Out of the 50 or so books I have reviewed this year, which is the best? Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger is an important book because it provides considerable insight into how churches can be more effective. Tough Choices by Carly Fiorina provides a lot of useful, although controversial, insights into management of change. Church Marketing 101 by Richard Reising gives a helpful perspective on how churches can manage perception.
Glocalization by Bob Roberts demonstrates a remarkable new way of viewing global mission. Church Shift by Sunday Adelaja continues in the same theme of challenging the church to greater engagement with the world. John Kotter’s Leading Change has of course been the leading authority on change management for some years. Just Courage by Gary Haugen challenges Christians to live lives of high risk. John Burke’s Soul Revolution describes a very helpful way of connecting with God.
But the winner of this year’s ChooseTheCross.com Book of the Year award is Branding Faith by Phil Cooke. The book addresses the question of how churches can most effectively communicate with outsiders within today’s cultural context. It describes how “branding” is about creating and maintaining trust, which is vital because the effectiveness of a church’s communications depends on the hearer’s perception of what is being communicated.
One reply on “2008 Book of the Year”
Thanks so much for the honor of topping your list for this year. I’m grateful “Branding Faith” had an impact on you, and I would encourage you to check my next one coming out in mid-January. It’s called “The Last TV Evangelist: Why The Next Generation Couldn’t Care Less About Religious Media.” It’s a guidebook on the media revolution and it’s impact on the future of the church. Thanks again!