The Church Leaders “Best Books” series is our way of helping leaders find, read, and recommend books on a variety of important topics related to ministry and the Christian life. Check out the rest of our best books lists.
Lore Ferguson has graciously compiled this list of her five favorite books to recommend to women. Lore is a freelance writer and graphic designer living in Dallas, Texas, where she is a member of The Village Church. You can follow her on Twitter at @loreferguson and read more of what she’s saying at Sayable.net.
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1. Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin
This is not a Bible study, it is a how to Bible study. In Women of the Word, Jen Wilkin teaches the importance of engaging both our hearts and our minds in the study of the word. For women who are weary of endless studies teaching them how to beat insecurity or be better wives, this book is a refreshing reminder that when we are women of the word, we have all things useful for life and godliness.
2. Good News for Weary Women by Elyse Fitzpatrick
I don’t know many women who are not weary. We are laden with the fullness of life as God designed us to be. Nurturing whatever it is we’ve been apportioned can often make us exhausted and spent. Elyse, in her characteristic way, lands the fullness of the gospel on the brokenness we feel in a broken world. She lifts the demand off of us to do better, be better, meet the quota or qualification, and applies the gospel to every root of our desires.
3. Teach Us to Want by Jen Pollock Michel
Christian hedonism may sound like the easy path: what could be better than indulging in what brings us the most joy in Christ? But rare is the woman who actually practices desire-led asking. In this book Jen Pollock Michel teases out the beauty of desire—and disordered desires—and teaches her readers how to want and how to pray for what we want. It is a beautifully written book about beautiful things in Christ.
4. Redeeming Singleness by Barry Danylak
This book was not written for women, but women are uniquely wired in relational ways. Whether you’re married or single, I recommend reading this book. If you are single it will increase your joy in God’s call for the single and if you are married it will increase your ability to see your sisters as whole and useful in the Kingdom of God even in their singleness.
5. Made for More by Hannah Anderson
In a world where women in the church are constantly met with lists of what godly women are supposed to be, Hannah Anderson cuts through the qualifications and gives only one: the image bearers of God. Using church history, poetry, and anecdotes, she makes a strong Biblical case for our identity to be only found in the image bearing nature of all humanity. If you struggle with identity, comparison, or perfectionism, Made for More will encourage you deeply.
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