Polity
Two Views on Church Authority: Protestant vs. Roman Catholic
By Gregg R. Allison | 9Marks Journal: The Reformation and Your Church | 09.26.2017Think of a three-legged stool. Now imaginatively label one of those legs “Scripture,” label the second leg “Tradition,” and label the third leg “Magisterium.”
Book Review: Church Order in the New Testament, by Eduard Schweizer
Review by Simeon Williams | 09.11.2017Schweizer’s arguments for a perpetually developing polity are unpersuasive because they depend on faulty arguments regarding differences among the apostles.
Church Planting in the Same Building
By Matthew Spandler-Davison | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.20.2017Our church was getting full, and we knew we needed to do something. So, we planted a church . . . in the same building.
When Two Become One: Legal Considerations of a Church Merger
By Jonathan Rourke | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.20.2017This article outlines the legal considerations of a church merger. It’s not a recipe for the success of the marriage, but a roadmap for blending families. It’s not very romantic, but it’s necessary.
You Can’t Plant a Church If You Don’t Know What a Church Is
By Nathan Knight | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.19.2017Ecclesiology can’t be assumed nor should it be considered a distraction to the church planter’s “mission.”
Persecution and the Wisdom of Church Polity
By Caleb Greggsen | 06.07.2017Only a church in relative safety and comfort has the time to talk about polity. Right?
Mailbag 52: Nominating Other Elders When I’m the Only One; American Flags on the Stage
By Jonathan Leeman | 02.17.2017— How does nominating new elders work when I’m the only elder? — Does having an American flag on stage obscure the message of the gospel?
Mark Dever Interviews Jonathan Leeman about “Don’t Fire Your Church Members”
By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 02.07.2017Would you believe it if someone told you church structure actually plays a crucial role in your individual discipleship?
On the Authority of a Sending Church
By Ken Caruthers | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016Let’s ensure that missionaries who leave quickly fall under the authority of a Christ-governed healthy church wherever they are.
Mailbag #37: Congregationalism in China; A Defense of Building Bigger Buildings; Notifying the Recently Disciplined; Supporting a Widow Who Has Left the Church
By Jonathan Leeman | 05.10.2016— How can something like congregationalism work in China, with its networks of related house churches? — The leaders at my church want to build a bigger building, yet it seems to me a waste of money. What should I do? — After someone has been disciplined for non-attendance, should the church notify the person as a final act of congregational care? — Twenty years ago, our church made a commitment to financially support our former pastor’s widow. She has since refused to attend our church. What should I do?
Your Constitution Is a Theological Document
By Greg Gilbert | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016A constitution is not just a technocratic document demanded by your state’s tax office, nor a necessary evil for avoiding conflict in a church. It’s a deeply theological and even spiritual document.
7 Tips for Writing (Or Revising) Your Church Constitution
By A. Nichols, M. Schmucker | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016Writing (or revising) your constitution is not really lawyer’s work, and it need not be drudgery. In fact, it can and should be invigorating.
Not Them! Who You Don’t Want to Revise Your Documents
By Mike McKinley | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016Here are the five kinds of people that you might be tempted to put on your document revision committee, but should avoid if at all possible.
Does Anyone Know Robert? Rules of Order in Church Members’ Meetings
By Bob Johnson | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016Rules of order help to ensure that members’ meetings flow smoothly. As formal as they might feel, in a church of any size, they help to prevent fights, and facilitate unity.
