Building a Professional Ministry Library On The Cheap

Yesterday I spent 10 hours in a meeting discussing training strategies for college ministers (most of whom come from secular colleges). While driving back I began thinking about the challenge a new minister without formal training faces in building a professional library. Books are expensive–the New International Commentary series on the Old and New Testaments retails for nearly $1,500 (OT, NT)! For some new ministers, building a quality library can seem so overwhelming that it’s hard to know where to start.

Inspired by a similar example, I decided to compile a solid (although basic) ministry library for under $200 (I failed by eleven cents). I priced the books (used) on Amazon.com on 6/18/2004. Books are listed in rough order of importance within each category.

The Reference Collection — $102.85

• NIV Exhaustive Concordance $19.35
• Systematic Theology, Millard Erickson $29.99
• The IVP Bible Background Commentary — New Testament, Craig Keener $13.95
• Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli $5.99
• Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament, H. Wayne House $10.15
• Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament, John Walton $9.99
• Multipurpose Tools for Bible Study, Fred Danker $13.43

The Personal & Professional Growth Collection — $97.26

• Devotional Classics, Foster & Smith $6.65
• How to Read The Bible For All Its Worth, Fee & Stuart $1.99
• Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis $4.95
• The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard $9.60
• The Challenge of Jesus, N. T. Wright $10.97
• Prayer, Richard Foster $5.00
• A Tale of Three Kings, Gene Edwards $3.85
• The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges $2.49
• Exegetical Fallacies – D. A. Carson $8.99
• Between Two Worlds, John Stott $9.00
• The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman $0.97
• The Purpose-Driven Church, Rick Warren $8.00
• Christian Counseling, Gary Collins $10.50
• Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling, Charles Kollar $12.71
• Take and Read, Eugene Peterson $1.59

Total Cost: $200.11 (excluding shipping & handling)

I tried to end each list with a book that would lead to more books, so that this would only be the genesis of a professional library…

I welcome suggestions for replacement volumes. What do you think important for a novice minister with little theological education to read?