In this paper, we introduce a new two-parameter lifetime distribution, called the exponential-generalized truncated logarithmic (EGTL) distribution, by compounding the exponential and generalized truncated logarithmic distributions. Our procedure generalizes the exponential-logarithmic (EL) distribution modelling the reliability of systems by the use of first-order concepts, where the minimum lifetime is considered (Tahmasbi 2008). In our approach, we assume that a system fails if a given number k of the components fails and then, we consider the kth-smallest value of lifetime instead of the minimum lifetime. The reliability and failure rate functions as well as their properties are presented for some special cases. The estimation of the parameters is attained by the maximum likelihood, the expectation maximization algorithm, the method of moments and the Bayesian approach, with a simulation study performed to illustrate the different methods of estimation. The application study is illustrated based on two real data sets used in many applications of reliability.