How many books do you read each year?
When I was in college and seminary all I was doing was reading. I woke up and read books. That was my reality for a lot of years. Professors would tell you to read certain books on a variety of subjects, and you would read those books. I don’t remember as many Christian books when I was in college 10 years ago. Today, there are Christian books on everything. How do you know what to read? Will it really help you grow more as a leader? How can you fit reading books into your daily schedule?
There is another option. It’s called Ministry Library. It’s a really unique way to read books, or at least gleam the content from different books.
Here is what Ministry Library can do:
We have all heard “leaders are readers” but even though we know it’s true we just don’t have enough time to read the books we really want to.
Ministry Library‘s passion is to help other pastors and church leaders become more productive and effective. We do that by making short and fun video summaries of leadership books.
Learning without application is dumb. That is why our videos focus on how your leadership team can apply the ideas from our videos immediately.
Ministry Library could easily help any pastor or staff team. The way they review books, and provide print-offs for you to interact with the video is valuable. I know a ton of friends who aren’t “readers”, but this would help them to become better leaders. This is a next level resource, and I love what Ministry Library is doing.
Things we love about Ministry Library.
– The videos are well done. They look amazing. Every time I watch one, I keep thinking this must have taken hours to make.
– The print offs. Each video has a print off that will feature action items. I keep thinking how my staff team could use one each month. I love that I can print something off and give to them as we listen to a 5 minute review of the book.
Things we don’t love about Ministry Library.
– The price point seems to be a bit high. I personally don’t love the tier approach to business. I do get that the owner needs to make some money. I would love to have $10 per month and have unlimited access.
– I would love to see the videos downloadable. I was thinking about my lead pastor, and I don’t know if he would be able to stream the video without needing assistance.
– Library has some great books in it, but there needs to be more options. I know they will build this up over time.
Ministry Library is a great resource that can help you and your team become better. What if you and your team could read a book in 5 minutes, discuss it, and get some take aways. If it was my team, this would be a huge win. I keep thinking of books for my youth ministry staff, and adult leaders to read, but I keep thinking about the time they have. This resource eliminates the hinderance of having to spend hours reading books, when all you need is the main points.
Michael Hyatt is in blog post, How to read a non-fiction book, states, “Don’t feel that you need to finish. Not to be cynical, but most books aren’t worth finishing. I read until I lose interest. Then I move onto the next book. This is the secret to reading more. I also listen carefully to what my friends recommend. If they suggest a book, I am more likely to like it—and finish it.” I share this blog post will all my friends. In college and seminary they taught me to read the whole book or I would get docked marks. In the real world all you need to do is get what the author is trying to state. Usually he or she will state the main idea in the first 3-4 chapters.
I love Ministry Library. There is so much potential in this kind of resource. I hope to use this resource this fall with my youth ministry staff, and volunteer leaders. I am open to any way that will help my leaders be better.
