Twelve Challenges Churches Face

by Mark Dever

Division. Disobedience. Legalism. These are just a few of the many problems that plague churches today, just as they plagued the Corinthian church in the first century. That's why, out of his great love and concern for this young church, Paul addressed these issues boldly, offering the Christians at Corinth much-needed admonition, instruction, and encouragement. If you have ever witnessed a church split or a denominational dispute, you know firsthand that the same sort of struggles impact our churches today. In Twelve Challenges Churches Face, pastor Mark Dever-a leading authority on the subject of church health-tackles this and eleven other major challenges we must fight to overcome. These twelve challenges, if left unchecked, can cripple a church and stifle its ministry to a needy world. But if individuals and churches immerse themselves in God's Word and heed Paul's instruction, God will heal even the sickest church and transform it into a powerful vehicle for proclaiming the gospel of Christ.

Genres: Theology, Church, Christian, Ecclesiology, Biblical Studies, New Testament

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

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

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of sermons through 1 Corinthians.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because the title was intriguing and I have read other works by the author. What I didn't realize until I started reading it is that this is a study of 1 Corinthians. Dever goes through chapter-by-chapter touching on the major themes and ideas of Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth. Throughout he makes modern practical applications from this first century letter.

This book is readable. It is not written like a commentary, which it is not. Though I am sure the book was developed from sermonic material, it doesn't read like a collection of sermons. Dever keeps it all together by keeping in sight the big picture context of the book as a whole.

As always, there are things here and there we could pick at. There is an appendix in the back that gives brief answers to some of the tough questions in 1 Corinthians 7. I appreciate the answers given to what are some tough questions from that chapter, but couldn't agree fully with many of them. 1 Corinthians as a whole presents many difficulties and this book isn't going to give you a lot of help on those. The real strength of this book is staying with the big picture and main themes and ideas. Some of the difficulties of 1 Corinthians can actually get you off track if you lose sight of the overall context. In that regard, Dever does a great job here.

If it has been a while, read the whole book of 1 Corinthians through and then read "12 Challenges Churches Face." It will be well worth your time.

[Josh Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid book by Pastor Mark Dever! When I purchased the book several years ago, it was the title that grabbed my attention. I'm not for certain that I realized at the time that it was an exposition/overview of the book of 1 Corinthians and the challenges that church faced.

If you are planning on embarking on a journey to preach or teach through the book of 1 Corinthians, then you will be immensely helped by Dever's practical insight on the first letter from Paul to the Corinthian church.

[Anete Ābola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. These are sermons on 1.Corinthians that deal with problems in the church in the 1st century (and we are not too different). Faith-building, church-loving book of sermons for spiritual growth.

[Jónatas Rafael Lopes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um livro muito bom sobre a 1.a carta aos Coríntios.
Fiz como devocional.
Recomendo

[Mwansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good commentary on the book of 1 Corinthians. I did not see it in this light before but the book of 1 Corinthians is without a doubt a counselling session between Paul and the Church at Corinth. There were a number of issues that had to be addressed and it is really interesting how they all gel together. If I could narrow down the message of the entire book to two things (which is a very difficult thing to do as no single theme or double theme would be all encompassing) I would have to go for Love and Humility.

Love in that there is a special grace that we must afford to one another as well as to our leaders as we work alongside each other in the church. As we "Do life together" we must actively look to the benefit of the other person and show love to them the way we love ourselves but even more so, the way God loves us.

But this also manifests itself in humble service. There is an element of sacrifice that should mark the life of every believer and I believe very few statements in the book encapsulate this as the call to look over our individual lives and ask ourselves what we have given up for the betterment of our brother or the church. What by way of time, effort, comfort, money, friends or family. And if we can point to very little then we have loved very little. It is a scathing rebuke to the self indulgent life that is propagated by a 21st century lifestyle

[Todd Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. I am so glad I was recommended this book to read as I preached through 1 Corinthians. This is not a deep, analytical commentary. I certainly would not describe it as verse-by-verse. However, Dever does address the major themes of each section in a way intended to improve local churches.

