Bart Blair shares five essential books to help church leaders grow in their ministry and guide their churches toward greater health and vitality in 2026. Whether you're in revitalization, replanting, or simply seeking to lead more effectively, these books offer practical wisdom and biblical foundations for lasting change.

•       Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms

•       New episodes release on the 1st and 15th of each month

Lead Pastor at Beulah Baptist Church in Edmonton, Alberta

Every church has discipleship-related systems (classes, programs, models), but not all have an integrated discipleship pathway where systems work together to move people toward spiritual maturity.

"I have found that every church has discipleship-related systems, but not every church has a discipleship pathway. Essentially, any sort of class, model, or program can be seen as a discipleship-related system. However, it's only when all these systems are working together in an interconnected fashion (instead of working in isolation) that you get a discipleship pathway—a system of systems."

•       Moves beyond theory to practical systems

•       Helps integrate disconnected programs into a cohesive pathway

•       Based on real-world church implementation

Small churches have unique strengths—intimacy, agility, and authenticity—that should be leveraged as advantages rather than viewed as limitations to overcome.

"A strategically small church is not a large church that hasn't grown yet. It's a church that has intentionally chosen its size because it believes that's the best way to accomplish its mission in its community."

•       Challenges the "bigger is better" mentality

•       Gives permission to churches to define success on their own terms

•       Helpful for replants and churches seeking to find their identity

The ancient Greek word "oikos" refers to your natural network of relationships—family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances. God has already placed 8-15 of these people in your everyday world as your primary mission field.

Most people come to faith through close relational influence, not programs or events. Share Christ naturally over time with the people God has already placed in your life.

•       Pray for these 8-15 people by name

•       Build intentional relationships

•       Share Christ naturally

•       Equips every believer (not just pastors) to be an evangelist

•       Shifts focus from programs to personal relationships

•       Multiplies evangelism and disciple-making through natural networks

Elder plurality (shared leadership) reflects God's design for the church and leads to better decisions, reduced risk, and sustainable ministry.

"Plurality is not a weakness or a limitation. It's actually a reflection of how God designed the church to function. When you have multiple leaders bringing different gifts, different perspectives, different areas of expertise, you make better decisions. You're less likely to go off the rails. And you build in sustainability for the future."

•       Provides biblical foundation for shared leadership

•       Practical guidance for church planters and replants

•       Helps avoid pastor-dependent church structures

Your legacy as a leader isn't built on what you accomplish, but on who you develop. Investing in people multiplies your impact far beyond your tenure.

"The greatest legacy you leave is not what you accomplish, but who you develop. The people you pour into, the leaders you raise up, that's what will outlast you. That's what will continue to impact the kingdom long after you're gone."

•       Clarity

•       Courage

•       Character

•       Culture

•       Applies to churches of any size

•       Honest about the costs and challenges of leadership

•       Reorients leadership around generational impact

•       Pick one book that resonates most with you and your current context

•       Better yet: Read as a team (elders, staff, ministry leaders)

•       Use discussion questions at the end of chapters for group processing

•       Set a pace (e.g., one chapter per week) for accountability

•       Have a book recommendation? Leave a comment on your podcast platform

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•       Share this episode with your leadership team

Revitalize My Church is a podcast dedicated to helping churches navigate change and reorient to a new and healthy future. Host Bart Blair shares practical wisdom and biblical foundations for church revitalization, renewal, and replanting.

Episodes release twice monthly:

•       1st of the month: Conversations with Nathan Bryant (Ministry Assist Executive Director) on revitalization principles

•       15th of the month: Interviews with practitioners and leaders in the field of revitalization