The 10 best books published in 2019 that I read during the month of April are
- (5.0) Giving Done Right: Effective Philanthropy and Making Every Dollar Count by Phil Buchanan (Public Affairs, 2019)
- (5.0) Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight by Cameron Trimble (Chalice Press, 2019)
- (4.5) One Coin Found: How God’s Love Stretches to the Margins by Emmy Kegler (Fortress Press, 2019)
- (4.5) Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019)
- (4.0) The Gift of Wonder: Creative Practices for Delighting in God by Christine Aroney-Sine (IVP Books, 2019)
- (4.0) Great Leaders Have No Rules: Contrarian Leadership Principles to Transform Your Team and Business by Kevin Kruse (Rodale Books, 2019)
- (4.0) Unashamed: A Coming-Out Guide for LGBTQ Christians by Amber Cantorna (Westminster John Knox Press, 2019)
- (4.0) Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s challenge and a Model for America’s Future by Pete Buttigieg (Liveright, 2019)
- (4.0) Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission by Krin Van Tatenhove and Rob Mueller (Westminster John Knox Press, 2019)
- (3.5) Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn’t the American Dream by Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic (Moody, 2019)
So What?
This month’s top two authors are chief executives of organizations that contribute to the advancement of their respective fields. Mr. Phil Buchanan is the founding chief executive of the Center of Effective Philanthropy – a nonprofit that conducts research and advises many of the largest foundations in the United States. Rev. Cameron Trimble is a United Church of Christ pastor who serves as the chief executive of the Center for Progressive Renewal – a nonprofit that seeks to renew Christianity by providing resources to enable renewal in existing progressive churches and the birthing of new progressive ministries.
Phil Buchanan lives in as data rich a world as anyone in the nonprofit sector thanks to the many diverse research projects the Center for Effective Philanthropy has conducted over the last 20 years. Giving Done Right: Effective Philanthropy and Making Every Dollar Count provides helpful guidance for those interested in doing the most good with the dollars they donate individually, through foundations, and via other channels. Buchanan masterfully debunks the value and role of many of the latest novel approaches to philanthropy while guiding readers through explanations of what seems to work best and why. Whether you are more often the party giving or receiving funds, look to Giving Done Right for the information you need to increase your impact.
As a pastor, pilot, and entrepreneur Cameron Trimble has significant experience with leading organizational change. At the Center of Progressive Renewal, she has led a team that has helped many faith communities successfully dream about and enact bold new visions for their future. Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight soars to the top of my list of resources I regularly recommend to clergy and other leaders of progressive Christian congregations and ministries because it provides an actionable, contextually malleable, data driven practical guide for leading one’s faith community toward a brighter tomorrow. Mainline decline may be the dominant narrative, but it doesn’t have to be the future of your congregation. Piloting Church will encourage you to dream big, and inspire you to action.