It’s summertime and that means it’s time to get your summer reading list together. My goal this year is to finish 39 books by the end of the year and summer is the time of year where I can knock out a good portion of that goal.
This year on my list I have books about design, productivity and technology. Each book is picked to help grow and enhance my personal development. However, as I went through my list I found seven books that I think every church communications leader should read this summer.
Now you may not be an avid reader, but I think at least by reading one these books below you’ll find immediate applications to your church’s communications. Check them out:
I’ve always toyed with the idea of encouraging remote work for those who work for me. While I’m not there yet, Remote forced me to take a hard look at the possibility. What interested me the most, was that by moving to a remote workforce, you could increase your talent pool and also create a culture that focuses on results and not the amount of hours spent in the office.
A lot of books on social media give you the 50,000 ft view of social media, however this book gets down to the how-to of social media. Gary breaks down exactly what a great social media post looks like. He compares social media posts from major companies and breaks down what worked and what didn’t. This is the book I reccomend to everyone who runs social media.

We live in a visual world and your church’s marketing needs to reflect that. If your marketing does not revolve the use of visuals then it will struggle to breakthrough to your audience. If you need to upgrade your church’s marketing then The Power of Visual Storytelling is the book for you.
I love talking strategy, but at some point you have to execute. That’s what I think separates good leaders from great leaders. Great leaders know how to execute ideas and turn them into a reality. In Execution IS the Strategy, Laura Stack gives you the formula to create an environment where execution happens on a daily basis.
Content marketing is the latest buzz in the advertising world and I think churches should take a hard look at it. With content marketing we move beyond just pushing out ads and instead we try to help our audience by providing content that will help them. While the book has an emphasis on “customers”, a lot the concepts apply to to church marketing.
The ONE Thing really helped me focus on the big picture when it comes to daily work. As the author reiterates, by focusing the one thing that will deliver the most value, you in turn become more productive. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to you personally, but it also applies to your church’s communication strategy as well.
This book is not full of business principles or marketing techniques. Instead, it’s an inside look at the beginning stages of Facebook. Noah’s firsthand account of how features were developed, how Facebook was organized as a company, and explanation of its culture are eye-opening. The book gives you a good impression of what makes Facebook tick and why it’s so popular. (Warning: The book does have some adult language.)
Got a book that you reccomend? Click here to comment below.