Update March 2008:
See my new List of 81 Church Leadership Blogs I am watching.
Original Post:
These are the very best 70 blogs for Church Leaders.
Ok, ok, who can really say what the best ones are considering the vast internet and the huge spectrum of churches? But this is a good place for start if you are interested in innovative, emerging, megachurch, American churches like I am. (See also Kevin Hendrick's list of The Top 20 Web Sites for Church Communicators)
The blogs that made my list have met at least 5 of the 6 criteria below.
1. They help me improve my church leadership.
2. They write thoughtfully. Emotion and rants are great but they should take into account the different sides of an issue. You shouldn't be mean-angry unless serious injustice is taking place.
3. They keep their writing about personal things to 20% or less. I don't want to read about what they had for breakfast or see their vacation photos. But personal reflection on the material is great!
4. Often they are proven writers with published books.
5. These blogs have not been eliminated from my blogroll for some other reason. Admittedly, I often just skim post titles of these blogs and don't read all that they write.
6. The design of the blog is sufficiently attractive.
This is my "blogroll" i.e. the blogs I skim. See my post about Newsgator entitled "How I Keep Up Reading Blogs."
Feel free to suggest your own blog in the comments or others you would recommend.
Two other similar posts by me are: The Best Podcasts for Church Leaders (and how to use ITunes) and The Best Free Audio on the Web for Church Leaders.
The very best blogs for church leaders:
Alan Hirsch - The Forgotten Ways - Hirsch has written the important books The Shaping of Things to Come and the new The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church
Alan Nelson, Stan Toler, et al. - Rev! Unplugged - Rev. is the magazine by Group Publishing for pastors
Alex McManus - into the mystic - brother of Erwin and was active at Mosaic until recently
Andrew Jones - TallSkinnyKiwi - well known emerging church blogger from outside the USA.
B.J. Woodworth - what's your wood worth? - missional pastor in Pittsburgh
Ben Witherington - Great New Testament scholar at Asbury Seminary
Bob Roberts, Jr. - the Glocal Trekker Blog - wrote new book Glocalization and pastors in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area
Brian Bailey - Leave It Behind & Blogging Church - has the new book Blogging Church
Brian McLaren - well known emerging church leader and writer
Byron K. Borger - Hearts & Minds BookNotes - great book reviews from great bookstore owner between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
C. Wes Daniels - gathering in light - Fuller Ph.D. student under emerging church author Ryan Bolger
CatalystSpace - Catalyst conference blog
Chris Scharen - faithasawayoflife - works with Miroslav Volf at Yale Center for Faith and Culture; Emory Ph.D.
Christianity Today Magazine - great resources here. I love Weblog highlights.
Craig Groeschel and Bobby Gruenewald - LifeChurch.tv : swerve - "the most innovative church in the nation" (Later note: August 1, 2007: These rankings about "most innovative" by Church Report are probably not from a reputable source. See article about founder).
Dan Kimball - Vintage Faith - author of Emerging Church and a new book on getting out of the office as a pastor They Like Jesus But Not the Church
Dave Ferguson - Velocity - pastor in Naperville, IL pioneering the multi-site thing with pastors preparing sermons together. Has a new book The Big Idea.
David Fitch - the great giveaway - Has critical look at American church book The Great Giveaway - teaches at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL and pastors
Doug Pagitt - the pagittBlog - pastor of Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis area and wrote Preaching Reimagined and other books
Douglas LeBlanc, et al. - GetReligion - variety of Christian journalists put stuff here
Earl Creps - just wrote Off-Road Disciplines which I reviewed in the previous post.
