How to Build a Healthy Church: A Practical Guide for Deliberate Leadership

by Mark Dever, Paul Alexander

A Newly Updated and Rebranded Edition of  The Deliberate Church If churches are the dwelling place of God’s Spirit, why are so many built around the strategies of man? Eager for church growth, leaders can be lured by entertaining new schemes, forgetting to keep doctrinal truth as their driving force. Churches must find a way out of the maze of programs and methods and humbly lean on the sufficiency of God’s Word. How to Build a Healthy Church , a revised and expanded edition of  The Deliberate Church , challenges leaders to evaluate their motivations for ministry and provides practical examples of healthy, deliberate leadership. Written as a companion handbook for  Nine Marks of a Healthy Church , it covers important topics including membership, worship, responsible evangelism, and church roles. This is more than a step-by-step plan to mimic; it’s a biblical blueprint for pastors, elders, and anyone committed to the church’s vitality.

Genres: Christian, Ecclesiology, Leadership, Church, Theology, Nonfiction, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

Published August 24, 2021

About the author

Mark E. Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Since his ordination to the ministry in 1985, Dr. Dever has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches, the second being a church he planted in Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Washington in 1994, Dr. Dever taught for the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University while serving two years as an associate pastor of Eden Baptist Church.

In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.

Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.

Reviews

[Josh Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't found in the preface, nor the foreword, but in "A Note to the Reader" at the beginning of the book that I found the following words:

"Healthy growth takes time, prayer, hard work, patience, and perseverance." p.24

In a world (even in church circles) dominated by a "what can you do for me NOW?" mentality, I was refreshed to see these words. In other words, the authors are not interested in quick church growth. They realize that church growth is often a slow, methodical, and painstaking endeavor.

In that same "A Note to the Reader," the authors define what they mean a "deliberate church" is:

"At its best, the deliberate church is careful to trust the Word of God, wielded by Jesus Christ, to do th work of building the local church." p.25

In other words, the word of God builds the work of God!

Although I attended a Bible college which preached and taught the gospel, what was emphasized was the amount of work the pastor did, the size of the church he built, and to what degree the "model church" (church which the college was built around) was emulated. In the years the followed in ministry, I became disullusioned with those emphases. Why? Because they weren't biblical. And that is why I was refreshed to read the following in the Introduction to the book:

"A call to ministry is a call to die - to sin, to selfish ambition, to idolizing your own success, and to enhancing your own image. If you've never died like this in ministry, then chances are you're not doing it right." p.37

This work is truly a nuts & bolts manual for building a healthy church. I like that the authors emphasize a "healthy" church and not just a "big" church. The focus is where is should be on - health. I underlined, marked up, or commented on 194 different thoughts, paragraphs, or sentences in the book. It really is a tremendous source of practical, deliberate leadership material for those leading (or assisting in) a church.

The following are quotes from just the FIRST chapter of the book:

"God's word has always been his chosen instrument to create, convict, convert, and conform his people." p. 41

"One of the most biblical and valuable uses of your time as a pastor will be to cultivate personal discipling relationships, in which you regularly meet with a few people one-on-one to do them good spiritually." p. 46

"Members need to know that spiritual maturity is not simply about their quiet times, but about their love for other believers, and their concrete expressions of that love." p. 47

"The best way to lose your place of influence as a pastor is to be in a hurry, forcing radical (even if biblical) change before people are ready to follow you and own it. It would be wise for many of us to lower our expectations and extend our time horizons. Accomplishing healthy change in churches for the glory of God and the clarity of the gospel does not happen in the first year after the new pastor arrives. God is working for eternity, and he has been working from eternity. He's not in a hurry, and we shouldn't be either. So it is wise to show care for the congregation and concern for the unity of the church by not running so far ahead of them that people start falling behind. Run at a pace that the congregation can keep." p. 48

"Patience in the pastorate requires thinking in terms of twenty, thirty, forty, or even fifty years of ministry. This puts all our difficulties into perspective." p. 49

"If you define success in terms of size, your desire for numerical growth will probably outrun your patience with the congregation, and perhaps even your fidelity to biblical methods. Either your ministry among the people will be cut short (i.e., you'll be fired) or you will resort to methods that draw a crowd without preaching the true gospel. You will trip over the hurdle of your own ambition." p. 50

[Andrew Krom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book encompassing all areas of pastoral ministry. This is a book I will continually reference.

[Troy Solava · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 Read: Our CVBC Elders read this book over about 6 months and it produced a wide range of conversations! I recommend this book to elder teams because it is pretty comprehensive and will get the ball rolling on many areas of church life. Solid!

// 2021 Read: If you have followed 9Marks and Mark Dever’s ministry for a while, this book will not be a surprise to you. But this book is a biblical and practical guide to building a healthy church. In Dever’s classic, 9 marks to a healthy church, he lays out biblical foundations and principles. Here, he takes those principles and practically shows how a local church can live them out week to week.

As a young pastor, this book encouraged me that the simple, yet important preaching of the Word is the chief task of the pastor. This book also convicted me to be patient and trust the Lord. To think not just 5 years but 50 years.

