Over all things in Dever’s 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, there are three that stick
out the most as needed for my church to work on. The first and biggest issue is
the lack of evangelism. So many churches today have become introverted, or
focusing on the cultivation of their own gardens, that they do not see the harvest.
“To evangelize is to declare on the authority of God what he has done to save
sinners, to warn men of their lost condition, to direct them to repent, and to
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”[1] This is a requirement of the Christian faith,
and all too often, churches are not doing this. “Anyone faithfully relating the
essential elements of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ is evangelizing.
Evangelism occurs whether the words of the gospel are spoken, written, or
recorded; delivered to one person or to a crowd.”[2] Jesus is explicit to go and
make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), to go into all the world (Mark 16:15), and that
He is sending us (John 20:21).[3] This is a sore subject among churches that is
often tacked up to be a “job for the professionals.”[4] However, the reality is that
evangelism can be uncomfortable thing that and many Christians simply do not to
put the time, effort, and be in the situation that this may require. One way to battle
this is to make it routine, or to have a class on evangelism that trains and
disciples people to evangelize.
d d d d d d d d d d Another aspect that my church needs help with is discipleship growth.
Discipleship is the core of what being a Christian is about. “The New Testament
idea of growth involves not just more people, but people who are growing up,
maturing, and deepening in the faith.”[5] It is crucial that a church grows in its
discipleship. This does not necessarily mean numbers. This means a committed
group of Christians, committed to Christ, and submitting their lives to Him. One
way our church could grow more is to employ small groups. Currently there is a
push for home based small groups within the church called “iCare.” These groups
failed however as they (according to our pastor) became nothing more than bible
studies that went over the previous weeks message. The essential for a small
group is that they are guided by a leader, have regular meeting times, open God’s
Word, are united in serving with using their spiritual gifts, and Prayer.[6]
d d d d d d d d d d The last part of church growth that needs to happen is church discipline.
God calls us to be accountable to each other and to confess our sins to one
another (James 5:30). “In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus also clearly calls us to
rebuke others for sin, even publicly, if need be.”[7] Everyone sins, but it is
interesting how on Sunday, many people (in every church I’ve ever visited) put on
their Sunday best, act like nothing is wrong in their lives, and then go home to sin
some more. There is no more real in the church in the sense that we all need
God, and we are sinners in need of a savior. Our church can be open about
discipline, in showing the way we should live in the sermons, calling out sin, and
reminding everyone that we are all sinners saved by grace alone, and not how we
dress up on a Sunday, or act one day out of the week.
References
Dempsey, Rod; Earley, Dave. Leading Healthy, Growing, Multiplying Small
Groups. (Lynchburg: Liberty University Press, 2016)
Dever, Mark. . 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. ( Wordsearch. Crossway: 2015)
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. (NavPress:
Colorado Springs, 2014)
[1] John Cheesman, et.al., The Grace of God in the Gospel (Edinburgh: Banner of
Truth, 1972) 119.
[2] Donald S. Whitney. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. (NavPress:
Colorado Springs, 2014) 120
[3] All Scripture unless otherwise noted is from the New King James Bible, 1982
[4] Mark Dever. 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. ( Wordsearch. Crossway: 2015) 136
[5] Ibid 213.
[6] Rod Dempsey and Dave Earley. Leading Healthy, Growing, Multiplying Small
Groups. (Lynchburg: Liberty University Press, 2016) 32
[7] Mark Dever. 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. ( Wordsearch. Crossway: 2015) 183
