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Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

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Truth be told, I was a little disappointed with 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. The problem is not that it is a poor book but more that I had unrealistic expectations of it. I was hoping this book would be everything the church growth manuals are not; that it would be a knockout punch against church growth. It is not all of this, but that does not mean it is without value. I suppose I expected it to be a rebuttal of the seeker-friendly/church growth movement, but this is not what it is inteded to be. In retrospect, this is far better, for the book begins and ends with the Bible and the wisdom of God rather than with a rebuttal of the the wisdom of men. This book represents an interesting contrast to other books on this topic that have emerged from the Southern Baptist Convention, most notably The Purpose Driven Church. Where Warren's book claims to be about church health it is clear that the true focus is on growth. In 9 Marks, Mark Dever is able to seperate health from growth, rules from results. The focus of this book is on "being" church rather than "doing" church - on accentuating biblical perspectives on personal holiness above numbers or cultural relevance.

The author, Mark Dever, is pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Washington, D.C., and also heads up IX Marks Ministries. Dever seems to be anything but typical as a Southern Baptist pastor, and with his thoroughly Reformed theology must represent a minority position within the Convention. In this book, as in IX Marks Ministries, he seeks to rediscover the pillars of the church as outlined in the Bible and practiced in traditional Protestant churches. Here is a brief overview of the 9 marks he identifies:

1. Expositional Preaching - Expositional preaching (otherwise known as expository preaching) is the investigation of a particular passage of Scripture whereby the pastor carefully explains the meaning of a passage and then applies it to the members of the congregation. The point of a sermon, then, takes the point of a particular passage. This is in opposition to the topical preaching showcased in the majority of evangelical churches, where Bible passages are woven together to support a pre-existing point.
2. Biblical Theology - This emphasizes not only how we are taught but also what we are taught. In a sense this should follow naturally from expository preaching because the careful exposition of a passage should lead to sound theology. The majority of poor theology arises from a lack of careful Biblical exposition. Where there is poor exposition, we should expect to eventually find poor theology.
3. Biblical Understanding of the Good News - There needs to be a proper understanding and necessary emphasis on the full gospel. Where many contemporary churches teach that Jesus wants to meet our felt needs and give us a healthier self-image, that is not the gospel. The gospel message is that we are sinners who have rebelled against our Creator. But Jesus took the curse that was rightfully ours and all that remains is for us to have faith in Him so God may credit Christ's righteousness to our account. When we de-emphasize sin and damnation to make the presentation more friendly and less offensive we cease declaring the full gospel.
4. Biblical Understanding of Conversion - When we have a Biblical understanding of the gospel, we must then also have a proper understanding of conversion. Conversion is a new birth from death to life and is a work of God. It is not merely a change of attitude or a change of affection, but a change of nature. Conversion does not need to be an exciting, emotional experience, but does need to produce fruit to be judged a true conversion.
5. Biblical Understanding of Evangelism - The way we evangelize speaks volumes about how we understand conversion (and further, what we understand about the good news). If we believe that people are essentially good and are seeking Jesus, we evangelize using half truths and tend to elicit false conversions. When we present a watered-down gospel, we end up with a watered-down church. We need to be faithful to present the full gospel, the good news with the bad, and leave the results to God.
6. Biblical Understanding of Membership - Church membership is a privilege and a responsibility and needs to be regarded as such. People should only be members if they are dedicated to the church - in attendance, prayer, service and giving. To allow people to become and remain members for sentimental or other unbiblical reasons makes light of membership and may even be dangerous.
7. Biblical Church Discipline - Discipline guides church membership. The church has the responsibility to judge the life and teaching of the membership since they can negatively impact the church's witness of the gospel. Leadership need to be firm in discipline as this is an expression of love to the congregation.
8. Promotion of Church Discipleship And Growth - We need to recover true discipleship - discipleship that causes Christians to live lives of increasing holiness. The emphasis on growth needs to be directed at holiness rather than membership. True discipleship producing strong, committed Christians will present a clear witness to the world.
9. Biblical Understand of Leadership - Until recent times, almost all Protestants agreed that in church government there should be a plurality of elders (which means that there should be an office of elder and not merely one or more pastors in positions of leadership). This is a Biblical and practical model that has fallen out of favor in modern times.

Dever presents a convincing argument that a return to each of these nine principles would do much to restore the church to what God intends her to be. He dedicates twenty or thirty pages to each of them, usually tracing how they were understood in church history and showing the effect they would have on today's church. Perhaps what I appreciated most about this book is that, while he is willing to share from his own ministry, this is not a "do as I have done" type of book. Never once does he tell us how many people attend his church, trying to woo us with human credentials. All we learn about the numbers in his church is that membership decreased, but attendance increased as a result of his pastorate. Very rarely does he portray himself as the model other church leaders are to emulate. Needless to say, this stands in stark contrast to other books written to address the same topic.

