35 Books Mark Dever Recommends for Discipling Relationships
1. Is God Anti-Gay And Other Questions about Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction by Sam Allberry.
2. Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons by Thabiti Anyabwile
3. The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson
4. Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson
5. The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
6. The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever
7. What is a Healthy Church? By Mark Dever
8. Taking God At His Word: Why the Bible is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me by Kevin DeYoung
9. Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will by Kevin DeYoung
10. What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert
11. One to One Bible Reading: A Simple Guide for Every Christian by David Helm
12. Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus by Jonathan Leeman
13. Reverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People by Jonathan Leeman
14. Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother by Carolyn Mahaney
15. Living the Cross-Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by C.J. Mahaney
16. Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney
17. Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation by Will Metzger
18. Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs by J.I. Packer
19. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer
20. Knowing God by J.I. Packer
21. The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men by Richard Phillips
22. God is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love as the Gift of Himself by John Piper
23. Future Grace: The Purifying Power of the Promises of God by John Piper
24. The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight in Being God by John Piper
25. Love that Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace by Gary and Betsy Ricucci
26. God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts. [Free video course on this book.]
27. A Call to Prayer by J.C. Ryle
28. Holiness by J.C. Ryle
29. Big God: How to Approach Suffering, Spread the Gospel, Make Decisions and Pray in the Light of a God Who Really Is in the Driving Seat of the World by Orlando Saer
30. The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes
31. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul
32. Evangelism: How the Whole World Speaks of Jesus by Mack Stiles
33. The Gospel at Work: How Working for King Jesus Gives Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs by Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert
34. When People Are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man by Ed Welch
35. Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life by Don Whitney
Bonus: This didn’t make the appendix of Discipling, but Dever tweeted that The Thing Is by Tony Payne (co-author of The Trellis and the Vine) is a good book to read with a new or young Christian.
You might enjoy 6 tips for choosing a book shared in the article “How to Disciple with a Book” by Mike Pettengill on The Gospel Coalition:
- Scripture. Have a Bible open and ready. When verses are cited, look them up. Don’t assume participants own or know the Bible. The book should always be used to point to the teaching of Scripture. Weigh all truths on the scales of God’s Word.
- Sound. Use books that espouse biblical, grace-centered doctrine. Don’t take a risk in this setting with an unfamiliar author. A book must point to Christ and be supported by the Bible or not used.
- Small. Discipleship groups should be intimate; one to five participants is ideal. People get intimidated in big groups. Encourage responses and limit the sharing by know-it-alls. Depth is desirable.
- Speed. Proceed neither too fast nor too slow. Be flexible with the schedule. Allow the interest level to dictate pace. Don’t force completion of a chapter or section until it is fully understood.
- Straightforward. If you don’t know the answer, say so and commit to reporting back with more clarity. Read the material in advance. Acknowledge difficult topics and stick to the relevant issues.
- Seek. Pray for direction from the Lord as a group and on your own. Open, close, and cover the discipleship group in prayer. Listen to the Spirit and trust him for guidance.
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