“Those of us who have been true readers all our life fully realize the enormous extension of our being which we owe to authors.” - C.S. Lewis

Of all the leaders in my life, that I know and respect, every one of them is a reader.  Reading is so much more than blowing through a book in a day and moving on to the next one.  It’s about learning, studying, and understanding; traits that must be present in any leader.

I’ve often been told, “but I just don’t like reading, I get bored.”  Let me say it this way: I don’t like disciplining my body by working out and eating right, but I have to in order to stay healthy now and in the future.  The point is that there are things that we have to do that we don’t “like.”  But there’s something about a person who bypasses what they “like” and instead pushes for excellence, to be better.  Every book is filled with the experience and history of someone who has searched for understanding in any given area.  That truth alone is a wellspring of life for the leader.  It’s life for the leader because there is a yearning in the heart of a leader to grow and know.  Do not confuse knowing with a haughty spirit of “knowing everything,” which is the farthest thing away from knowledge.

There are “types” of books that have helped shaped my understanding and have left me with a desire to search for more insight.  If you struggle with not liking to read, try studying and learning from one book at a time and pay close attention to the benefits.

Here some examples of “types” of books that will help round out your leadership and understanding in general.  Depending on what kind of learner you, try reading a different collection of books from the below types at one time, or just rotate.

* Theology - We need to constantly grow in our understanding of who God is from scripture and also search what history and theologians have had to say about who He is.  Books on theology, the study of God, can either be found about specific attributes of God’s character, or a broad overview of a certain study.  For example, soteriology, the study of salvation.  A great start to a simple, yet broad understanding of theology is “Systematic Theology” by Wayne Grudem.

* Leadership - Leaders thrive on learning from others mistakes or insights.  Who better to learn from than other leaders?  In some cases it helps to learn from leaders who are leading in the same places you are, for example, the church.  But often times it’s wise to learn from leaders in areas that you aren’t familiar with.  It seems that leadership principles tend to cross over into other applications.  A great book on leadership that I’ve read recently is “Making Vision Stick” by Andy Stanley

* Biography - There’s something about putting yourself in the story of someone that you look up to.  Maybe you don’t even know who they are before reading their story.  Either way, their story’s can bring inspiration in areas of your life that you’ve had empty for quite sometime.  One of my favorite stories about a real life person is “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy” by Eric Metaxas.

* Spirituality - How has someone else taken the truth’s of scripture and applied them into their life?  This is a pivotal question that will help you do the same.  Not only into your life, but into other’s.  A book I highly recommend is “Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By A Relentless God” by Francis Chan

* Devotional - Along with my daily studying of scripture.  I’ve found it helpful to have a collection of books, alongside of the Bible, that I read from daily.  These devotional books help focus me and give me a practical truth about scripture that I can unpack as I study deeper into the text.  For me I read “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers everyday.  And I also try to study a book of the bible at a time.  Right now I’m studying Colossians and I’m using John MacArthur’s Commentary on Colossians as a study aid.

* Practical - Whether you’re a worship leader, communicator, or student pastor; you should be reading a good amount of books that discuss practical ways you can improve and grow in your specific area of ministry.  For worship leaders, a great book that challenged me recently was “Ancient-Future Worship” by Robert Webber.

* Marriage – The bible puts a heavy emphasis on those who lead to be leaders of their homes first.  For those of you who are married, or hope to be one day, there needs to be an urgency for growth in you marriage.  Before you desire to grow in your knowledge of how to lead a congregation from traditional worship to contemporary worship, you must know how to lead your marriage better.  Whatever the case may be for you, put a lot of focus into growing in your marriage by reading a number of books a year with your spouse on the topic.  A great place to start is “Intended For Pleasure” by Ed & Gaye Wheat M.D.

* Random – I love the idea of being able to discover something new in a book.  Whether it be new information about a hobby or technology, I think we should all stretch ourselves by reading something outside of our “field.”  Whatever it is, make sure it is stretching you in some way.  I’m not to sure if a bunch of books about Vampires counts, but have fun reading.  A book I just recently finished was on Social Networking and Blogging “Naked Conversations: How blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers” by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel.

I’d love to know what books have helped form you in your leadership.  For those of you who struggle with reading, what’s keeping you from reading more?  Comment below and get the conversation started.