Church health: What is a healthy church? by Dever

Today I'm adding What is a healthy church? by Mark Dever to the Master Reading List under the category of Church Health (Available from Amazon).

Before I speak about the book, a bit of personal background.  For me, Mark Dever has been enormously influential through his writings and audio recordings (found at 9marks.org).  And it was hearing Dever speak about church health that first grabbed my attention and actually provoked me to enter into the ministry.  I later realised that when he is on the subject of the local church, Dever is at his finest.

Dever's first book on the subject of local church health was Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Available at Amazon).  But following its success, Dever  revamped it into the more lay friendly title, What is a healthy church?  I would recommend starting with the later book and then moving to the longer earlier title if you're still hungry.

In his books Dever believes that there are three essential marks of a healthy church:
(i) expositional preaching;
(ii) Biblical theology;
(iii) a Biblical understanding of the good news.

Then Dever adds that there are six important marks of a healthy church:
(i) a Biblical understanding of conversion;
(ii) a Biblical understanding of evangelism;
(iii) a Biblical understanding of membership;
(iv) Biblical church discipline;
(v) Biblical discipleship and growth;
(vi) Biblical church leadership.

This is not to suggest that the many things you would expect to find in churches shouldn't be there, e.g. prayer.  But Dever's lists are meant to be diagnostic of when a church might be unhealthy, not a comprehensive list of what makes a local church in general.

Bottom line is that if you love Jesus, then you must also love his bride.  And the best way to love his bride is by keeping her healthy.  And thankfully Dever gives us a great deal of good advice as to how go about the task.