When it comes to reading, we have a secret weapon at Auxano. His name is Bob.
Bob is a full-time member of our team who consumes 3-4 books per week. You heard that right…per week. If you want to understand how he does it, listen to this podcast episode.
Statistics prove that most of us will not read even one book in three weeks. But could you read one book per month for three months? What if you could invest that time into re-framing the future as a season of pandemic response comes to an end?
We asked Bob to pull together the three books every pastor should read this summer. Two of these are brand new, released since the COVID-19 pandemic began in mid-March. The other is, well, a classic you should probably re-read to re-engage your congregation through vision.
Here’s your post-pandemic summer reading list:
Full Spectrum Thinking - Bob Johansen
Full spectrum thinking is the ability to seek patterns and clarity outside, across, beyond, or maybe even without any boxes or categories while resisting false certainty and simplistic binary choices. Full spectrum thinking helps us see familiar situations in unfamiliar ways. Full spectrum thinking makes it possible to make one small change in order that will result in a very large change in impact. This visionary book provides powerful ways to make sense of new opportunities and see the world as it really is.
Why you should it read it this summer:
- You’ve had to think about NEXT for the last three months, but FUTURE should drive what’s next, not PRESENT.
- We’ve resisted releasing ministry into a fully digital world, until we were all forced to. That toothpaste is not going back into the tube.
- We are not returning into a pre-COVID-19 world, at least not anytime soon. Churches that wait for the good ole days will see their days numbered.
Think Like a Rocket Scientist - Ozan Varol
Rocket science is often celebrated as the ultimate triumph of technology. But it's not. Rather, it's the apex of a certain thought process - a way to imagine the unimaginable and solve the unsolvable. Fortunately, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to think like one. We all encounter complex and unfamiliar problems in our lives. Those who can tackle these problems - without clear guidelines and with the clock ticking - enjoy an extraordinary advantage. This accessible and practical book reveals nine simple strategies from rocket science that you can use to make your own giant leaps in work and life.
Why you should it read it this summer:
- Most of your ministry is problem solving if you really thought about it.
- For the first time, the entire world experienced a problem in which nobody had experience to share or best practices to sell. It’s not likely to be the last time.
- The greatest problem of all, reaching and then discipling people people far from Christ and His Church, is worth giving some extra brainpower to.
Church Unique - Will Mancini
Every day, churches step either closer to or further away from becoming the movement that God designed them to be. The future as movement for the local church is intrinsically tied a unique vision which creates a stunningly unique culture inside the church that is inclined and motivated to penetrate the culture outside the church. The practices and ideas outlined in this book will help you develop missional teams, articulate unique strategies, unpack the baggage of institutionalism, and live fully into their vision.
Why you should it read it this summer:
- Ministry without clarity is insanity. Did COVID-19 leave you in a season of short-term doing instead of long-term being?
- Words create worlds. Did you realize that your visionary language was more about showing up to a building than going out with a calling?
- Dripping is better than casting. Did your vision get lost in big announcements and videos, rather than integrated into decisions and planning?
You don’t have to read every book to lead with excellent tools. SUMS Remix brings in-the-moment content from three books every two weeks. Subscribe today, and you’ll also get access to topics like this question from last week: “How can I be an effective leader of remote teams?” Up your reading game here today.
