Sometimes it can be difficult to find a good church. In 2007 my family moved to New Mexico and began a 9 month search for a church home that included listened to sermons, participating in small groups and Sunday school classes, and asking a lot of questions. The three essential marks of a healthy church that Mark Dever describes were very important to us, and we eliminated from the start any church that lacked expositional preaching, biblical theology, or a right understanding of the gospel. Those were non-negotiables that helped us rule out quite a few of the churches we visited. Among those that were left, we could have joined any one of them and participated, to a greater or lesser degree, in the programs and activities of each, but we were able to narrow down our search even further on what Mark Dever calls the six important marks of a healthy church.
A Biblical Understanding of Conversion – Dever states very simply, “conversion equals repentance and faith,” but a more thorough description might be that conversion means turning from self-righteousness and self-rule to receive Christ’s righteousness and surrender to his rule. It is described well in Paul’s first letter to the church of the Thessalonians, where in verse 9 he says that they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” Certainly Dever is right when he says, “True conversion may or many not involve an emotionally heated experience. However, it will evidence itself in its fruit,” and a healthy church will encourage true conversion.
A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism – There are a lot of churches which have membership rolls that are much larger than their average attendance. This is not a sign of health, and it may reflect a poor understanding of evangelism. If a church’s evangelism results in a bunch of members who feel no need to participate in the life of the body, then we have to wonder what that says about their view of conversion. The work of conversion is not the job of the evangelist, it is the role of the Holy Spirit, and therefore evangelism is “presenting the good news freely and trusting God to convert people.” Successful evangelism is measured by our faithfulness to share the message, not by the number of “conversions” that follow.
A Biblical Understanding of Membership – While the NT doesn’t specifically command church membership, there is ample evidence in its pages that every Christian who is rightly related to the Head, who is Christ, will also be rightly joined to the body, the church. Membership involves more than simply adding your name to a list, it requires real accountability and discipleship. Dever says, “By identifying ourselves with a particular local church, we are telling the church’s pastors and other members not just that we commit to them, but that we commit to them in gathering, giving, prayer, and service. We are telling them to expect certain things from us and to hold us accountable if we don’t follow through.”
Biblical Church Discipline – Dever asks, “What exactly is church discipline? In the narrowest sense, it is the act of excluding someone who professes to be a Christian from membership in the church and participation in the Lord’s Supper for serious unrepentant sin–sin they refuse to let go of.” Discipline is necessary for the church to reflect God’s holy character to the world. In order to practice it effectively, a healthy church needs to rightly limit membership to those who are truly converted and willing to follow Christ and remove from membership any who no longer display either of those characteristics.
Biblical Discipleship and Growth – Growth is the evidence of life. Dever explains, “If a tree is alive, it grows. If an animal is alive, it grows. Being alive means growing, and growing means increasing and advancing, at least until death intercedes.” Spiritual growth is marked by an increasing holiness over time. Obviously, none of us will be perfectly holy in this life, contrary to what some churches teach, but true believers who are committed to church membership and discipline will pursue holiness through the denial of their sinful desires and the practice of godliness. Church growth will also be marked by increasing holiness among its members, whether it grows numerically or not.
Biblical Church Leadership – The NT establishes the two offices of elder and deacon. The first is a position of leadership and the second of service. Of course, both offices ought to be filled by genuine servants and both will provide influential leadership to the congregation. The overwhelming evidence of the NT letters, however, makes it clear that the congregation maintains the rightful authority in the church. Dever explains the dynamic this way: “Elders lead, but they do so, biblically and necessarily, within the bounds recognized by the congregation. In that sense, elders and every other board or committee in a Baptist church act in what is finally an advisory capacity to the whole congregation.”