The Evangel Dean Basic Training Resource Handbook

A PPENDIX • 189

Urban Church Planting A Topical Bibliography By Rev. Dr. Don Davis and Dr. Hank Voss

You should read twenty-five percent of your books from the first 1,500 years of church history, twenty-five percent from the last 500 years, twenty-five percent from the last 100 years, and twenty-five percent from recent years. ~ Rick Warren, 2010 It has always therefore been one of my main endeavors as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than second-hand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire. . . . It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.

~ C. S. Lewis, 1944

I. Endear: A Church Planter Loves God with All of His Heart

This manual is dedicated to Rev. Bob Engel, a faithful and fervent church planter. Rev Engel has served as an example to many of one who is “endeared” to Christ. Early in his work as a church planter, Rev. Engel came across a list of “Spiritual Classics” from a pastor named A. W. Tozer. Tozer grew up extremely poor and was only able to formally complete a fifth grade education. He eventually became an influential pastor in Chicago, but more importantly, he was known as a man passionately in Pursuit of God . When asked how he remained so passionate for God, Tozer pointed to his “teachers.” These teachers were the authors of some 25 spiritual classics that had helped to shape his Knowledge of the Holy . Rev. Engel recommended this list to me (Hank) more than a decade ago as one place to start for those interested in deepening their exposure to some of the giants of the faith. Most of the books on this list are over a hundred years old, some more than a thousand. They have proved valuable across generations, and much of their content is rooted in the Great Tradition. Church Planters will need to read with discernment, but for those willing to invest the time, there is much spiritual profit to be mined from these sacred roots. Many of these