The Top 35 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2020

Last week I published my annual list The Top 30 Christian Leaders And Organizations You Need To Follow On Twitter In 2020.  This is the first of two posts I will have this year spotlighting great Christian leaders on Twitter.  In an effort to provide additional value, I am pleased to announce my annual listing of The Top 35 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2020.  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.  So when asked, I recommend theses individuals and sites.
• 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.
• I am not interested in getting into a firestorm debate on Christian, political, or social debates.  If your site reflects this approach, I will let you be recommended by others.
• Great blogs should provide solutions to the issues Christian leaders face.
• Great blogs should 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!  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 35 Blogs Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2020:

Aggregators 

• ChurchLeaders.com – 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.  I also appreciate their conservative approach.
• Crosswalk.com – Crosswalk.com, an online Christian living magazine, is brought to you by a group of writers, editors and content producers seeking to provide applicable, educational and entertaining content to followers of Jesus Christ regardless of where they are in their respective spiritual journeys.  They want to provide content to people who are seeking to determine what living Christianity day-to-day means in their own lives.  Their goals at Crosswalk.com are to encourage and challenge you, to help you worship and help you think, to give you practical application of Scripture as well as positive shared testimonies and honest struggles.  This site strives to provide timely information on everything from Marriage, Parenting and Family issues, to Bible Study, Prayer, Spiritual Growth and Devotionals, to current events and a Christian look at popular culture, always within an overarching framework of evangelical Christian orthodoxy.
• Desiring God – Founded by John Piper,this site aims to help people everywhere embrace a profound truth that changes everything about life and eternity:  You were created for something greater than yourself.  You were formed for something awesome and magnificent.  You were made to know glory — God’s glory.  And the deepest longings of the human heart can be fully satisfied by pursuing that glory.  In fact, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.  We call this truth Christian Hedonism.  And declaring it to the world is why this site exists.
• Outreach Magazine – I love this site.  Everything you would want to know about relevant leadership and evangelism is contained here.
• 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 

• Kurt Bubna – Kurt 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.  His ministry experience includes being a marriage and family pastor, teaching pastor, church planter, and senior pastor for many years.
• Brandon A. Cox – Brandon leads Grace Hills Church which has grown from a couple of families to an average attendance of over 500 while sending people to plant locally and abroad. In addition to serving as Lead Pastor at Grace Hills, he also works with Purpose Driven, led by Pastor Rick Warren and Saddleback Church.  They offer training so that healthy leaders can lead healthy churches.  Brandon is the host of the Advance Podcast, where he interviews pastors of healthy churches to see what other leaders can learn from their stories.
• Kevin DeYoung – Kevin is senior pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, board chairman The Gospel Coalition, assistant professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte), and a PhD candidate at the University of Leicester.
• 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 J.D. is currently serving as the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
• 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.
• NewSmallChurch.com – This site is written by Karl Vators who has been a Small Church Pastor for about 30 years. The most recent 20 years has been with his current church, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California.  Small Churches make up 80% – 90% of the known churches in the world, but are the subject of probably less than 1% of the books and blogs about how to do church ministry.  New Small Church wants to help fill that gap. They exist to encourage, connect and equip innovative Small church leaders. They want to see better, stronger, healthier small churches, led by passionate, prayerful, capable, innovative and loving pastors.
• Thomas McDaniels – The central question Pastor Thomas trying to answer is, “How can we grow spiritually in our journey to become a better Christian?”  The driving force behind his writing is to help solve problems, unlock destiny, give hope, and help people just like you to grow into living their best life.  Pastor Thomas’ favorite thing is to work with people who struggle in their walk with God.  His site will dive into a variety of issues including cultural hot topics, church fallacies, cultural conflicts, and strategies to help Christians walk in freedom.
• Carey Nieuwhof – I heard Jeff Henderson say it first and I agree – Carey owns the internet!!!  I’ve said it for years, 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..
• Joshua Reich – Joshua is the Lead Pastor of Revolution Church in Tucson, AZ.  The goal of his blog is to help you take your next step in leadership and 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 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.
• 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 over 40 years and authored 6 books.  This site offers a completely unique look at leadership.

Consulting

• Chemistry Staffing – Led by Todd Rhoades and Matt Steen, they help churches and potential staff members make healthy connections. Our process has one goal: a long-term, healthy fit for both the church and the staff member.  Great things happen when the right leadership is in place in a local church… lives are changed and churches thrive.  If your church is looking for talented staff, or if you are a talented staff member looking for another church, this is the organization for you.
• The Unstuck Group – Led by the aforementioned Tony Morgan, Unstuck helps churches break through the barriers that are preventing growth and the advancement of their mission and vision.  They aim to keep our eyes on eternity, prioritizing life change, not just growth.  Unstuck believes in the importance of leaving a legacy that paves the way for the next generation. We look ahead and ask “Why not?” rather than “Why?” They take a strengths-based approach to building our team, hiring self-motivated people committed to personal growth and ongoing development of their skills.

