Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (4th edition): 4th Edition

by Mark Dever, H. B. Charles, Crossway (publisher)

What Makes for a Healthy Church?

You may have encountered books on this topic before, but not like this one. Instead of an instruction manual for church growth, this classic text points to basic biblical principles for assessing and strengthening the health of your church. Whether you’re a pastor, a leader, or an involved member of your congregation, studying the nine marks of a healthy church will help you cultivate new life and well-being within your own church for God’s glory.

This revised edition includes two new chapters; updated material on prayer, missions, evangelism, and the gospel; and a foreword by H. B. Charles, Jr.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Ecclesiology, Christianity

Audible Audio

Published February 2, 2022

About the author

Mark E. Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Since his ordination to the ministry in 1985, Dr. Dever has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches, the second being a church he planted in Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Washington in 1994, Dr. Dever taught for the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University while serving two years as an associate pastor of Eden Baptist Church.

In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.

Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ministry has been near and dear to my ecclesial heart—and I appreciate the 4th edition with its emphasis on prayer and missions.

[Brandon Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Whether your church is 30 years old, or you’re planting a new one, it’s a must read, and anything else that comes from 9Marks.

[Dustin (dragonarmybooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man. This book starts so incredibly strong, but then it dwindles along the way. His Reformed, Calvinist, Fundamentalist, and Conservative leanings are on proud display throughout the book. It's odd because it is clear that Dever cherishes and respects Scripture, but his handling of it is not always methodologically sound. He draws numerous inferences and interpretations regarding how the church should operate today, based on flimsy, at best, proof texts from the Bible.

While I don't agree with all of Dever's methods, interpretations, and applications for the modern church, I do find myself in reasonably close agreement with the book's general premise: healthy churches are marked by these nine marks: Expositional Preaching, Biblical Theology, A Biblical Understanding of the Gospel, A Biblical Understanding of Conversion, A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism, Biblical Understanding of Church Membership, Biblical Church Discipline, A Convern for Discipleship and Growth, and Biblical Church Leadership. While I don't agree with all of his biblical definitions and modern applications of each mark, I do think there is still a lot to learn here. It's well-written. Easy to read. And quite inspiring.

[Wooseok Hwang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, which I would recommend to all Christians, especially those interested in church planting. It gives a basis of nine marks of a healthy church apart from the big two, sacraments and baptism. It is a great read that can give a target goal for Christians to better equip their church for its intended duties.

Though I agree with all of the marks mentioned, I wish the author had given more biblical references when making his cases for the nine marks. There were a few statements that could have used more biblical evidence/references.

[Josiah Schrodt · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the word of the Lord and at his hand, may many of our churches prosper for our joy and his glory!

[Kyle Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent pretty boring.

[Jay Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Offers 9 solid marks upon which to assess church health. Also provides good discussion and rationale behind why each mark is significant.

[Matthew Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and timely read with the move approaching

[Sakura Perse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the audio version. Seriously such a good book for helping you discern what to look for in a church fellowship.