So while this book left me a little bit disappointed, I realize that it was my unrealistic expectations that made it so. This is a very well-written and thoroughly biblical book. Dever expounds God's wisdom on the church and in that way does exactly what he set out to do - he provides godly insight into what makes a healthy, vibrant church that pleases our Lord. I highly recommend it.

In the age of the pragmatic Purpose-Driven Church movement with Church Growth gurus such as Rick Warren, C. Wagner, John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, and Bill Hybels, Mark Dever's book is a breath of fresh air of true biblical and sound theological analysis of a healthy church.

I appreciate Dever's focus on church health rather than church growth. Too often the stress is on getting the crowd (goats) and mix them with sheep but in Dever's case he has a true passion for teaching and preaching healthy disciples. Each chapter was well thought out and quite easy to read. Dever is not writting a classroom text book on the local church but merely the marks of a healthy congregation focused on the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus.

For those who want the get big, get rich quick books, this book is not for you. Dever is not interested in building a seeker model or a purpose driven model but a biblical model and this takes time and energy. I appreaciated Dever's willingness to wrestle with Scripture and not just give his opinions on the local church. He truly gave me a book that I could use on a practical level.

It's always interesting to read through the reviews people post on a book... the range of opinion is quite wide.

I attended Dr. Dever's church in Washington D.C. for a semester in college. Anyone who has done so knows that Dr. Dever's book is not a mere set of ideas or pie-in-the-sky visions, but instead are biblically based concepts that Capitol Hill Baptist Church practices with great faithfulness. In my semester there, I only had two Sundays (in four months) in which I was NOT invited to lunch afterward. I became friends with people in many different age groups and life situations. Most importantly, I recieved the best biblical teaching and training that I had experienced before or since.

It's a major mistake to accuse Dr. Dever of being high-brow or "suburban". The fact is, CHBC is right in the middle of Washington, D.C. Its members are from countries all over the world, from different economic situations and backgrounds. Top officials in the federal government chat easily with grocery store clerks. It truly is a display of God's glory.

Further, Dr. Dever's preaching is consistently excellent without being condescending. He spends phenomenal amounts of time studying the Scriptures (a constant point of amusement at CHBC is his complete lack of sports knowledge), and yet the average Joe coming to CHBC for the first time has no problem understanding what he's saying.

9 Marks of a Healthy Church is the best book on church health (which is more important than growth) that I have come across. Most important, it is the best because it is the most faithful to the principles already in Scriture. Those churches that honestly seek to glorify God in their corporate life and worship will find this to be an excellent guide.

This will be just a brief review since this book has been around for a while. I liked the book overall and I'll pretty much leave my praise at that. For those who are disgusted, as I am, by most of the typical church growth nonsense out there today this book is a welcome relief. Instead of outlining how to grow your church Mark Dever describes the marks that characterize truly healthy churches. Although Mark admits that his list is not exhaustive I do think he has identified the crucial aspects lacking from many churches that think they are healthy and may even be growing but are, in fact, not on track. I have absolutely no complaint regarding the content, my only wish is that the book had been less verbose. I am lazy and as such do not like to have the same concept fed at me every possible way. So, for me, this book took on a tedious nature because what I think could have been said in 5 pages took many more. But, then again, I am not really the target audience since I already agreed with Mark before I ever started reading.

All pastors who want to know whether their church is truly healthy, regardless of numerical growth, should read this book. All those pastors who just want to know what gimmicks they can use to fill their Sunday service should stay away, unless you are willing to change your mind and focus on what the Bible really teaches about healthy churches. Get the book, skim it at least, read it closely if you need convincing but this should probably be on your shelf!

Dr. Mark Dever's 9 Marks of a Healthy Church is must reading for 21st century pastors and lay leaders. It is an excellent book (however, I still think the best book on the church is Dr. John MacArthur's The Master's Plan for the Church), which I read in less than 72 hours--not normal for me at all.

9 Marks gives its readers "a plan for recovering biblical preaching and church leadership at a time when too many congregations are languishing in a merely notional and nominal Christianity" because the "purpose of too many churches has fallen from one of glorifying God simply to growing larger, assuming that that goal, however achieved, must glorify God" (25). Because of this, Dr. Dever's goal is "to call attention to some important aspects of church life that have been overlooked or even forgotten in modern American Christian life" (148).

