Pastoring

How “Belonging Before Believing” Redefines the Church

By Michael Lawrence | 9Marks Journal: The Underestimated Doctrine of Conversion | 02.29.2012

When we begin to deliberately blur the line, we confuse Christians about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the first place.

The Underestimated Pastoral Power of a Proper Doctrine of Conversion

By Jonathan Leeman | 9Marks Journal: The Underestimated Doctrine of Conversion | 02.29.2012

What is your task? It’s reminding them that they are Christians.

Book Review: Being Conformed to Christ in Community, by Jim Samra

Review by Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School | 12.19.2011

For the pastor who’s kept up his Greek and is up for a workout, Conformed to Christ in Community could be worth a read, especially if you skim strategically.

How to Reform a Sunday School Program

By Juan Sanchez | 9Marks Journal: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School | 12.19.2011

For many Christians, Sunday school is a staple of church life. But what do you do when that staple isn’t as healthy as it should be?

How Sunday School Can Change Your Church’s Culture

By Jamie Dunlop | 9Marks Journal: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School | 12.19.2011

Over the last decade our church has discovered an unexpected tool for changing a culture: adult Sunday School.

Why You Want Sunday School

By B. Jamieson, J. Pennington | 9Marks Journal: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School | 12.19.2011

The bottom line here is, if not Sunday School, then where? If you don’t have Sunday school, where are you going to teach people how to study the Bible?

Leadership Interview with Mark Dever

Church Planting and Pastoral Ministry

By D. Patrick, M. Dever | 11.29.2011

Darrin Patrick shares about the struggles of planting a church, leading his family, engaging culture, and more in this personal and wide-ranging interview.

Book Review: Renovation of the Church, by Kent Carlson and Mike Luken

Review by Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.28.2011

This book tells the story of how and why the authors turned a seemingly thriving seeker church into a church in which forming mature disciples of Jesus is the central concern.

Book Review: The U-Turn Church, by Kevin Harney and Bob Bouwer

Review by Brian Croft | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.28.2011

Here are a few ways this book can help pastors who are reforming churches, as well as cautions you will want to consider as you read.

Pastors’ Forum: Do’s and Don’ts of Church Reform

By B. Johnson, G. Kell, M. Dever, M. Lawrence, M. McKinley, T. Anyabwile | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.28.2011

What to do—and what not to do—in the midst of church reform.

Five Unexpected Lessons in Church Revitalization

By Brian Croft | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.28.2011

The gospel can not only build a local church, but rebuild it also—sometimes in surprising, unexpected ways.

Five Factors that Brought Life to a Dying Church

By J. D. Greear | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.27.2011

Only God brings life to dead things. But here are some lessons I learned that I believe contributed to our church’s revitalization.

Be a Tortoise, not a Hare

By Jeramie Rinne | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.27.2011

Perhaps seminaries should offer a class in the exegesis of Aesop. Too often, pastors come to a new congregation and shoot off at a hare’s pace to turn the church around.

Why Revitalize?

By Matt Schmucker | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.27.2011

If you don’t want to be a reformer, you don’t want to be a pastor.

Book Review: Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs, by Bill Hybels

Review by Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 2 | 08.29.2011

Along with much biblical wisdom and good sense, there are a number of assumptions and values in this book that don’t square very well with Scripture.