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Marks Of A Healthy Church - It Takes Everyone by Pastor Kevin Feder

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My desire is to add a series of blogs about what a healthy church should look like. This isn’t to suggest that our church isn’t currently healthy. I think there are many great signs that we can rejoice in. The real reason I want to educate us on this topic is because I believe it will help us to gain a clearer sense of identity as we seek to stabilize and rebuild in 2021. 


For this series I will be commenting and summarizing the book by Mark Dever: What Is a Healthy Church? There are nine different aspects Dever points out so you can imagine there will be at least nine blogs relating to this topic. Since I won’t be covering one of the marks today, there will be a minimum of ten. 


I know the suspense is killing you as you curiously await the unveiling of the first mark. Before we discuss what that is I would like to point out that knowing what a healthy church is and isn’t applies to everyone in the congregation, not just the church leaders. When Paul writes his letters he addresses the entire congregation, not just the pastors. Here is a quote from Mark Dever:


“Yet by following the apostles’ example and addressing you, pastor and members alike, I believe I’m placing responsibility where, humanly, it ultimately belongs. You and all the members of your church, Christian, are finally responsible before God for what your church becomes, not your pastors and other leaders-you.”


True, pastors will give an account before God for how they have led their congregation (Hebrews 13:17). On the other hand, every Christian in the church is a disciple of the Lord who will also give an account for the type of culture you helped to establish and promote. Consider Hebrews 10:24-25


Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.


Thus, every believer not only has the opportunity in shaping a church culture but the calling as well. Just as pastors will stand before God to give an account of how they led the congregation, so each member will stand before God and give an account for the ways they were involved as well. Every believer is called to help maintain the right teaching of the gospel, this includes how the church practices the hope of the gospel. 


In this way, healthy churches are not just created and sustained by pastors, they are created and sustained by the entire congregation as they respond to God in faith. May we together understand the role to which God is calling every one of us to accept it as our obedience to Christ. 


In Christ, 

Pastor Kevin

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