As I finish up my piping hot bowl of gumbo on this cold wintry day I was reminded of my first encounter with Mark Dever. In my seminary program I was given 9 Marks of a Healthy Church along with an audio interview with Dever. As far as first impressions go Dever’s interview left much to be desired for me and so I never picked up 9 Marks.

But as I sit, now involved in starting a church, I decided to revisit Dever’s book. After all what pastor doesn’t want a “healthy church?”

I’m not going to give a major book review but I do want to list Dever’s 9 Marks for you to consider.

1. Expositional Preaching. The definition he gives for this is “an explanation and application of a particular portion of God’s Word.” Or more specifically, “[expositional preaching] is to expound what is said in a particular passage of Scripture, carefully explaining its meaning and applying it to the congregation.” (My friend Kevin Larson of Karis has some thoughts on this issue for more insight.)

2. Biblical Theology. The concern here is for “sound doctrine.” “Our concern should be not only with how we are taught, but with what we are taught.”

3. A Biblical Understanding of The Good News. “All of us as Christians should pray that we would care more about the wonderful good news of salvation through Christ than we do about anything else in the church’s life.”

Here’s a quote from George W. Truett:

The Supreme indictment that you can bring against a church…is that such a church lacks in passion and compassion for human souls. A church is nothing better than an ethical club if its sympathies for lost souls do not overflow, and if it does not go out to seek to point lost souls to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

4. A Biblical Understanding of Conversion. Here is where his calvinistic theology is seen most readily. In quoting quoting their statement of faith he says, “We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graced, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God…”

5. A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism. “We should be more concerned to know and teach the gospel itself, than simply trying to teach people methods and strategies to share it.”

6. A Biblical Understanding of Church Membership. Dever points out that the modern notion of church membership is extrabiblical but that it points to themes discussed throughout the NT - people connect to local bodies, a responsibility to love and care for one another, etc.

7. Biblical Church Discipline. “A biblical practice of church discipline gives meaning to being a member of the church.” He lists 5 positive reasons for church discipline. It’s purpose is positive:

1) for the individual discipline,
2) for other Christians as they see the danger of sin,
3) for the health of the church as a whole,
4) for the corporate witness of the church,
5) our holiness is to reflect the holiness of God.

8. A Concern for Promoting Christian Discipleship & Growth. In the last few years this area (and evangelism) is one that has impressed me the most about Dever. I’ve read several who talk about his modeling of mentoring younger men in his church and regularly sharing his faith.

“But growth is a sign of life. Growing trees are living trees, and growing animals are living animals. Growth involves increase and advance. In many areas of our experience, when something stops growing it dies.”

9. Biblical Church Leadership. Here Dever points to a congregational form of a plurality of male elders. He briefly touches on the distinction between elders and deacons and displays the difference between his baptistic point of view contra a presbyterian model.

Well those are Dever’s 9 Marks. What do you think? Do you agree? Do you disagree? And why?

jason is the lead planter and pastor of LifeConnection Church, a new church plant in Independence, MO.