Church Membership
Mailbag #43: Relationship to Excommunicated Members; Baptism & the Developmentally Disabled
By Jonathan Leeman | 12.02.2016— How does your church care for an excommunicated member when they show up at church? — Can a person who wants to be a member of the church but is functionally at the level of a child be baptized?
Preach About the Church to the Church
By Keith Collier | 11.16.2016But despite the trend of growing expository preaching, what if a blind spot—a byproduct of 20th-century evangelicalism—exists in our preaching?
Mailbag #41: When the Church Votes “No” on a Clear Discipline Case; The Biblical Case of “Lay Elders”
By Jonathan Leeman | 11.11.2016—What if the congregation votes “no” in a clear case of discipline? —Are “lay elders” a biblical category?
Mailbag #40: Too High a Standard for Church Membership; Where Are Churches Commanded to Gather Weekly
By Jonathan Leeman | 11.04.2016—You say the standard for church membership is nothing more than simply “being a Christian.” But that’s not entirely true, is it? —Where in Scripture are local churches commanded to gather every week?
25 Years Ago, “Nine Marks” Was Born
By Mark Dever | 10.28.2016On October 30, 1991—25 years ago this Sunday—Mark Dever wrote a letter to a church in Massachusetts. They needed a new pastor and wanted to know what they should be looking for. Mark responded with a list of nine must-haves—a list that has since become known as “nine marks of a healthy church.”
Is There Such a Thing as Church Authority?
By Greg Gilbert | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016Here are seven points regarding the keys of the kingdom, and how local churches exercise authority through their use.
A Healthy Church Member Is a Humble Follower
By Thabiti Anyabwile | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016Leadership in the local church is established by God for the blessing of his people. However, for leadership to be effective, it needs to be encouraged and supported by the members of the church.
Church Membership: A Single Woman’s Perspective
By Chelsea Patterson | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016When I first began attending my church, I’d never given much thought to church membership. And if I’m honest, it all sounded a bit dull to me.
A Pastoral Response to Millennial Autonomy
By Kevin McKay | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 08.15.2016The church gives millennials the joys of intimate relationship and meaning, but not in ways most might naturally think.
Twelve Steps to Regain Meaningful Membership
By Mark Dever | 08.12.2016Pastors must again meditate on Heb.13:17 and consider the seriousness of the accounting to God we are to give for those to whom we have given assurance of their salvation. Continued membership in our congregation is giving such assurance.
The Compelling Community: What to Do Next?
By Jamie Dunlop | 08.04.2016Periodically, pastors read The Compelling Community, and then ask us where to start in putting its ideas into practice. Here are three thoughts for your consideration.
Mailbag #38: How to Shepherd Every Member; Shepherding by the “Parish Model”; What’s the “Church” in Matthew 18?
By Jonathan Leeman | 05.20.2016— How can the elders of a large church ensure every member is both known and cared for? — We’d like to divide our church members by families and individuals and then designate them to a particular elder. What do you think of this approach? — In Matthew 18, what does Jesus mean when he says “tell it to the church”?
Book Review: Why Bother with Church?, by Sam Allberry
Review by Casey Hough | 05.12.2016I can hardly imagine a pastor or church member that would not benefit from reading this wonderful book.
Mailbag #36: When Nominating Elders May Cause Disunity; Your 9 Marks Aren’t Enough; A Difficult Pastoral Situation
By Jonathan Leeman | 05.02.2016— Should I move forward with installing a plurality of elders, even if the decision causes disunity in the church? — I agree with your nine marks—but seriously, where are the marks of love and prayer and missions? — The grandmother of an unwed and pregnant teenager wants to have her granddaughter’s baby shower at the church. How should I think through this?
Mailbag #35: Excommunicating a Non-Christian; Elders for Church Plants; Membership Interview
By Jonathan Leeman | 04.22.2016— A church member denies the faith; is the proper response excommunication? — In a church plant, how long you should wait to install the first elders? — What questions should you ask during a membership interview? And what should you do if something like a past divorce comes up?