Ed Young resources - CreativePastors - pastor of huge church(es) in Texas - Fellowship Church
Emergent Village - they have a blog - the main organization for the emerging church movement in the US
Eric Swanson - author of The Externally Focused Church
Gavin Richardson - Hit the Back Button to Move Fwd
Gifted for Leadership - great new women's blog from Christianity Today - highly recommended
Gordon Atkinson - Real Live Preacher - rlp's blog - famous blog - has a book Reallivepreacher.com
Greg Surratt - Personal - wrote The Multi-Site Church Revolution
Greg Surratt - Seacoast Church Blog - wrote The Multi-Site Church Revolution
Holly Rankin Zaher - happydaydeadfish - emerging church leader - personal blog mostly
Jamie Arpin-Ricci - (e)mergent Voyageurs - canadian avid blogger and emerging church leader
Jason Powell - Church IT and other musings - runs technology at one of the most innovative churches in the nation at Granger Community Church and is Taylor University grad
Jim Plueddemann - The Missionary Iconoclast - teaches missions at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
John Mark Rutter - Theological Ruminator - blogger pastor friend from Texas
John Stackhouse - Professor of Theology at Regent College and wrote Humble Apologetics and other books
J.R. Briggs - brokenstainedglass - graduated in 2001 from Taylor University and is a pastor in Souderton, PA at Calvary Church and has written a couple of books including When God Says Jump
Kem Meyer on Less Clutter & Noise - marketing expert at Granger Community Church. One of my favorite bloggers.
Kent Shaffer - churchrelevance.com - some interesting stuff here on marketing and the church.
Kevin D. Hendricks, et al. - Church Marketing Sucks - great blog about how to improve marketing in churches
Leadership journal and resources for church leaders - great journal from Christianity Today folks.
Leadership Network Leanings - Leadership Network is a great organization interested in megachurches and leadership.
Leonard Sweet - Napkin Scribbles - prolific author - most recently 2007 The Gospel According to Starbucks
LeRon Shults, James K.A. Smith, John Franke, Klyne Snodgrass, Roger Olson, et al. - Generous Orthodoxy ThinkTank - variety of people write academic stuff here
Marc Heinrich - purgatorio - great humor and satire here
Mark Batterson - Thoughts on Life and Leadership - energetic pastor from Washington, D.C. - has a new book In a Pit with Lion on a Snowy Day
Mark Driscoll, Ed Stetzer, Anthony Bradley, et al. - TheResurgence - these are Conservative Reformed, Southern Baptist and PCA. So if you are in that camp, good voices.
Mark D. Roberts Blog - Theology Ph.D. trained pastor
Mark Galli - GalliBlog - editor of Christianity Today
Mark Waltz | ...because People Matter - pastor of welcome at Granger Community Church and author of First Impressions
Michael Bird & Joel Willitts - Euangelion - two young New Testament scholars keep us up to date on the latest in NT scholarship
Out of Ur - the central hub for church leadership info is Leadership journal and this blog
Pete Rollins - author of book sensation How (Not) To Speak of God
Richard Mouw - Mouw's Musings - The President's Blog - president of Fuller Seminary and prolific author including He Shines in All That's Fair
Ron Martoia - velocityculture - wrote books including Morph: The Texture of Leadership for Tomorrow's Church
Ryan Bolger - TheBolgBlog - author of Emerging Churches and Fuller Seminary professor
Scot McKnight - Jesus Creed North Park New Testament professor and best blogger ever. Wrote Jesus Creed and many more books.
Scott Collins-Jones - SCJToday - Philadelphia presbyterian pastor and Princeton Ph.D. student in theology
Steve Taylor - e~mergent kiwi - wrote Out of Bounds Church
Susan - The Philosophical Pastor
The CBE Scroll - pro-women in ministry blog
Think Christian - variety of people post here
Tim Conder - Wonderings & Wanderings - author of Church in Transition; doesn't look like he has blogged since September
Tim Stevens - LeadingSmart - pastor of administration at Granger Community Church and author of Simply Strategic Stuff et al.
