How Small Groups Can Foster Church Unity . . . Or Destroy It
By Dave Russell | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022Small groups have the potential to be a tool for maintaining church unity—when they are led wisely.
How to Disagree Theologically
By Jonathan Leeman | 11.08.2022How well do you treat other Christians with whom you disagree theologically?
“Christian Nationalism” Misrepresents Jesus, So We Should Reject It
By Jonathan Leeman | 10.31.2022Christian nationalism doesn’t push forward toward the eschaton, but backward toward the old covenant. It’s anti-new covenant. It nominalizes Christianity and, within a generation, undermines it altogether.
Are Buildings Essential to Healthy Churches?
By Adam Sinnett | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Church Administration | 09.30.2022Does lacking a building put a church at a disadvantage?
The Benefits of Having a Building
By Benjamin Woodward | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Church Administration | 09.30.2022Church buildings are beneficial because they maximize Word ministry, provide stability long-term, are a public witness to the gospel, and help the church better steward its money.
The Church: Universal and Local
By Jonathan Leeman | 08.25.2022Christians throughout history have sometimes emphasized the local or the universal church to the neglect of the other, but a biblical posture emphasizes both.
Book Review: The Loveliest Place, by Dustin Benge
Review by Dan Miller | 08.18.2022‘The Loveliest Place’ provides a straight-forward, clear-headed, devotionally-oriented portrait of what the church is and the glorious work of redemption God is bringing to completion in and through his beloved bride.
There’s Absolutely No Substitute for Face-to-Face Ministry—Not Even for an Apostle
By David Daniels | 08.09.2022Is there something indispensable about in-person ministry, something that simply can’t be replicated through long-distance communication?
Book Review: The Life We’re Looking For, by Andy Crouch
Review by Samuel D. James | 07.21.2022Andy Crouch’s book “The Life We’re Looking For” is a necessary and convicting work that represents precisely the kind of thinking about theology, humanity, society, and the gospel we need right now.
Help! I’ve Been Asked to Deliver the Announcements
By Dave Cook | 07.07.2022Sunday morning announcements at church may be understated, but good ones set the tone for a worship service and keep the congregation informed. The time it takes to do them well is worth it.
Book Review: Saints, Suffers, and Sinners, by Michael Emlet
Review by Mark Redfern | 06.30.2022All Christians—at one time or another—find themselves and those around them to be disheartened and in need of encouragement, idle and in need of warning, or weak and in need of help.
How Strong Trellises Promote Strong Vines
By Paul Alexander | 9Marks Journal: Pursuing Revival While Avoiding Revivalism | 06.14.2022If you drape your vine over a simple trellis with structural integrity, then its fruit is far more likely to mature without bruising.
The Worship Set: Today’s Sawdust Trail
By Drew Hodge | 9Marks Journal: Pursuing Revival While Avoiding Revivalism | 06.14.2022If God really doesn’t care what we do when we gather and it’s up to us to design a “worship experience,” then everything is on the table.
How Movements Can Undermine Churches and Hurt Their Own Cause
By Jonathan Leeman | 9Marks Journal: Pursuing Revival While Avoiding Revivalism | 06.14.2022What pastors, missionaries, and campus leaders need is a vision for church-driven ministry, not movement-driven ministry. This is how we build for the long-run, not for the sprint.
“Finney with a Twist”: Elder Jacob Knapp and the Origins of Baptist Revivalism
By Caleb Morell | 9Marks Journal: Pursuing Revival While Avoiding Revivalism | 06.14.2022Pastors need to understand that a change occurred among American Baptists in the nineteenth century. This change has shaped our intuitions about conversion, membership, baptism, and what it means to practice regenerate church membership.
