What Is a Healthy Church? E-Book

Mark Dever

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Building Healthy Churches
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 157

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Key Traits of a Healthy Church to Develop within the Local Body What is an ideal church, and how can you tell? How does it look different from other churches? More importantly, how does it act differently, especially in society? Many of us aren't sure how to answer those questions, even though we probably have some preconceived ideas. This book answers those questions and many more. Author Mark Dever seeks to help believers recognize the key characteristics of a healthy church: expositional preaching, biblical theology, and a right understanding of the gospel. Dever then calls us to develop those characteristics in our own churches. By following the example of New Testament authors and addressing all members of the church, pastors and laity alike, Dever challenges all believers to do their part in maintaining the local church. Part of the 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series, What Is a Healthy Church? offers timeless truths and practical principles to help each of us fulfill our God-given roles in the body of Christ. - Offers an Ideal Church Model: Encourages pastors and members to implement healthy church qualities within their local body - Written by Mark Dever: Pastor, bestselling author, and president of 9Marks - From 9Marks: Other titles in the Building Healthy Churches series include Church Discipline; Deacons; and Church Membership  - Replaces ISBN 978-1-58134-937-5

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“Christ’s institutional plan for the world is the church, and there is no plan B. Every pastor and every Christian should be concerned to know what a healthy church looks like and how to make their church as healthy as possible. This clearheaded and warmhearted book by Mark Dever will help you toward that end. The world desperately needs Jesus Christ and his gospel, which means the world desperately needs healthy churches. And if you aren’t sure how the two halves of that sentence connect, then you desperately need this book.”

Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor, Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, North Carolina; Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte

“In our self-centeredness, we are wont to fashion the church in our image. But Mark Dever challenges us to focus instead on what God intends for his church to be. Every church should aspire to be healthy, as defined by God’s word, and every Christian should seek the health of his or her local church. This book is an immensely helpful resource for equipping believers to build churches that display the character and glory of God.”

Eugene Low, Lead Teaching Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Singapore

“Reading this book is like a cold drink of water on a hot day! I love everything about it—the concision, the practicality, the doctrine, and the focus on mission. I gladly and wholeheartedly recommend this for pastors and church members alike.”

Clint Pressley, Pastor, Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina

“I’m eternally grateful for this book and its author. Sitting under expositional preaching and becoming a member of a healthy church changed my life. Then I watched the principles in this book transform my church. It doesn’t matter what country or culture you live in—to be a healthy Christian, you need a healthy church. Read this eminently practical book and grow in love for your local church.”

Keri Folmar, author; cohost, Priscilla Talk

“What Is a Healthy Church? reintroduces Christians to biblical convictions about what the church should be. From expositional preaching to corporate prayer, gospel doctrine to church membership, and much more, this little book provides a faithful guide on the essence and ministry of the church. Get copies for all your church members and align your vision for the church with God’s word.”

Geoff Chang, Assistant Professor of Historical Theology and Curator of the Spurgeon Library, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Spurgeon the Pastor

“Great truths need to be communicated in simple ways. That is what you are holding in your hands, a simple book on a biblical understanding of the church. Many of our family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues have an inadequate understanding of the church, to the detriment of the faith. Read this book, keep a stack of copies handy, and distribute them generously. Much gospel good for individuals and local churches can come from the truths Mark Dever shares in this book. May the Lord use it to those ends, to the praise of his glory in his church.”

Kenneth Mbugua, Senior Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Nairobi, Kenya

What Is a Healthy Church?

9Marks: Building Healthy Churches

Edited by Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman

Biblical Theology: How the Church Faithfully Teaches the Gospel, Nick Roark and Robert Cline

Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus, Jonathan Leeman

Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus, Jeramie Rinne

Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus, Jonathan Leeman

Conversion: How God Creates a People, Michael Lawrence

Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People, Matt Merker

Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Church, Matt Smethurst

Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus, Mark Dever

Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus, J. Mack Stiles

Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today, David R. Helm

The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ, Ray Ortlund

Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global, Andy Johnson

Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church, John Onwuchekwa

Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God, Bobby Jamieson

What Is a Healthy Church?, Mark Dever

What Is a Healthy Church Member?, Thabiti Anyabwile

Building Healthy Churches

What Is a Healthy Church?

Mark Dever

What Is a Healthy Church?

© 2005, 2007, 2024 by Mark E. Dever and 9Marks

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover Illustration and Design: Jordan Singer

First printing of revised edition, 2024

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4335-8832-7 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-9663-6 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-9662-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dever, Mark, author.

Title: What is a healthy church? / Mark Dever.

Description: Revised edition. | Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2024. | Series: 9:Marks : building healthy churches series | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2024005055 (print) | LCCN 2024005056 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433588327 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781433596629 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433596636 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Church—Marks. | Church—Biblical teaching. | Choice of church.

Classification: LCC BV601 .D49 2024 (print) | LCC BV601 (ebook) | DDC 250—dc23/eng/20240331

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024005055

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024005056

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2024-10-04 09:50:35 AM

In thanks to God

for faithful pastors I have known:

Harold Purdy

Wally Thomas

Ed Henegar

Contents

Series Preface

Preface: A Parable

Introduction: What Are You Looking for in a Church?

Part 1: What Is a Healthy Church?

1 Your Christianity and Your Church

2 What a Church Is . . . and Isn’t

3 What Every Church Should Aspire to Be: Healthy

4 The Ultimate How-To Guide: How to Display God’s Character

Quick Tips: If You’re Thinking about Leaving a Church . . .

Part 2: Essential Marks of a Healthy Church

5 Expositional Preaching

6 Gospel Doctrine

Quick Tips: How to Find a Good Church

Part 3: Important Marks of a Healthy Church

7 A Biblical Understanding of Conversion and Evangelism

8 A Biblical Understanding of Membership

9 Biblical Church Discipline

10 Biblical Discipleship and Growth

11 Biblical Church Leadership

12 A Biblical Understanding and Practice of Prayer

13 A Biblical Understanding and Practice of Missions

Conclusion: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Appendix: A Typical Covenant of a Healthy Church

Special Thanks

General Index

Scripture Index

Series Preface

Do you believe it’s your responsibility to help build a healthy church? If you are a Christian, we believe that it is.

Jesus commands you to make disciples (Matt. 28:18–20). Jude says to build yourselves up in the faith (Jude 20–21). Peter calls you to use your gifts to serve others (1 Pet. 4:10). Paul tells you to speak the truth in love so that your church will become mature (Eph. 4:13, 15). Do you see where we are getting this?

Whether you are a church member or leader, the Building Healthy Churches series of books aims to help you fulfill such biblical commands and so play your part in building a healthy church. Another way to say it might be, we hope these books will help you grow in loving your church like Jesus loves your church.

9Marks has produced short, readable books on each of what Mark has called nine marks of a healthy church, plus a few more. Watch for books on expositional preaching, biblical theology, sound doctrine, the gospel, conversion, evangelism, church membership, church discipline, discipleship and growth, church elders, church deacons, prayer, missions, and corporate worship.

Local churches exist to display God’s glory to the nations. We do that by fixing our eyes on the gospel of Jesus Christ, trusting him for salvation, and then loving one another with God’s own holiness, unity, and love. We pray the book you are holding will help.

With hope,

Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman

series editors

Preface

A Parable

God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

1 Corinthians 12:18–21

Nose and Hand were sitting in the church pew talking. The morning service, led by Ear and Mouth, had just ended, and Hand was telling Nose that he and his family had decided to look for a different church.

“Really?” Nose responded to Hand’s news. “Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Hand said, looking down. He was usually slower to speak than other members of the church body. “I guess because the church doesn’t have what Mrs. Hand and I are looking for.”

“Well, what are you looking for in a church?” Nose asked. The tone in which he spoke these words was sympathetic. But even as he was speaking them, he knew he would dismiss Hand’s answer. If the Hands couldn’t see that Nose and the rest of the leadership were pointing the church body in the right direction, the body could do without them.

Hand had to think before answering. He and Mrs. Hand liked Pastor Mouth and his family. And Minister of Music Ear meant well. “Well, I guess we’re looking for a place where people are more like us,” Hand finally stammered. “We tried spending time with the Legs, but we didn’t connect with them. Next we joined the small group for all the Toes. But they kept talking about socks and shoes and odors. And that didn’t interest us.”

Nose looked at him this time with genuine dismay: “Aren’t you glad they’re concerned with odors?!”

“Sure, sure. But it’s not for us. Then we attended the Sunday school for all you facial features. Do you remember? We came for several Sundays a couple of months ago?”

“It was great to have you.”

“Thank you. But everyone just wanted to talk, and listen, and smell, and taste. It felt like, well, it felt like you never wanted to get to work and get your hands dirty. Anyway, Mrs. Hand and I were thinking about checking out that new church over on East Side. We hear they do a lot of clapping and hand raising, which is closer to what we need right now.”

“Hmmm,” Nose replied. “I see what you mean. We’d hate to see you go. But I guess you have to do what’s good for you.”

At that moment, Mrs. Hand, who had been caught up in another conversation, turned back to join her husband and Nose. Hand briefly explained what he and Nose had been talking about, after which Nose repeated his sadness at the prospect of losing the Hands. But he again said that he understood since it sounded like their needs weren’t being met.

Mrs. Hand nodded in agreement. She wanted to be polite, but, truth be told, she wasn’t sad to be leaving. Her husband had made just enough critical remarks about the church over the years that her heart had begun to reflect his. No, he had never burst into an open tirade against the body. In fact, he usually apologized for “being so negative,” as he put it. But the little complaints that he let slip out here and there had had an effect. The small groups were a little cliquish. The music was a little out of date. The programs did seem a little silly. The teaching wasn’t entirely to their liking. In the end, it was hard for the two of them to put their fingers on it, but they finally decided that the church wasn’t for them.

In addition to all that, Mrs. Hand knew that their daughter Pinkie was not comfortable with the youth group. Everyone was so different from her; she felt out of joint.

Mrs. Hand then said something about how much she appreciated Nose and the leadership. But the conversation had already run on too long for Nose. Besides, her perfume made him want to sneeze. He thanked Mrs. Hand for her encouragement, repeated that he was sorry to hear of their departure, then turned and walked away. Who needed the Hands? Apparently, they didn’t need him.

Introduction

What Are You Looking for in a Church?

So what are you looking for in a church? You might not have thought about that question lately. But take a moment now to ask yourself, what does the ideal church look like? “The ideal church is a place with . . .”

Beautiful music—music that shows training and practice. You don’t want guitars and drums. You want a choir and violin players. Beautiful music glorifies God. Or maybe you do want guitars and drums, something contemporary and up-to-date. That’s what people listen to on the radio, so meet them where they are.

Maybe the music is not as important to you as the preaching. You want a church where the sermons are good—meaningful but not heavy-handed, biblical but not boring, practical but not picky and legalistic. Of course, the kind of man the preacher is plays into what his sermons are like, and there are all kinds of preachers out there: the intense scholar who loves doctrine and never smiles, the funny guy with a million stories, the family counselor who has “been there.” Yes, I’m just caricaturing, but most of us do have some expectations of what a pastor should be like, don’t we?

Or perhaps you’re looking for a church where the people are at the same place in life as you are. You can connect with them. They understand what you’re going through because they’re going through the same. They’re just out of college like you. They have young children like you. They are nearing retirement like you. They know what it’s like to shop at thrift stores like you, or designer boutiques like you. They are from the inner city like you, or maybe it’s the country.

Then again, maybe the most important thing for you about a church is whether or not there are opportunities to get involved—places to serve, places to do good. Is the church big on evangelism? Is it big on missions? Is it big on helping the poor? Does it provide opportunities for you and your son to meet with other fathers and sons? What about opportunities for you to help out in the children’s ministry? Does it have programs that hold the attention of your kids or teens?

I expect that some people are looking for a church that is “alive to the Spirit.” The Spirit is the one who guides us, so you want a church where people are quick to listen to his voice, quick to watch for his work, quick to believe the remarkable things he can do. You’re tired of being around Spirit-quenchers and tradition-lovers. The Spirit’s doing new things! He’s giving us new songs!

Or maybe you’re just looking for a church that feels a certain way. Not that you’ve ever put it like that. But if you are used to a church that feels kind of like a mall, or an old chapel, or a coffee house, it makes sense that your ideal church feels the same. That’s to be expected. Didn’t many of us, when we moved away from our parents’ home, occasionally find ourselves nostalgic for certain sights, smells, or sounds of the way Mom or Dad did things?

A lot of these things can be good, or at least neutral. Really, I just want you to start thinking about what you value most in a church.

What are you looking for? A place that’s welcoming? Passionate? Authentic? Big? Intimate? Trendy? Exciting? Hard core?

What should a church be?

A Topic for All Christians

Before we consider what the Bible says churches should be, which we will do in the first few chapters, I want you to consider why I would pose this question to you, especially if you are not a pastor. After all, isn’t a book on the topic of healthy churches a book for pastors and church leaders?

It is for pastors, yes, but it’s also for every Christian. Remember: that’s who the authors of the New Testament address. When the churches in Galatia began listening to false teachers, Paul wrote to them and said, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ” (Gal. 1:6). Who was the “you” that Paul called to account for the false teaching in their churches? Not the pastors alone but the church bodies themselves. You’d expect him to write to the churches’ leaders and say, “Stop teaching that heresy!” But he doesn’t. He calls the whole church to account.

Likewise, when the church in the city of Corinth allowed for an adulterous relationship to continue unchecked in their midst, Paul again directly addressed the church (1 Cor. 5). He didn’t tell the pastors or the staff to take care of the problem. He told the church to take care of it.