This smallish book is one you might find in the foyer of a church some Sunday morning. The church that offers such a read to its congregation likely cares deeply about doctrine and covets strongly the spiritual maturity of its own membership. If not, they wouldn’t be offering a poignant book like this.

This book by Mark Dever might just be another rehash of his Nine Marks philosophy, but it’s a great introduction to the Scriptural teaching, geared specifically to those church members who might be tempted to “jump ship” for another church.

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Summary and Discussion of Part 1

In the first section of this book, Dever points out the few reasons a person might have for ever leaving a church (as well as the biblical methods for doing so on p.57). He also emphasizes how important it is for a believer who cares so much about the health of his church to remain within an unhealthy system! He writes, for example, about the love we declare for the world in contrast to the fickle love we have for our brothers and sisters around us:

If your goal is to love all Christians, let me suggest working toward it by first committing to a concrete group of real Christians with all their foibles and follies. Commit to them through thick and thin for eighty years. Then come back and we’ll talk about your progress in loving all Christians everywhere. (29)

He describes how, from Matthew 22:34-40, we learn that “being reconciled to God means being reconciled to everyone else who is reconciled to God.” (24) We truly are part of this family, not simply to the Father, but to the children as well. Like an adopted child doesn’t get to choose his siblings, so we, when we were adopted by God into His family (Eph. 1:5) gained new siblings in Christ to whom we are now bound in love and fellowship (1Cor 1:9; 5:2; pp. 25-26), whether we like it or not!

He then expounds upon the bad theology one must have to think that he’s so mature, he doesn’t need to become the member of any local church:

The relationship between our membership in the universal church and our membership in the local church is a lot like the relationship between the righteousness God gives us through faith and the actual practice of righteousness in our daily lives. When we become Christians by faith, God declares us righteous. Yet we still are called to actively be righteous. A person who happily goes on living in unrighteousness calls into questions whether he ever possessed Christ’s righteousness in the first place (see Rom 6:1-18; 8:5-14; James 2:14-15). So, too, it is with those who refuse to commit themselves to a local church. Committing to a local body is the natural outcome—it confirms what Christ has done. If you have no interest in actually committing yourself to an actual group of gospel-believing, Bible-teaching Christians, you might question whether you belong to the body of Christ at all! (27)

I’ve come across this mentality before, especially with the increasing popularity of “cyber worship” and audio sermons [Editor’s Note: This post was written pre-COVID]. There’s no replacement for person-to-person contact within their body of Christ, and during my seasons of military training and overseas travel, I’ve experienced the droughts. It’s a terrible thing to be apart from fellow believers! And while I grew up under (and disagree with) the far stricter rule that “if the doors are open, you’d better be in church no matter what!”, I tend to agree with Dever’s assessment here. We need each other, and as time allows, we need to fellowship with, support, and edify each other often. That’s why a church covenant signed by the members and reviewed regularly is such an important aspect of the local church. Unless we understand the importance of this commitment, it could easily fall to the wayside, especially when arguments arise.

[Note: my disagreement with “open-door = better attend!” policy is that it misrepresents Hebrews 10:25 and the concept of “assembly”. The Church is not a building, it’s the people. So if I miss a Sunday night service for the sake of gathering with fellow-believers in a different setting for mutual encouragement, I’m obeying Hebrews 10:25 more truly than the grumpy saint who begrudgingly warms the pew simply because he’s “supposed to be there.”]

Summary and Discussion of Parts 2 and 3

Dever’s purpose in the second and third sections of the book is to introduce (or review) what he calls “the nine marks of a healthy church.” These marks have been repeated often across the web, but for quick reference, they are as follows:

1. Expositional Preaching (Essential)
2. Biblical Theology (Essential)
3. A Biblical Understanding of the Good News (Essential)
4. A Biblical Understanding of Conversion (Important)
5. A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism (Important)
6. A Biblical Understanding of Church Membership (Important)
7. Biblical Church Discipline (Important)
8. Biblical Discipleship and Growth (Important)
9. Biblical Church Leadership (Important)

His other books delve into these issues more fully, but this book at least shares the bare bones. I enjoyed this book as an introduction to what it means to be a part of a Healthy Church. I think it would be a good reminder for those who have been members of a church (healthy or not) for many years, as well as a good gift for those who are struggling with the place where God has them for this moment. It could very well be that God desires the person most discouraged about the church to become the champion of change that the church truly requires.

Conclusion

“A healthy church is a congregation that increasingly reflects God’s character as his character has been revealed in his Word” (40), Dever writes, and this really can be your church in the future. Just stick with it and be that example. People will notice and follow!

©2019 E.T.