Why Church Leaders Should Read Fiction Books, Too

My friend Brian Dodd talks frequently about how important reading is to leadership development. That’s one of the reasons why he shares so many great lists of top leadership books. Leaders are readers.

I recently shared on this blog on why it’s also valuable for leaders to listen to audiobooks and how you can find the next great leadership book to read . But I thought I’d discuss one book genre many church leaders often forget- fiction.

I’ve always loved reading. Growing up, I read almost exclusively fiction books. As a kid, nonfiction books seemed boring to me. Once I graduated from college, I realized the value of nonfiction books. So I expanded my reading preferences. But I still like to mix in plenty of works of fiction.

So why is it important for a leader like you to occasionally read fiction books (if you aren’t already)? Here are a few reasons for you to consider as you select your next read.

1. Experience great storytelling

It should come as no surprise that storytelling is an important skill for any leader. There are plenty of ways to develop this skill-but one of the best ways is to read great stories. And it’s no doubt that some of the best stories are contained in works of fiction.