How to Build a Healthy Church: A Practical Guide for Deliberate Leadership (Second Edition) (9Marks) Paperback – August 24, 2021

Every church leader should read this book.It's very practical and will give you a guidance on how to actually do church God's way.

To me this is the book you would hand a pastor if they were coming in off the street on their first day of work. Of course, pastors come in with training and experience, or at least seminary, but still the chapters here are super helpful down to the details on things not to miss in different aspects of ministry.

How to Build a Healthy Church is a book that describes the ministry philosophy and methodology currently employed at Capital Hill Baptist Church. The author believes his perspective on church growth and church health is more biblical than those currently in circulation because his is firmly rooted in the gospel. Other church growth and church health approaches, the author claims, are based on business and sociological paradigms and are consequently rooted in pragmatism.Instead of building one's church based on community studies and demographic targeting, the author insists one should build the church based on the preaching and teaching of the Bible and the proclamation and implications of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead of leading and managing one's church based on the latest business and leadership insights, the author insists one should lead and manage the church based on scriptural guidelines and principles.Even if you agree with and implement the author's ministry philosophy and methodology, the author is careful to note that church growth and health are not guaranteed. What the church leader should be most concerned about is not church growth, but being faithful to the teachings of the Bible and the gospel. After all, it is God who causes the church to grow, and it is faithfulness and obedience to Scripture that leads to church health.That being said, the author briefly walks the reader through the various aspects of pastoral and church ministry and how they are done at his church. The author does take some time detailing the nuts and bolts but generally leaves the heavy lifting to the resource recommendations at the end of each chapter. Each chapter also contains several questions that are meant to stimulate the reader's memory and thoughts about the content the author just covered.After reading How to Build a Healthy Church, a church leader must decide if the ministry model employed at CHBC is truly one of a growing and healthy church. If so, then how can this model be applied and adapted to fit the needs of the leader's church, especially if the church is in a completely different context and lifecycle than CHBC? That will require wisdom and insight that the author does not share.

Encouraging to those who aspire to bring the glory to God through the edification and growth of the local churches!

This is a new addition of Deliberate Church (which I have read). This takes the heart of Deliberate Church (equipping church leaders to build up healthy biblical churches) and merged with the detail of Nine Marks of a Healthy Church for an explosive read. In the book, Dever pointed out the big and small things that need to be pursued by church leaders, and then gives accessible and practical guidance about how to do it.The resemblance the cover has to a workers manual is a true representation of this insightful yet practical work. A book that truly may be judged by its cover. This will assist any pastor who is striving to bring an unhealthy church unto a biblical path.

Have read through enough of this book to know that the title is very helpful for anyone (pastor, layperson) who wants to be involved in building a strong and healthy church that preaches the gospel, loves people (inside and outside the church), and reaches the community for Jesus Christ's glory.Here's what I like about the title:- Covers many, many relevant topics.- Easy to read and understand.- Smooth flow from chapter to chapter.- May be read by a pastor or layperson.- Asks good questions for the reader to consider.Very good read and will be a helpful future reference. Recommended.

I'm a new fan of these 9Marks books. This volume is saturated with Scripture. It is extremely practical in giving the authors' experienced perspectives on how the church should operate in today's North American culture. This book seems to cover every aspect of the church from biblical preaching to Sunday evening services the relationship between staff, elders and deacons. This is a practical guide that every church leader should read and discuss with their coworkers.

In an age where so many churches are interested in reengineering success through “church-growth strategies,” “How to Build a Healthy Church” (an updated version of “Deliberate Church”) is premised on a radical and profoundly Biblical assumption that Scripture is sufficient for the church. So instead of trying to show how to make a church grow, Alexander and Dever show us how to make a church faithful to the Bible and the Gospel.