Todd Rhoades - Monday Morning Insight - lots of Christian news
Tony Jones - Theoblogy - emergent village coordinator and author of many books including The Sacred Way
Tony Morgan | one of the simply strategic guys - former pastor at Granger Community Church now a pastor in South Carolina
Business people worth reading if you are a church leader:
Chip & Dan Heath - author of Made to Stick
Fast Company Now - business magazine
Harvard Business School Working Knowledge - some good stuff here from secular leadership headquarters of the US
Kevin Carroll - Katalyst Blog - interviewed on Catalyst Conference podcast; used to work for Nike; inspirational speaker and author of Rules of Red Rubber Ball
Seth Godin - Blog - has written many books including All Marketers are Liars
Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - Freakonomics Blog - thoughtful economic insight from book authors
Tim Sanders - Sanders Says - leadership expert and author of books including The Likeability Factor. Was interviewed on Catalyst Conference podcast.
Tom Peters Weblog - business leadership expert and author of many books including Reimagine!: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age
Taylor University Friends:
Andrew Ulasich - digging for mummies - senior
David Landt - The Way of Jesus - graduated in 1997 and is pastor in Minnesota
Jim Garringer Photography - Taylor's photographer
Ken Castor - jesusfollower - graduated in 1994? and is pastor in Calgary
Gary Friesen - Becoming a Millennial: 53-yr-old takes the dive - oversees technology at Taylor
Gary Thomas - art professor at Taylor
Other friends of mine:
Kirk Bartha - from theocity to lovelocity - went to Regent College with him and he is pray-er, prophet, preacher in Canada.
Steve Gisel - Asi Es La Vida... - Cousin working for the Peace Corps in Columbia
a helpful list! thanks!
Posted by: John Mark | February 13, 2007 at 07:54 AM
Thanks for the link Andy. It was great to get to hang out with you a while at the last WiredChurches.com workshop
Jason
Posted by: Jason Powell | February 13, 2007 at 10:15 AM
Andy - what an extensive list! I am going to try and work my way through these people. I've just cleaned out my RSS so I have some room for new writers.
Also - thanks for linking to me! Now if only I fit #4 "Often they are proven writers with published books."
Hope things are going well for you.
Posted by: Wess Daniels | February 14, 2007 at 12:36 AM
i think i break some of your criteria, but thanks for listing me with such great people. humbled
thanks for making the list, i will be checking out some new blogs now
Posted by: gavin | February 15, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Good on 'ya, Andy. I know that list took time and effort to create. Thanks for taking the time, precious commodity as it is.
Posted by: Dan Wilt | February 15, 2007 at 08:57 PM
Found another one that I don't want to lose:
http://www.churchcommunicationspro.com/
Posted by: Andy Rowell | February 15, 2007 at 11:24 PM
What about Justin Taylors blog "Between Two Worlds" at:
http://theologica.blogspot.com/index.html
His is probably the most read blog in Evangelingdom at up to 3,000 hits a day.
Posted by: Scott Sterner | February 16, 2007 at 01:39 AM
Hey Andy -- I slipped a couple of vacation photos on my blog today but I didn't say ANYTHING about what I had for breakfast. :) You shared some blogs on here I hadn't read yet. Thanks for the link love.
Posted by: Kem Meyer | February 18, 2007 at 12:09 AM
Hey Andy,
I'm glad to be a friend of yours! Great list... but you didn't add your own.
-ken
Posted by: ken castor | February 19, 2007 at 12:41 AM
I've got several guys on our floor checking a bunch of blogs. Thanks for the links.
This'll feed loads of discussion.
C-Ya in class.
Posted by: Adam | February 19, 2007 at 01:48 AM
Andy,
Thanks for the extensive list! There are quite a few blogs I'm checking out now that you mentioned them.
Posted by: Bob Robinson | July 01, 2007 at 06:26 PM
Hi Andy,
You might also like to check this Blog (based in Australia) - currently over 6,000 unique visitors a day:
John Mark Ministries
20,000+ articles 4,000+ humor
http://jmm.aaa.net.au
Shalom!
Rowland Croucher
Posted by: Rowland Croucher | November 15, 2007 at 07:41 PM