice President of Leadership and Church Development at INJOY.  Dan is best known as a leader with a pastor’s heart and a coach’s instincts. He truly loves the local church, and is described as one of the nation’s most innovative church thinkers.  His passion is developing and empowering leaders who want to grow, are willing to take risks, and enjoy the journey.

Church Consultants 

• Paul Alexander – Paul is a pastor, speaker, strategist, and ministry consultant at The Unstuck Group.  Most of what he writes about focuses on helping churches and ministry leaders take steps to make the vision God has given them become reality.  Paul has more than 20 years of experience serving in the local church, the last 16 of which have been on the Sr. Leadership Teams of some of the nation’s leading mega-churches. Currently, he serves as an Executive Pastor at Sun Valley Community Church, a large multi-site church located in the Phoenix Metro area.
• Greg Atkinson – Greg is the Founder of the First Impressions Conference.  He is a coach and consultant – specializing in areas such as first impressions (also called hospitality or guest services), leadership, and the entire worship experience.  He has worked with churches of all stages and sizes including some of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the US, as well as organizations such as Josh McDowell Ministries.  Greg’s full-time job is as the Director of Communications for Full Strength Network (a national non-profit serving pastors to help keep them healthy and avoid burnout). Greg also serves as the Executive Director of ExPastors.com – a ministry that offers help, healing, and hope to ex-pastors, pastors and church leaders around the world.
• Chuck Lawless – Chuck is Dean and Vice-President of Graduate Studies and Ministry Centers at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, where he also serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions. In addition, he is Global Theological Education Consultant for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Dr. Lawless is also president of the Lawless Group, a church consulting firm.  And one more thing, he writes an incredible blog!
• Shawn Lovejoy – If you are looking for a personal coach in the area of personal, emotional and organizational health, Shawn is your man!  He is a dear friend and the Founder & CEO of CourageToLead.com. His heart beats for coaching leaders and helping them all conquer whatever’s keeping them up at night.  Shawn previously served as Founding and Lead Pastor of Mountain Lake Church, and Directional Leader for churchplanters.com, and the annual Velocity Conference.
• Tony Morgan Live – I have said it many times – Tony Morgan is simply the finest church consultant I know. He is the Chief Strategic Officer and founder of The Unstuck Group. He’s a consultant, leadership coach and writer who helps churches get unstuck and have a bigger impact.  He is incredibly intelligent and his book Killing Cockroaches is the most impactful Christian leadership book I have ever read (other than the Bible!)
• Ed Stetzer – Ed is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine, and is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USAToday and CNN. He is the Executive Editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum used by more than one million individuals each week. Stetzer is also Executive Editor of Facts & Trends Magazine, a Christian leadership magazine with a circulation of more than 70,000 readers.

Culture

• Phil Cooke – An internationally known writer and speaker, Phil Cooke has actually produced media programming in more than 50 countries around the world.  In the process, has been shot at, survived two military coups, fallen out of a helicopter, and in Africa, been threatened with prison. And during that time – through his company Cooke Pictures in Burbank, California– he’s helped some of the largest nonprofit organizations and leaders in the world use the media to tell their story in a changing, disrupted culture.Phil was Executive Producer of “Let Hope Rise – the Hillsong Movie” released to theaters nationwide in 2016, and Producer of “The Insanity of God” a feature documentary that premiered nationwide as a Fathom Event. According to former CNN journalist Paula Zahn, Phil is rare – a working producer in Hollywood with a Ph.D. in Theology.
• Joseph Lalonde – Joe currently serves on the leadership team for Catalyst and the youth ministry of Gateway Church.  He plans experiences for students, mentor and grow students, and much more.  His blog is one of the most highly read Christian leadership blogs in the world.

Women 

• Mary DeMuth – Mary’s popular site is an inspiration to those who have suffered sexual abuse.  As she has said, “I want you to know this about me: I love Jesus. And really that’s the most important thing about me. It’s not writing or speaking or praying or mommying or any other -ing you can find. I flat out love Him. Why? Because He’s amazing. And He has utterly, truly, completely re-storied me.”
• Margaret Feinberg – Margaret is a self-described “hot mess.”  She is a popular Bible teacher and speaker at churches and leading conferences.  She was recently named one of 50 women most shaping culture and the church today by Christianity Today, one of the 30 Voices who will help lead the church in the next decade by Charisma magazine and one of 40 who will shape Christian publishing by Christian Retailingmagazine.
• Lysa TerKeurst – Lysa TerKeurst is an inspiration.  She president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the New York Times best-selling author of The Best Yes, Unglued, Made to Crave, and 16 other books.  As president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, she was recently awarded the Champions of Faith Author Award and has been published in multiple publications such as Focus on the Family and CNN online. Additionally, she has appeared on the Today Show as one of the leading voices in the Christian community.

Students

• Growing Leaders – Written by the incredible Tim Elmore, Growing Leaders exist to turn ordinary students into growing leaders who will transform society. Providing student leadership training and resources targeted for the millennial generation, we help young adults discover their purpose, equip them for leadership development and show them how to use their gifts to serve the world around them.

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 than Mark’s site.

Business

• BELAY – BELAY’s core values are based around Biblical principles. The Founders, Bryan Miles and Shannon Miles, both left successful careers behind in 2010 to follow God’s call into founding their own companies that would glorify Him while providing meaningful, flexible work opportunities for virtual assistant professionals across the country.  In January 2017, the Miles AG suite (eaHELP, MAG Bookkeeping, Render and Ellipsis) came together under one name – BELAY.  This name has a great deal of significance to leaders because of its core meaning: To belay is to provide the support a climber needs to ascend…And that is precisely what we do for their clients.  BELAY’s suite of services allows their clients to scale with peace of mind, and take their organizations to new heights.  They also have a great blog!
• Leadership Freak – Written by Dan Rockwell, he empowers leaders 300 words at a time.  He has been named one of Inc Magazine’s Top Fifty Leadership and Management Expert and Top 100 Great Leadership Speakers.  Currently, Dan coaches leaders, consults with organizations, and delivers corporate and community presentations.
• Michael Hyatt – Michael is the former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.  He is a bestselling author, and successful entrepreneur. In fact, his business was recently named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies after experiencing 330 percent growth in just three years.

Communications

• Steve Fogg – Steve is passionate about sharing with the world what he knows about branding, communications, marketing and all things digital.  He wants to help you communicate clearly and simply so you are able to tell your story in a way that connects with your audience whether you are a small, church, business or non-profit.

Well, that is my list of 35.  What other great sites do you read on a regular basis?

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