Showing results by author "Mark Dever" in All Categories

You may have encountered books on this topic before, but not like this one. Instead of an instruction manual for church growth, this classic text points to basic biblical principles for assessing and strengthening the health of your church. Whether you’re a pastor, a leader, or an involved member of your congregation, studying the nine marks of a healthy church will help you cultivate new life and well-being within your own church for God’s glory.

Penal substitutionary atonement—the belief that Jesus’s death on the cross satisfied God’s wrath against sin—is central to the Christian faith, but frequently debated. Is it just to punish an innocent person in place of the guilty? How can the temporary death of one substitute for the eternal death of many? Why doesn’t the cross grant Christians unlimited permission to sin? In this famous essay, late theologian J. I. Packer analyzes Scripture and the works of early Reformers to defend the truth of Christ’s substitutionary suffering and death, the heart of the Christian gospel.

What is an ideal church, and how can you tell? How does it look different from other churches? More importantly, how does it act differently, especially in society? Many of us aren't sure how to answer those questions, even though we probably have some preconceived idea. But with this book, you don't have to wonder any more.

God’s people are called to a togetherness and commitment that transcends all natural boundaries ― whether ethnic, generational, or economic. But such a community can be enjoyed only when it relies on the power of God in the gospel. In The Compelling Community, pastors Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop cast a captivating vision for authentic fellowship in the local church that goes beyond small groups.

Fully grasp how every part of Scripture fits together to point to and reveal the glory of Christ Jesus. From beginning to end, the Bible reveals the glory of Jesus. But for many Bible readers, it doesn't seem that simple. We're often unsure how the Bible's many stories, characters, events relate...

D. A. Carson's father was a pioneering church-planter and pastor in Quebec. He ministered during a transformative era for French Canada, navigating the harsh realities of persecution and imprisonment faced by Baptist ministers, and ultimately witnessing the spectacular growth and revival in the 1970s. Through Tom Carson's journals and written prayers, along with the narrative and historical background provided by his son, listeners gain a firsthand account of the life of an ordinary pastor during a pivotal era in North American church history.

Longtime pastor and leading authority on church health, Mark Dever draws from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians to tackle 12 major challenges facing the church today. As he presents each challenge, Dever provides practical ways for individuals and churches to respond biblically. Writing for both church leaders and laymen, Dever insists that the health of the local church should be the concern of every believer and that God can overcome the most difficult of challenges.

Evangelism is not only misunderstood, it is often unpracticed. Many Christians want to share the gospel with others, but because those Christians don't grasp the fundamentals of witnessing, they feel intimidated and incapable of sharing the truth of the gospel. Yet those believers fail to recognize that God has already established who and how we are to evangelize. In The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, Dr. Mark Dever seeks to answer the four basic questions about evangelism that many Christians ask: Who should we evangelize? How should we evangelize? What is evangelism? Why should we evangelize?

Trendy new missions strategies are a dime a dozen, promising missionaries monumental results in record time. These strategies report explosive movements of people turning to Christ, but their claims are often dubious and they do little to ensure the health of believers or churches that remain. How can churches and missionaries address the urgent need to reach unreached people without falling for quick fixes?

Capitol Hill Baptist Church, located just blocks away from the center of American power, has a rich 150-year history. Its members have participated in significant world events, advocated for religious freedoms, and spoken out against the moral failings of the times. There's no doubt this church has had a unique impact on evangelicalism from a significant location. But these lively characters and their unique experiences only tell part of this engaging narrative.

If churches are the dwelling place of God’s spirit, why are so many built around the strategies of man? Eager for growth, leaders can be lured by entertaining new schemes, forgetting doctrinal truth as their driving force. Churches must humbly lean on the sufficiency of God’s word. How to Build a Healthy Church challenges leaders to evaluate their motivations for ministry and provides examples of healthy, deliberate leadership. This is more than a step-by-step plan to mimic; it’s a biblical blueprint for pastors, elders, and anyone committed to the church’s vitality.

God means to fulfill the Great Commission through local churches. How did the apostles and the churches of the New Testament obey the Great Commission? By gathering Christians together in churches. The church is God's plan for evangelism, discipleship, and the Great Commission. This connection between the Great Commission and the church dramatically impacts how both leaders and members should think about their work of making disciples. We do it together.

¿Cómo se diferencia de otras iglesias? El autor Mark Dever busca ayudar a los creyentes a reconocer las características clave de una iglesia sana: predicación expositiva, teología bíblica y un entendimiento correcto del evangelio. El escritor sigue el ejemplo de los autores del Nuevo Testamento dirigiéndose a todos los miembros de las iglesias, tanto pastores como a los miembros de la congregación, retándolos a hacer su parte en mantener la salud de la iglesia local.

Many of us have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church. You may even catch yourself asking: If I believe in Jesus, why do I need to join a church? To put it simply, when you are saved from your sin, you are saved into a community characterized by fellowship and accountability.

A pastor is called to be a shepherd of God’s people in the local church. The gift of a godly pastor cannot be overemphasized — but the task of finding a faithful pastor is daunting. In this audiobook, seasoned pastor Mark Dever offers clear, biblical insight to churches in search of new leadership by providing six characteristics to look for in a new pastor, along with 11 suggestions of strategies to implement during the search process.

Neste guia conciso, o pastor Mark Dever trata do fazer discípulos ? ajudar as pessoas a seguir a Jesus ? de forma profunda, respondendo às perguntas: Quem, o que, onde, quando, por que e como discipular? Seguindo o padrão encontrado nas Escrituras, este livro explica como os relacionamentos dedicados a fazer discípulos devem se conduzir no contexto da igreja local, ensinando-nos a cultivar uma cultura de discipulado como parte normal da vida diária.