Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

Mark Dever is the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. He asks the following questions: Have you ever considered what it means for a church to be healthy? Have you ever thought about how that health is nurtured and sustained? If so, have you reflected on why you answer those questions the way you do? In response to these questions Pastor Dever has written a book entitled Nine Marks of a Healthy Church and developed a ministry called 9Marks. He goes on to say: Contrary to much popular wisdom, we think that God has spoken clearly in the Bible regarding the purpose, leadership, organization, and methods of the local church. So we want to challenge you to join us in reconsidering the clarity of God's Word when it comes to the healthy growth of local congregations. We believe God designed the church to be fundamentally a display of His own glory and wisdom (Eph 3:10). And we think He has deliberately structured that display in the shape of a loving community that illustrates for a watching world the close fellowship of the Trinity and the redemption that He has accomplished for us in Christ Jesus (John 13:34-35).

Pastor Dever describes the purpose of 9Marks this way: Our goal is not simply to point out all the problems with the church; nor do we intend to suggest a fresh approach to "doing church". In fact, there is nothing really new or innovative here at all. Rather, our goal is to point the way back to healthy church life by calling attention to the timeless Biblical priorities, principles, and methods that God has ordained for the maturity of the local church - God’s work, God’s way. Whether you read as a concerned member or as a vocational pastor, we hope that what you discover here is not just a plug-and-play method, but a God-centered mindset.

I certainly want our church to be faithful in doing God's work God's way, don't you? Over the next several days (or blog posts, as a new post may not come everyday) we will take a closer look at the nine characteristics of a healthy church as described by Pastor Dever. Please feel free to read ahead by going to the 9Marks website.