Three Marks that need Work
1. Mark Seven: Biblical Church Discipline. We as a church are reluctant to
hold individuals accountable for actions and behaviors that we see that
need to be addressed. Our culture is one of forgiveness and staying out
of other people’s business. However, as Dever says, “We are also
specifically told to judge one another within the church (though not in
the final way that God judges). Jesus's words in Matthew 18, Paul's in 1
Corinthians 5-6, and other passages (which we will consider) clearly
show that the church is to exercise judgment within itself.”[1] I’ve heard
of other churches having a sort of governance in place where members
go before a group of elders whenever disciplinary measures need to be
taken. Perhaps our church could do something like that.
2. Mark Eight: A Concern for Discipleship and Growth. My church has
significantly grown in number since I joined several years ago. Due to
the increase in membership, we’ve built a new sanctuary. However,
there doesn’t seem to be as much of an emphasis on the individual
members growing spiritually. Dever points out, “The New Testament
idea of growth involves not just more people, but people who are
growing up, maturing, and deepening in the faith.”[2] There seems to be
an expectation that individuals will do this on their own. To address this,
our church could mention participation in various ministries which will
allow people to grow spiritually.
3. Mark Nine: Biblical Church Leadership. Our church definitely seems to
look to individuals with titles for leadership. I’ve not seen any evidence
of an expectation that congregates would take on leadership roles.
According to Dever, “Our problem with the model of the apostles is that,
in following it, we present-day church leaders might ascribe too much
authority to ourselves, without deserving such authority. Yet here in Acts
6, we see these very apostles handing over responsibility to the
congregation; it almost seems that they were recognizing in the church
assembly the same kind of ultimate authority, under God, that Jesus
recognized in his statement in Matthew 18:15-17.”[3] To address this,
our Pastor and Ministers would have to encourage the congregation to
take on more of a leadership role.
[1]Mark Dever (2015). (p. 183). Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Crossway.
Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com Links to an external
site.
[2] Ibid., 213.
[3] Ibid., 234.
