DMC News: The Healthy Church

Thursday, April 23, 2009

So, how healthy is your church? Mark Dever has nine marks that ought to characterize a healthy church. How does yours rate?...more

pdug said...: It it my job to evaluate that? What is my responsibility if I find something lacking?

I understand the value of Dever's points, but I also wonder if something is being overlooked. My understanding of the traditional marks of the true church (word, sacrament, discipline) were to help people in the chaos of the Reformation era identify the true church from the false. It wasn't just the historical institution claiming apostolic succession, but the institution that actually preached the message of Jesus, offered the sacraments of Jesus, and practiced discipline.

If you didn't have those three, you didn't have an "unhealthy" church, you didn't have a church, period.

I think there is something to be said for being satisfied with the 3 marks of a true church, and sticking with her humbly though all her trials and tribulations. I'm concerned that parishioners being lead to evaluate 9 separate and semi-subjective categories ("is the preaching here expository enough"?) pushes in the trajectory of church-shopping.

Dever, IIRC, aims his ministry at the clergy though, so perhaps my concern is a bit out of his intended context though.; 4:15 PM