“The library thing has been fun,” he said. “I’ve had several pastors tell me it’s the only reason they stay on Twitter.”
RELATED: The Best Books About the Disciple Making Movement
Catt is partial to books on leadership and biographies, but embraces a wide variety. In addition to theology, Brunson leans toward books on history and biographies in his library that is comparable to Catt’s (pre-downsizing). A reader of anything related to Abraham Lincoln, he recently scored a first edition of “Lincoln and the Preachers” by Edgar DeWitt Jones.
“I’m a big reader about Lincoln and just happened to come across it,” said Brunson, who recently hosted a group at his home for tacos and discussion over the 16th president. “Most people have probably never heard of this book.”
Audiobooks and digital volumes are an option, both agree, but they lack distinctive aesthetics.
“I miss holding them,” said Catt of those books he gave away. “There’s a smell to walking into a used book store. My friend Ron Dunn could name the publisher of a Bible by the smell of the leather it was bound in.”
RELATED: What the Book of Job Teaches Us About Unexplainable Suffering
A library, Brunson said, can be a place of retreat for a pastor. “To a great extent, it’s part of my life to every day spend time in my library at church or my home.”
Time spent there isn’t just to relax, though. It also becomes a gym of sorts, one where he works to strengthen his ability to shepherd Valleydale Church.
“I can walk into a pastor’s study and tell you about the depth of his preaching based on his books,” he said. “If a pastor doesn’t read, his congregation is going to drink out of a stagnant pool. I want to be a fresh pool of water to pour out for my people.”
This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.
