Book review: The Deliberate Church
January 25th, 2006
“The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel”
By Mark Dever and Paul Alexander
Overview: From the outset, the authors are clear that the book is not a new program or a quick fix that pastors and church leaders can implement to quickly heal and grow their churches.
It could instead be called a “model of ministry,” but “it’s really just an attempt to be deliberate about treating the biblical Gospel as that which feeds the church’s growth, drives its progress, and governs every aspect of the church’s corporate life and leadership,” the authors write in the forward.
Though the book is geared primarily to pastors, anyone interested in the health of the bride of Christ would benefit from reading it. At 200 pages long, it’s a pretty quick read.
The book is divided into three sections. In the first, “Gathering the Church,” the authors cover such topics as the importance of expository preaching, responsible evangelism, meaningful membership and church discipline.
The second section, “When the Church Gathers,” deals with topics primarily related to worship – the regulative principle, music, the role of the pastor, the role of the ordinances, etc.
The third section, “Gathering Elders,” discusses the wisdom of using elder leadership, what elders do, how elders should be selected and other related topics.
What I liked: The methods and rationale given for how a church should operate are clear, simple and biblical. As I read I felt a kinship with the authors and Capitol Hill Baptist Church because my church shares many of the same characteristics. If more churches would follow the principles outlined in Scripture (as described and explained in this book), our churches would be healthier, Christians would be better disciples and our evangelism efforts would be more potent.
What I didn’t: Nothing major. Though touched upon briefly, an expanded discussion of the role of deacons might have been helpful.
On a scale of 1-10: 8
I would be interested in reading this book. Mark Dever’s “9 Marks” program was actually influential in my becoming a Lutheran, because I saw many of the things that he discussed being taught in Missouri-Synod Lutheran churches that were not being practiced in most SBC or PCA churches. My own ex-pastor from the SBC is a good friend of Mark’s and though we saw many of the great influences there, we knew that if we moved away or if he left, chances are that we might never find that kind of dedication again.
Unfortunately, Jason, you’re right — there aren’t many SBC churches who are practicing the principles that Dever teaches.
A friend of mine just described this book to me as “The Purpose-Driven Church” for thinking people. I thought that was a great way of putting it.