This book is great for a preacher or Sunday School teacher teaching through 1 Corinthians. However, it is written in such a way that anybody could benefit from it.

Highly recommend.

[Luke Schmeltzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is essentially a short study through the book of 1 Corinthians, examining 12 challenges faced by that church and more or less every church. Dever deals clearly and pastorally with issues like division, false teachers, unbiblical views of marriage, and the misuse of spiritual gifts.

[Richard Okello]

an eye opener and full of great

[Dwain Minor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collection of sermons from 1 Corinthians.

[Henrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dever has written a great and interesting book and commentary on 1 Corinthians about some of the challenges churches faced in the days of St Paul and still face today. I love the way Dever connects the dots and manages to make the text applicable and relevant while still being true to the Word of God.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid pointed overview commentary on 1 Corinthians.

Addresses twelve challenges in churches Forgetfulness, Division, Impostors, Sin, Asceticism, Disobedience, Legalism, Autonomy, Thoughtlessness, Selfishness, Death, Decline

Brings Paul's timeless letter to the Corinthians to the current church.

Packed with solid applications of historical context and peppered with current illustrations and stories.

Chapters finish with great conclusions. Conclusions alone are worth the read.

Appendix answers questions from 1 Cor 7's divorce and remarriage issues. Very helpful.

Not a groundbreaking life changer, but a solid read from Dever.

Enjoyed the read.

[Bob Ayres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dever provides a sound commentary of 1 Corinthians while staying focused (mostly) on the structure he set up for himself. There are many solid takeaways from this work which is basically a well-edited transcript of Sunday morning messages. I found it more readable when I read it as though listening to a sermon. Therefore, at times, my mind seemed more prone to wander. The primary drawback for me was when his Baptist pastor voice dominated and I felt excluded from his audience. This is why I scored it down a notch.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid set of expositions on I Corinthians based on sermons Mark Dever preached in 2005/2006. I feel that it's a pretty good place to go if you want a light reading book giving you a nice survey of I Corinthians and its practical implications. You may wish to know, though, that it doesn't have much in the way of a cohesive thesis and, probably due to being a collection of sermons, it isn't as well written as Dever's other books.

[Benoit Guillot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un excellent livre, par Mark Dever, qui commente, explique et fourni des enseignements très pratiques à partir de ce que Paul a écrit aux Corinthiens dans un contexte où ces croyants faisaient face à des luttes et d'importantes difficultés. Dever prend soin de souligner la puissance de l'évangile dans la façon dont Paul intervient auprès des chrétiens de Corinthe. Son amour pour eux, à l'exemple de l'amour de Christ pour nous, est évident. Un livre simple à lire et très édifiant!

[Herb Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book...exposition of 1 Corinthians. Reads a little like a book of sermon notes in places but even at that it gives you insight into how good sermons are constructed. I appreciated the emphasis on the church and the gospel throughout the book.

[Matt Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful walk through the main points of application in 1 Corinthians to the local church. My only criticism is that in a desire to get through the whole letter and cover nearly every verse, sometimes it leaves you wanting for more depth. But otherwise a great read.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very practical exposition of 1 Corinthians for church health.

[Mike Crews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great exposition of this book of the Bible. Wish I had read this last time I preached through 1 Cor.! I especially appreciated the section dealing with a woman's "head covering."

[Glyn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though some of the chapters seem to be focussed on a sub-point of the text or at least given the wrong title, this book is still worth the read for any pastor or want-to-be pastor.

[Josh Smetzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good commentary / sermons on 1 Corinthians.

[Jon Anderson]

Based on sermons preached by the author, Dever does a good job of handling large sections of Biblical passages and showing how pieces fit together. The downside is some specific issues have to be passed over or handled in cursory fashion. Good supplement to commentaries that deal with details.