Christian communities are far from perfect, so most of us have a story or two about an unhealthy church situation. So how does a church become healthy and stay that way? 9 Marks of a Healthy Church offers far more than the latest band-aids. Mark Dever has presented indispensable correctives to contemporary church polity and practice. The book promotes fundamental principles to guide church practices in any age. I hope this review will inspire you to add it to your library or get one of its related resources. [1]
Faithful to History, Accessible, and Widely-Applicable
Dever’s familiarity with the subject of church health surfaces through his frequent citations of historical and modern resources. [2] The book is quite readable overall and suitable for church leaders and regular attenders. Some sections are a bit wordy, and Dever periodically includes more examples than necessary to prove his points. That said, 9Marks has developed a brief booklet and other smaller resources which condense the material for those seeking just the main thrust of each “mark.”
As many have noted, 9 Marks of a Healthy Church is written from a Baptist perspective. However, contrary to certain unreasonably prejudiced online reviews, informed Christian readers will heartily agree with the book’s main tenets, regardless of denominational affiliation. Anyone wishing to promote spiritual health and biblical faithfulness in their local church setting will resonate with most of the details Dever presents.
Valuable Chapters in 9 Marks of a Healthy Church
A few of the chapters are worth the cost of the book and deserve special consideration. Chapter 1 (Expositional Preaching) addresses the form and content of preaching. The necessity of expositional (or expository) preaching continues to be a hot topic in Christian circles, and Dever nicely exposes its indispensable worth. In a nutshell, expository preaching emphasizes a single passage in its historical, grammatical, and literary context. The preacher demonstrates careful interpretation of the text to the hearers, draws appropriate conclusions, and suggests pertinent modern applications. Typically, a preacher will move through a whole book or section of Scripture and deal with each passage as a series of messages.
Devers argues that expository preaching serves as an essential control upon abuse of authority and misuse of the Scriptures. He confidently proclaims its value for the spiritual maturation of a church: “Let a good expositional ministry be established and watch what happens. Forget what the experts say. Watch hungry people have their lives transformed as the living God speaks to them through the power of His Word” (54).
Chapter 9 (Biblical Church Leadership) explains the precedent in Scripture for elder-directed church communities within a congregationalist framework. Most people think of ecclesiastical structure as predetermined, biblically-mandated, and static for every church community. However, Dever is not necessarily advocating for a single rigid system of church government. He emphasizes the processes needed to gradually make thoughtful adjustments to church structure. Dever encourages that specific expressions of leadership be cultivated as a church body develops and matures. For these reasons, this chapter contains valuable applications for most church denominations.
Chapter 7 (Biblical Church Discipline) may seem offensive to an individualistic, consumerist Western culture, where authority and imposed consequences are often considered an infringement upon freedom. Yet while society clamors for churches to exercise less authority in the lives of their members, it simultaneously decries the hypocrisy of Christians that do not live according to their own stated belief in the Bible. That is exactly why Jesus and the apostles take the purity of the church so seriously and prescribe steps to ensure it.
Furthermore, contrary to popular opinion, church discipline is not punitive—the goal is always to restore members to healthy relationships with God, church members, and the community. Dever pleas for the resolute recovery of church discipline done out of love for straying members. For these reasons and others, I recommend 9 Marks of a Healthy Church to anyone who seriously longs for positive transformation in their church.
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[1] My comments in this review are based upon the New Expanded Edition. Though the book is a bit dated, I have reviewed it to encourage people who may never have read it to do so.
[2] I found Appendix 2 to be an extremely useful survey of the main marks of a healthy church as presented in a host of other published works since the mid-1980s.