The new issue of Outreach Magazine gives their reader-submitted "Resources of the Year" in several categories. What came in at the number one spot for Leadership Training Resource of the Year may surprise some of you (and it greatly disappointed three authors who co-wrote a certain book that was a runner-up).

I Sold My Soul on Ebay by Hemant Mehta took the top spot. From Publisher's Weekly,

Mehta, an atheist, once held an unusual auction on eBay: the highest bidder could send Mehta to a church of his or her choice. The winner, who paid $504, asked Mehta to attend numerous churches, and this book comprises Mehta's responses to 15 worshipping communities, including such prominent megachurches as Houston's Second Baptist, Ted Haggard's New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Willow Creek in suburban Chicago.

A book providing an outsider's honest perception of the church and our faith proves to be very helpful.

The runners up were:

They Like Jesus But Not the Church: Insights From Emerging Generations
by Dan Kimball (Zondervan)

The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church
by Alan Hirsch (Baker)

11 Innovations in the Local Church: How Today's Leaders Can Learn, Discern and Move Into the Future
by Elmer L. Towns, Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird (Regal) (Cue the weeping and gnashing of teeth...)

Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church: Mandate, Commitments and Practices of a Diverse Congregation
by Mark DeYmaz (Jossey-Bass/Wiley)

In case you are wondering, 11 Innovations in the Local Church is an exploration of some of the current innovations in church life and ministry, and could be helpful in thinking through ways in which local churches can be more effective in their practice and preaching of the gospel.