Written by Jared Kennedy, managing editor for books and curriculum at The Gospel Coalition
The Gospel Coalition’s annual book awards are designed to help you identify sound theological works for your ministry enrichment. Our announcement came last week, and it’s the culmination of months of hard work by a big team of book lovers. We receive nominations from publishers in 11 categories. Then our editors work together to recommend finalists in each category, and a panel of judges reads each book carefully before casting their votes.
The books are evaluated for the way they
- offer gospel-centered argument and application;
- include faithful and foundational use of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament;
- foster spiritual discernment of contemporary trials and trends; and
- encourage efforts to unite and renew the church.
I serve alongside our judges for the church ministry category, and I’m thrilled about the two books that received awards:
Our winner for the Ministry category is Jared C. Wilson’s Lest We Drift: Five Departure Dangers from the One True Gospel (Zondervan Reflective). Some books on ministry provide the timeless encouragement church leaders need to persevere; others issue warnings against complacency or illuminate cultural blind spots. Lest We Drift does both. Wilson warns that the Christian life isn’t static—believers either hold on to Christ as faith’s anchor or drift away from him into victimhood, spiritual dryness, superficiality, pragmatism, or legalism. To avoid these dangers, church leaders must grow in awareness of how drift occurs and actively resist it. Using practical examples and biblical exposition, Wilson inspires pastors to bolster their relationship with Christ through self-examination, community accountability, and ordinary spiritual disciplines. He urges leaders to stay anchored in Christ, reminding us that faith in Jesus is both a daily commitment and a divine safeguard against spiritual shipwreck.
The award of distinction recipient for the Ministry category is Dave Harvey’s The Clay Pot Conspiracy: God’s Plan to Use Weakness in Leaders (New Growth Press). In a world that celebrates quick fixes and microwave success stories, believers need to confess that weakness and dependence on Christ are the way to true flourishing. Going forward in the Christian life means first going down into humility, suffering, and even death before we ever rise with glory, resilience, and strength. Dave Harvey not only affirms this reality but, with wisdom, honesty, and even humor, shares personally how God has used suffering and grief to strengthen his faith.
Congratulations to these recipients of the 2025 TGC Book Awards for the Ministry category. We hope you enjoy and are edified by them and by the 20 recipients in the other categories.
—Jared
