What makes for a healthy church? A large congregation? Plentifulparking? Vibrant music?You may have read books on this topic before-but not like thisone. This new expanded edition of Nine Marks of a Healthy Church isnot an instruction manual for church growth. It is a pastor'srecommendation of how to assess the health of your church usingnine crucial qualities that are neglected by many of today'schurches.Whether you're a church leader or an involved member of yourcongregat...

A must-read for church leaders and members alike, this book outlines nine essential marks that distinguish a healthy, biblical church. This classic book is now revised with a new foreword, a fresh cover, and updated content, illustrations, and appendices. Third edition.

Christians face lots of practical questions when it comes to life in the local church: How is the gospel displayed in our lives together? What are we supposed to do and believe? Different followers answer differently—even as they preach the same gospel! What should we think about such differences?A church’s life, doctrine, worship, and even polity are important issues. Yet they are so rarely addressed. The Church is Mark Dever’s primer on the doctrine of the church for all...

What is an ideal church, and how can you tell?How does it look different from other churches? More importantly, how does it act differently, especially in society? Many of us aren't sure how to answer those questions, even though we probably have some preconceived idea. But with this book, you don't have to wonder any more.Author Mark Dever seeks to help believers recognize the key characteristics of a healthy church: expositional preaching, biblical theology, and a right u...

Evangelism is not only misunderstood, it is often unpracticed. Many Christians want to share the gospel with others, but because those Christians don't grasp the fundamentals of witnessing, they feel intimidated and incapable of sharing the truth of the gospel.Yet those believers fail to recognize that God has already established who and how we are to evangelize. In The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, Dr. Mark Dever seeks to answer the four basic questions about evangelism...

Some of the leading voices in evangelical Christianity reaffirm the importance of preaching biblical theology for the health of our churches.Loving, teaching, and rightly dividing the Word of God is every pastor's privilege and responsibility. If a pastor understands what the Word says about God, man, and the curse, about Christ and his substitutionary atonement, and about the call to repentance and sacrifice, he will develop and preach a sound theology. And sound theology...

God means to fulfill the Great Commission through local churches.How did the apostles and the churches of the New Testament obey the Great Commission? By gathering Christians together in churches. The church is God’s plan for evangelism, discipleship, and the Great Commission. This connection between the Great Commission and the church dramatically impacts how both leaders and members should think about their work of making disciples. We do it together.

Fully grasp how every part of Scripture fits together to point to and reveal the glory of Christ Jesus.From beginning to end, the Bible reveals the glory of Jesus. But for many Bible readers, it doesn't seem that simple. We're often unsure how the Bible's many stories, characters, events relate together and connect to Jesus. Some are tempted to force the pieces of the Bible together, making superficial jumps to him. Others give up trying to understand the Bible alt...

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus instructed his followers to "make disciples of all nations." But what does this command actually entail? What does it look like for Christians to care for one another's spiritual well-being and growth? In this introduction to the basics of discipling, veteran pastor and author Mark Dever uses biblical definitions and practical examples to show how Christians can help one another become more like Christ every day. The eighth volume in the 9Marks: Building H...

The Old Testament is the story of God's promises to his people. Below its somewhat obscure surface is hidden magnificent truth about the love and power of God. Throughout its pages the reader can find promise after promise from God, all of which are fulfilled in the New Testament-in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.Author Mark Dever introduces readers to the Old Testament as a glorious whole so that they are able to see the big picture of the majesty of God and the wonder of his pro...

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” —1 Peter 5:5A battle rages within every one of us every day. It’s the clash between our sense of stubborn self-sufficiency and God’s call to recognize that we’re really nothing without Him. It’s pride versus humility. And it’s a fight we can’t win without looking repeatedly to Christ and the cross. C. J. Mahaney raises a battle cry to daily, diligently, and deliberately weaken our greatest enemy (pride) and cul...

An expert defense of how God's holy love is biblically, theologically, and practically represented to a watching world through the practices of church membership and discipline.