The Deliberate Church - Building Your Ministry on the Gospel

Format 138x205, 246 pages

by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander

Published originally by Crossway, 2005

Forward by D. A. Carson

Dever and Alexander propose a model of complete reliance and submission to the Gospel when building a healthy church. Great resource for pastors, elders, and others interested in the vitality of their church.

Endorsements

"Here is one of the most faithful and insightful pastors of our time, addressing the most crucial issues of church life. Mark Dever refuses to separate theology and congregational life, combining pastoral insight with clear biblical teaching. This book is a powerful antidote to the merely pragmatic approaches of our day-and a refutation to those who argue that theology just isn't practical."

-R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"This book is the perfect example of what a truly practical book on church health and growth should be-it gives concrete guidance for and examples of biblical principles being put into practice in the life and ministry of the local congregation."

-J. Ligon Duncan, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi; President, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

"Rare indeed are books on the church that begin with the Gospel. Rarer still are books that derive methodology for building the church from the Gospel. This excellent book does both."

-C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

"The Deliberate Church shares many of the ministry lessons that Dr. Dever and his colleagues have learned from Scripture and sought to implement in the life of their church community. This book is for anyone who wants to get serious about following the biblical pattern for the church and is looking for down-to-earth practical help."

-Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College

"Here is a novel idea: use the Bible as a handbook to gather and guide the church! And The Deliberate Church is a novel volume indeed, standing amid the spate of 'church-as-corporation, pastor-as-CEO' manuals that glut church life. Here is a book that wafts a radical, refreshing breeze from the pages of Scripture that will breathe life into the church. A crucial read."

-R. Kent Hughes, Author, Disciplines of a Godly Man; Senior Pastor Emeritus, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois