| Format: | Printed Caseside |
| Page Count: | 160 |
| Size: | 5.0 in x 7.0 in |
| Weight: | 7.17 ounces |
| ISBN-10: | 1-4335-8832-3 |
| ISBN-13: | 978-1-4335-8832-7 |
| ISBN-UPC: | 9781433588327 |
| Published: | October 08, 2024 |
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
Author:
Mark Dever (PhD, Cambridge University) is the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and president of 9Marks (9Marks.org). Dever has authored over a dozen books and speaks at conferences nationwide. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Connie, and they have two adult children.
Product Details
Table of Contents
Preface: A Parable
Introduction: What Are You Looking for in a Church?
Part 1: What Is a Healthy Church?
Chapter 1: Your Christianity and Your Church
Chapter 2: What a Church Is . . . and Isn’t
Chapter 3: What Every Church Should Aspire to Be: Healthy
Chapter 4: The Ultimate How-to Guide: How to Display God’s Character
Part 2: Essential Marks of a Healthy Church
Chapter 5: Expositional Preaching
Chapter 6: Biblical Theology
Chapter 7: A Biblical Understanding of the Good News
Part 3: Important Marks of a Healthy Church
Chapter 8: A Biblical Understanding of Conversion
Chapter 9: A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism
Chapter 10: A Biblical Understanding of Membership
Chapter 11: Biblical Church Discipline
Chapter 12: Biblical Discipleship and Growth
Chapter 13: Biblical Church Leadership
Chapter 14: Conclusion: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Appendix: A Typical Covenant of a Healthy Church
Special Thanks
Endorsements
“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 hand, 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