Membership
How Formal Membership Makes the Church a Family
By Caleb Greggsen | 11.02.2020If you want the church to feel like a family, commit to formal church membership.
When Looking for a Church, Beware the “Right Fit”
By Murray Campbell | 08.31.2020“I’m looking for a church that’s just like me.” Few people would say it quite so crassly, but the sentiment is common.
A Strict But Clear Definition of the Church Brings Freedom
By Caleb Greggsen | 08.24.2020How would you, according to Scripture, define the church? Does this definition free you up or weigh you down?
Build Fences Around Your Flock
By Joel Kurz | 9Marks Journal: Shepherding: The Work & Character of a Pastor | 06.30.2020We must guard the sheep against wolves. For this reason, we must know how to build fences; that is, we must lead our church in practicing meaningful membership and discipline.
Whacking the Wolves
By Juan Sanchez | 9Marks Journal: Shepherding: The Work & Character of a Pastor | 06.30.2020How should we confront the problem of wolves in the church? At times, we must protect the sheep by whacking the wolves with the shepherd’s rod.
What Should I Do With Those Who Are Unable or Unwilling to Attend Church When We Start Gathering?
By Nick Gatzke | 05.19.2020Gathering together again will be a great joy for many and a unique challenge for some. Let’s make sure that no one is left behind in the post-Covid church.
Has COVID-19 Made 9Marks Raise the White Flag on Multi-Site and Multi-Service Churches?
By Jonathan Leeman | 05.13.2020There’s a difference between short-term accommodations and permanent structures.
How Can We Care for Our Church Members During COVID-19?
By B. Johnson, C. Mwanza, J. Wiesner, K. Edward Copeland, M. Lohmann, T. Shepherd | 05.01.2020We asked pastors how they’d been serving their people since the pandemic disrupted regular ministry.
Make Sure Your Members Are Christians, Not Just Immigrants
By Jeremy Yong | 04.30.2020This article is written to pastors who serve in an international setting. If that’s you, I have but one piece of counsel: you must make sure your church members are Christians, not simply immigrants or expats.
Opportunity or Accommodation? Thinking Through Cultural Practices in the Immigrant Church
By Geoff Chang | 04.10.2020Different cultural practices can create an opportunity for growth or lead to a compromise of the gospel. How can churches discern whether or not they’re on the road to compromising the gospel?
Why We Produced the Church Questions Series
By Sam Emadi | 04.09.2020The church isn’t just one aspect of the Christian life, it’s the context of our Christian life—it shapes all the other aspects of our Christian obedience.
Does the Book of Acts Teach Spontaneous Baptisms?
By Caleb Morell | 03.10.2020The claim that Acts demonstrates a uniform pattern of spontaneous baptisms is overstated.
The State of the Immigrant Church
By John Lee | 02.03.2020It seems many immigrant churches are in the midst of a divorce. Why?
Missionaries Need to Know What a Church Is: A Lesson from Adoniram Judson
By Geoff Chang | 01.17.2020The goal of missions is not merely individual conversions. Rather, it’s to see indigenous, gospel-preaching churches planted.
Nominal Christianity—Not Complementarianism—Leads to Abuse
By Caleb Morell | 9Marks Journal: Complementarianism: A Moment of Reckoning | 11.22.2019Conservative views on marriage and family are not sufficient in and of themselves to create healthy families and marriages. Church participation and membership make a huge difference.
