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.
c c c c c c c c c c 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]
c c c c c c c c c c 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