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. My latest book, Church Growth Flywheel: 5 Practical Systems to Drive Growth at Your Church, has helped thousands of church leaders reach more people in their community. It was also the forerunner to Church Growth Flywheel Masterclass, a proven step-by-step system for helping your church reach more people than ever before by dramatically increasing the invite culture in your people!
• Dan Reiland – Dan is absolutely one of my favorite people on the planet!  I join the many in Christian leadership who would say 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.  His upcoming book Confident Leader!: Become One, Stay One is one of my must-reads of 2020!

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 Worship Impressions and the First Impressions Conference. Greg is an author, leadership coach, consultant, and member of Forbes Coaching Council. Greg has worked with churches of all stages and sizes, including some of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the country, as well as with businesses, non-profits, and organizations such as Josh McDowell Ministries.
• Ron Edmondson – Ron is the CEO of Leadership Network.  Previously, he was a pastor, revitalizing two churches and planting 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.  Ron has more than 35 years leadership experience, as a self-employed business owner, and in vocational ministry for over 17 years.  He also once helped lead (as an elected official) a mid-sized city, where he served as Vice Mayor and Finance Chair.
• Chuck Lawless – This is one of my go-to sites.  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 and the Courage To Lead are putting on an incredible one-day event on February 18th in Birmingham called Courage To Lead Live with speakers like Chris Hodges and Jon Gordon.  Click HERE to learn more.  I hope to see you there!
• 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!)
• Thom Rainer – Thom is the founder and CEO of Church Answers, an online community and resource for church leaders. Prior to founding Church Answers, Rainer served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Before coming 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.  For more from Thom, click Live Blog From The SPARK Conference – 22 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Thom Rainer Opening Session.

Culture

• Phil Cooke – If you have a powerful message or story that could influence the world, media producer, consultant, and author Phil Cooke will teach you what you need to know about creativity, communication, Hollywood, media, culture, and the faith to make it happen.He’s produced TV and film programming in more than 60 countries around the world, and in the process, 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 Media Group in Los Angeles, California – he’s helped some of the largest Christian and nonprofit organizations in the world use the media to tell their story in a changing, disrupted culture.
• Joseph Lalonde – Joe is one of my favorite people.  He currently is one of the top influencers on the internet.  Joe 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.  Great practical content!

Women 

• Lysa TerKeurst – Lysa TerKeurst is an inspiration and a picture of everything that is right in Christian ministry.  As president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa and her team have led thousands to make their walk with God an invigorating journey through daily online devotionals, radio programs, online Bible studies, speaker/writing training, and more.  Lysa 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 – I love this site!!!  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.  Also, if you have not yet purchased Tim’s new book Generation Z Unfiltered: Facing Nine Hidden Challenges of the Most Anxious Population, do yourself a favor get it TODAY!  It is a classic.
• YM Sidekick – Written by Tom Pounder, YM Sidekick (Your Ministry Sidekick) encourages and inspires ministry leaders with practical tools and knowledge to build a ministry that will have a lasting impact on generations to come.  Whether you are a volunteer, part- or full-time leader, YM SideKick offers practical insights on how you can build a ministry that successfully reaches people for Christ, encourages them in their faith and helps them be the leaders for their generation.  With over 17 years of full-time Youth Ministry experience, Tom has successfully built small to medium sized ministries and has gained practical experience in impacting our youth with limited resources.

Small Groups

• Mark Howell – Throughout this site Mark shares everything he has learned over a three decade ministry leading small groups and small group ministries, launching new groups, connecting unconnected people, making disciples, building effective coaching structures, leading church-wide campaigns, and working with senior pastors, helping them be the champion they need to be.

Money

• I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. – Founded in January 2006 by Joseph Sangl, he had a dream to teach people practical ways to win with their money.  Since that time, Joe’s team speaks live more than 100 times annually and serves more than 50,000 per year with their personal finances.  The Dodd family is one of them.

Communications

• Steve Fogg – Steve has been a Graphic Designer, a Creative Director, a Director, a Communications guy to one incredible church called Crossway.  He started Crossway’s church online congregation in 2015 which now averages over 2,500 every week.  Steve 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 business or non-profit.

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

My book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is available for purchase.  If you have ever wanted to become the leader God created you to be, this book is for you!  By combining leadership lessons from biblical heroes like Jesus, Daniel and Joseph, along with modern day leaders like Bill Gates, Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant and multiple pastors, Timeless will equip and inspire you.  This book is not to be read alone.  Discussion questions are included in each chapter allowing you to develop those in your circle of influence.  Click HERE or on the image provided and order your copies TODAY.