A Newly Updated and Rebranded Edition of The Deliberate Church
In the process of building a church, there are many things to consider-who will the elders be? How many seats should the sanctuary have? What type of music will the musicians play? Even more important-how do leaders ensure that the church is centered on the gospel?
In this practical guide, pastors Mark Dever and Paul Alexander have compiled a handbook for pastors and church leaders on how to build a healthy church grounded in the gospel. The authors offer a helpful framework for building this type of ministry: laying the groundwork (evangelism, new membership, church discipline), structuring the gathering (preaching, worship, ordinances), designating the elders (their importance, requirements, and installation), and encouraging devotion to prayer and God’s word. A companion resource to Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, this practical guide presents new and seasoned pastors alike with a vision of the church deliberately structured to display God’s glory.
304 pages.
View excerpt here.
Foreword
Introduction
Section 1: Gathering the Church
Chapter 1: The Four Ps
Chapter 2: Beginning the Work
Chapter 3: Doing Responsible Evangelism
Chapter 4: Taking in New Members
Chapter 5: Doing Church Discipline
Section 2: When the Church Gathers
Chapter 6: Understanding the Regulative Principle
Chapter 7: Applying the Regulative Principle
Chapter 8: The Role of the Pastor
Chapter 9: Evangelistic Exposition
Chapter 10: The Roles of Different Gatherings
Chapter 11: The Role of the Ordinances
Chapter 12: Loving Each Other
Chapter 13: Music
Section 3: Gathering Elders
Chapter 14: The Importance of Elders
Chapter 15: Looking for a Few Good Men
Chapter 16: Assessment
Chapter 17: Why Character Is Crucial
Chapter 18: Getting Started
Chapter 19: Staffing
Section 4: When the Elders Gather
Chapter 20: The Word and Prayer
Chapter 21: The Agenda – What to Talk About
Chapter 22: Decision Making – How to Talk about It
Conclusion