So, for churches who have glorifying God as their highest goal and health as their desired description, what are the 9 Marks Dr. Dever prescribes:

1. Expositional Preaching
2. Biblical Theology
3. The Gospel
4. A Biblical Understanding of Conversion
5. A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism
6. A Biblical Understanding of Church Membership
7. Biblical Church Discipline
8. A Concern for Discipleship and Growth
9. Biblical Church Leadership

While reading the first five chapters, the one thought that kept coming to my mind was "Thank God for the seminary I went to (The Master's Seminary) because from day 1 and for all 4 years, these values were firmly and effectively hammered into our brains so that the first 5 chapters ended up being a very good review.

For instance, I could not agree more with Dr. Dever that "the main role of any pastor, is expositional preaching" (39), which is preaching that "takes for the point of the sermon the point of a particular passage of Scripture" (40) and that if "you are looking for a good church, this is the most important thing to consider" (52). Oh that Christians would get this!

In his chapter on the gospel he has this great quote from J.C. Ryle which summarizes one of the worst problems in the American church: "There is a common worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have enough--a cheap Christianity which offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice--which costs nothing, and is worth nothing" (92). If your church produces this, run away fast.

I could not agree more with this assessment from his chapter on evangelism:
"We need to see an end to a wrong, shallow view of evangelism as simply getting people to say yes to a question, or to make a one-time decision. We need to seen an end to the bad fruit of false evangelism. We need to see an end to worldly people having assurance that they're saved just because they once took a stand, shook a hand, or repeated a prayer. ... We need to see the end of this debilitating, deadly coldness to the glorious call to tell the Good News. And we need to see a renewed commitment to, and joy in, the great privilege we have of sharing the Good News of Christ with the lost and dying world around us" (143-4).

The chapters I liked most were 6, 7 and 8 on church membership, church discipline and a healthy church's concern for discipleship and growth.

He convinced me in ch. 6 that church membership is biblical and therefore, absolutely essential for having and maintaining a healthy church. It should have a high commitment, and should be taught on and encouraged regularly. Membership is the environment where edification is supposed take place, which means it is a travesty that we can find so many "Christian books that talk about growing as a Christian but completely ignore the role of the church" (157).

Chapter 7 is an excellent and truly convincing explanation of and defense for church discipline. It should be done for the glory of God in obedience to Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17 with the attitudes of "humility and love, and want[ing] to see good come" (187) for the promotion of holiness, the health and witness of the church and the ultimate good of the person disciplined.

Finally, I will sum up Dr. Dever's excellent chapter on discipleship with "a healthy church is characterized by a serious concern for spiritual growth on the part of its members" because in "a healthy church, people want to get better a following Christ" (198). If you do not go to a church where this is a major goal of the people involved, find another one as fast as you can.

In the midst of all the chapters, the greatest strengths of this book come from Dr. Dever's insightful descriptions of modern American church life and his devastating critiques, which are made with equally insightful expositions and applications of Scripture. He does this over and over again throughout the book and it is masterful!

In the end, you cannot go wrong in reading this book (I do tend to disagree with his congregational form of church government thinking what Strauch presents in Biblical Eldership is more biblical), and I am convinced that if pastors dumped the unbiblical and irrelevant church growth and emergent movements and joined the Church Health Movement (as outlined in this book) that they would be far better off on their day of judgment (James 3:1; Hebrews 13:7).

This book was written to address problems in the Church. A topic such as this is difficult to approach without actually pointing out specific issues that are plaguing the Church. That is the whole point of the book! I have read several related titles and this is the simplest and most straight forward (while also being biblical) treatment of the subject that I have encountered.

Sure, I don't like the idea of setting aside nine marks as being important, but Dever is not writing a complete work on church polity. Rather he is addressing some of the most important issues that many modern churches do not practice. This is a very important book, enjoyable to read, and well worth your time.

Dever majors in the majors with this book by focusing on how pastors and other church leaders should approach preaching, theology, the gospel, conversion, evangelism, church membership, discipleship and leadership. It is a great read for those who don't just want to complain about the state of the church today, but who actually want some biblical, positive direction.

The first chapter on expositional preaching is especially helpful because he provides a biblical foundation to the idea that the preaching the Word is the most fundamental duty of the church pastor. His chapters on membership and leadership are also great because he marshals a biblical argument for having high expectations of members and for elders as a biblical office, respectively.

More than anything, after reading Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, I walked away understanding that God has given a lot more direction regarding the day to day operations of His church than I thought.

This incredible book focuses your attention not on the pragmatic but the principled. It is a fresh look on what's really important for a church - namely, spiritual growth as evidenced by those growing in their love for God and for others. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is dissapointed in the way churches seems to mirror much of what our secular culture offers.

Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever is not a book about competence of operation or to have an entertaining church. Pages 35 through 39 talk about friendliness, entertaining music, starting church on time, a clear program, activities for the children, parking, the appearance of the sanctuary, comfortable seating, first impressions visitors get of the church, and the impression of the community. The author does not deny the importance of the church being retrospective about the nuts and bolts of the church, but argues over emphasis on these things and the idea that population of the pews can be unhealthy to the local body. Many have argued this book is a critique against the seeker sensitive mentality of today's church. This gives the reader a too narrow perspective: This book demands that a church give a comprehensive education to those who attend, biblical obedience to those who belong, and sanction against those who belong but do not participate within the church or are disobedient to the word of God. To teach the body in a competent manner and train its members in the Christian walk. The author does not give a number but my impression is that 90 percent of the churches in the United States would fail the physical. This book could be helpful for one who wonders which local church to join or what one should pursue in a Christian body.

The first mark is about expositional preaching. The pulpit is the major tool for church education and sets the tone for the other tools the church uses to educate her members. The whole church should go through the Bible verse by verse in consecutive order. Topical preaching should be used in a limited sense, because the pastor will avoid the harder tropics. The author uses the phrase "Ecclesia Reformata Semper Reformanda Secundum Verbum Dei. A reformation phrase meaning: Church Reformed Always being Reformed according to the Word of God. Mark Dever argues the church, as a whole should be refreshed by the word of God, continue to hear the word of God, to be refashioned and reshaped by the word of God. The preached word is the great imperative for the Pastor, not moral exhortations.

The second Mark is Biblical theology, the Author uses this term to argue the church must give witness to who God actually is and not what some want Him to be: An argument against preaching the common sentiment who God is, but who is the God presented in the Bible. How are the acts of God recorded in the Old Testament? Mark Dever compares the sacrificial system recorded in the Old Testament to the perfect atonement sacrifice recorded in the New Testament. The Author further argues for what this means about ones own sinfulness and that for man generally.

This leads the reader to Mark three. Consider mark two something people do not want to hear but must be convinced to consider the Gospel in its true light as the Good News. " The Bible utterly rejects the idea that we are okay, that the human condition is just fine, that everyone is really in need of accepting their current condition... that we simply need to look at the bright side of things." (Pg. 80) God is love, but love is defined by who God is. God is holy, sovereign, immutable, all knowing, and all-powerful. Jesus is our friend if one accepts Him as Lord and Savior. The relationship between God and man depends on what one does with Jesus in the context does one accept himself as sinner and the means God has provided to reconcile oneself to Jesus. The author goes into detail why Jesus must suffer and die, so man any man could reconcile himself to the Father. That is if one repents and accepts Jesus as Savior.

Tell people honestly that if they repent and believe they will be saved- but it will be costly. Mark 4 is about the nature of conversion and turning away from their old way of going against God's will. Mark five is about evangelism as a practice by those who are members of the church. To tell people the Gospel that one is in rebellion against God, one needs to repent, and is in need to accept Jesus as Savior. It is not about taking the unsaved to a church service. Evangelism is not apologetics. Evangelism is not personal testimony. High growth rate may not mean good biblical evangelism. Evangelism is about sharing the Gospel; it should be acted upon based on obedience to God, love for the lost and a love for God.

Mark Dever makes clear there are consequences to those who do accept Jesus as Savior and there are consequences to those who accept Jesus as Savior. Becoming a Christian is an intellectual assent that one is a sinner and there is need to change behavior. The implication is one cannot view, do certain things, and have a correct walk with God. Mark four is about responsibility of the members of the church. Healthy churches have membership and those who belong actually attend worship services regularly and are obedient to God. "If we really want to see our churches grow, we need to make it harder to join and to be better about excluding people." This includes excluding members who do not attend services- excommunication. Mark six is about Church membership and mark seven is about discipline in the church.

The author goes into detail about a Christian never discipled properly. To not have a regular prayer life or scripture study. To believe a Christian life is a moral life instead of living for a sovereign God. Concern more for one's safety and children then building up the body of Christ. Proper discipleship is mark eight. Mark nine is good leadership in the church and the members of the body to obey the anointed leadership in the church- even though they are sinners.

Mark has put together something that is bound to be a classic! If you have ever wondered how to move a congregation back to the basics of the bible and congregational life this is it. Nothing in this book is new under the sun. It's just basic bible truths lived out in your congregation, something that many of us have long forgotten.

The Nine Marks are a must for any church or pastor that has become with disenchanted with the emergent, purpose driven, pragmatics of the church today.