Basics - Bible Study Book: Understanding the Foundations of a Healthy Church

by Mark Dever, Philip Nation, Jonathan Leeman

Church Basics Bible Study Book  includes small-group experiences for six sessions, individual study opportunities, applicable Scripture, "How to Use This Study," and tips for leading a group. A leader guide is included at the back to help leaders navigate the content while developing better practices for small group leadership.  God cares about His glory, and He wants to display His glory through the church. God's revelation, purpose, and will are perfect. However, because He's chosen to involve His people in His work, carrying out His mission includes our organization and effort. For this reason, it's imperative that we understand the basics of church. A comprehensive and rich understanding of the church, its organization, and its practices strengthens our service and ministry as the body of Christ on earth.  Church Basics Bible Individual study may be customized for the group or even for each individual. Study options include a weekly reading plan, journaling exercises, and interactive devotions.  Session Robert Bruce Jamieson III is a PhD student in New Testament at the University of Cambridge. He previously served as an assistant editor for 9Marks and is the author of Going Why Baptism Is Required for Church Membership. Jonathan Leeman (PhD, University of Wales) is an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., the editorial director at 9Marks, and the author of  Don't Fire Your Church The Case for Congregationalism . Mark Dever (PhD, Cambridge) is the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and the president of 9Marks. He has written multiple books on the church, including  The The Gospel Made Visible .

112 pages, Paperback

Published May 2, 2016

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.