Deliberate Church

The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel
Mark Dever, Paul Alexander

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Pastors Mark Dever and Paul Alexander provide a model of a biblical church in this resource for pastors, elders, and others interested in the vitality of their church. This highly practical book proposes an attitude of complete reliance on and submission to the Gospel in building a healthy church.

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Contents

Foreword by D. A. Carson 13
Mark's Preface 15
Paul's Preface 17
Foreword 19
Introduction 25
Section 1. Gathering the Church
1. The Four P's 33
Preaching
Praying
Personal Discipling Relationships
Patience
2. Beginning the Work 43
Clarifying the Gospel
Cultivating Trust
Cleaning the Rolls
Conducting Reverse Membership Interviews
3. Doing Responsible Evangelism 51
Including Essentials
Extending Invitations
Avoiding Entertainment
Avoiding Manipulation
Being God-Centered
4. Taking In New Members 59
Where Is Local Church Membership in the Bible?
The New Members' Class
The Church Covenant
The Membership Interview
The Ministry of New Members
The Margin of Error
5. Doing Church Discipline 67
Formative and Corrective
The Preventative Function of Accountability Relationships
The Context
The Care List
Removing a Member from the Rolls
Section 2. When the Church Gathers
6. Understanding the Regulative Principle 77
The Regulative Principle
Worship Is the Purpose of Redemption
God Cares How People Worship in the Old Testament
God Cares How People Worship in the New Testament
7. Applying the Regulative Principle 81
Read the Bible
Preach the Bible
Pray the Bible
Sing the Bible
See the Bible
On Multiple Services
8. The Role of the Pastor 89
Practitioner of the Marks
Teaching Is Everything
The Day-to-Day
The Three G's
9. The Roles of the Different Gatherings 97
Adult Education Hour
Sunday Morning Service
Sunday Evening Service
Wednesday Evening Service
Members' Meetings
10. The Role of the Ordinances 105
Baptism
The Lord's Supper
11. Loving Each Other 109
A Live, Active Culture
Building a Corporate Witness
12. Music 115
Congregational Singing
Accompaniment
Variety--A Staple Spice
Getting There
Section 3. Gathering Elders
13. The Importance of Elders 131
Brief Biblical Background
The Practicality of Plurality
14. Looking for a Few Good Men 137
Recognizing Before Training
What an Elder Is NOT
What IS an Elder?
Qualification Quadrants
15. Assessment 143
Assessing Character
Assessing Ability
Assessing Fit
16. Why Character Is Crucial 149
Modeling
Meetings
The Great Meeting
17. Getting Started 155
Exposition
Recognition
Nomination
Election
Installation
Cooperation
Rotation
18. Staffing 161
Why Not Specialize?
What's the Alternative?
The Relationships Between Staff, Elders, and Deacons
Section 4. When the Elders Gather
19. The Word and Prayer 173
The Word
Prayer
20. The Agenda: What to Talk About 179
Preparation
Categories for Conversation
The Annual Budget Process
Others in the Room
21. Decision Making: How to Talk About It 189
The Pastor's Role
Speaking Graciously
Observing Order
Voting
Conclusion 195
A Godward-looking Church
An Outward-looking Church
Appendix: Church Membership Interview Form 203
Notes 205
General Index 213
Scripture Index 217

About the Contributors

Mark Dever is Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and Executive Director for 9Marks Ministries. Dr. Dever has contributed to several books on church health and church leadership, and is a visiting professor at both Beeson Divinity School and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Paul Alexander holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill., and currently serves as Contributing Editor for 9Marks Ministries.