Dever’s work is applicable and excites me to be a pastor!

*Thanks to Crossway for the opportunity to read and review this work prior to release.

[Walter Shaw - · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what it claims to be: a practical guide for deliberate church leadership. Gets deep in the weeds of church membership and elders meetings with lots of helpful suggestions. Classic IXMarks material that I will refer back to if I ever am called to be the lead pastor of a church.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Build a Healthy Church is not a handbook for human success, quick growth, or innovative ideas. It’s a handbook for pastors and elders on how to lead a church to be healthy – that is how to do church intentionally and biblically, in all areas. It is the kind of book that I would like to give to someone who is convinced about the nine marks of a healthy church, and who wants to know how to put them into practice in his church.

[JT Stead · Rating 5 out of 5]

So thankful for this invaluable resource!

[Colby Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly forgot how good this book is.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely practical, almost like a handbook on how to be deliberate on how you do the local church. It’s probably more designed for the typical senior pastor, but could be used to cast vision for a newly-formed elder board as well.

[Ethan Regier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much to be gleaned from here.

[Cole Ragsdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one to keep close by. Dever’s consistency and biblical fidelity is to be admired. It did begin to drag on the back half when it got in the weeds about elders meetings and such. BUT if I’m at a church plant/revitalizing, the attention to detail is appreciated s

How to Build a Healthy Church
- A healthy Church is a Godward looking church. We look in dependence on him for our message, method, and transformation of our churches into the image of Christ.

- the gospel is VISUALIZED in the ordinances of baptism and Lords supper.
- Marks for the church: preaching of gospel + biblical ordinances that dramatize it
- A ministry of magnification

- Chapter 1: The Four P’s
- PREACHING: The primacy of expository preaching. Our authority is the text not ourselves.
- PRAYER: God creates the growth not us.
- PERSONAL DISCIPLESHIP: Accountable to the sheep. BE KNOWABLE.
- PATIENCE: Healthy growth takes time. Dig roots and be planted.
- Chapter 2: Beginning the Work
- Clarify the gospel: When we assume people know, they presume that they know. Share the gospel. Clarify the gospel. Do we live a lifestyle of repentance/belief.
- Chapter 3: Responsible Evangelism
- GOD/MAN/CHRIST/RESPONSE
- Churches are most healthy when the gospel is most clear
- Chapter 4:
- Chapter 5: Formative Discipline v. Corrective discipline
- Sin needs darkness to grow l
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7: READ/PRAY/PREACH/SING/SEE THE GOSPEL (aka how to do a service)
* Adoration confession thanksgiving supplication
- Chapter 8
- Teaching is everything. Everything we do in front of the people is teaching. The way we pray/sing/ordinances..they are learning
- GRAZE: feed the flock the word of God
- GUIDE: sheep need to be led not just fed
- GUARD: defend against false teaching
- Chapter 9: Evangelistic Exposition
- Chapter 10: education classes.
- Once someone has completed all of them they gen attend again with a friend, son/daughter etc.
- service leading is a great opportunity to explain what we’re doing in the service, why we’re doing a particular thing, and why we’re doing it in that way. The WHY’s behind the HOWs…helps the congregation follow our lead
- Chapter 11: ordinances
- Baptism= front door
- Supper= back door
- Visual evidenced of the gospel

[Matthew Bloomquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredibly helpful book. So thankful for the work of Dever in training and equipping pastors. This should be in the hands of every aspiring minister as well as a frequently visited resource of current elders. So clear and practical on a multitude of facets of pastoral ministry.

[Brady Boatwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was gifted this book by a friend of mine (thanks Guyton) but finally got around to reading it for my Pastoral Internship. Great book and such an encouragement as an aspiring pastor, even though Dever doesn't like drums🤷🏻‍♂️

[Andrew Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd time reading this book so it's less thrilling this time around haha😅But very helpful to see many practical ways Dever seeks to implement in the church all of the 9Marks theological principles.

[James Rader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really excellent introduction to the 9Marks model of healthy churches. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is planting a church or trying to build up an unhealthy congregation.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Mark Dever (along with Paul Alexander) expands upon his original book, the Deliberate Church. It takes readers through a detailed explanation of many common practices in church ministry. It explains how to deal with church discipline, how to think about the worship time on Sunday mornings, and how conduct membership interviews, among many other topics. As he explains his church's processes, he often goes back to scripture to illustrate the reason for their way of doing things.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I appreciate Dever's passion for cultivating healthy churches, and it's clear that he desires to strengthen and encourage pastors through this book. I did struggle with the level of detail that the book goes into. One memorable point was when Dever was talking about how to run elder board meetings, and he was so specific in his description that he mentions that his elder board typically meets on Thursday nights. Now, Dever certainly doesn't say that a healthy church depends on following his details to the letter, and he does briefly mention in the beginning that other churches may have different views on certain things, but with how easy it is for Christians to fall into legalism (and believe that a certain way of doing things, rather than God, can fix things), I think it could have been helpful to mention again that there could be multiple ways of conducting ministry. With how specific this book is, it may be less helpful for pastors and leaders in a church that has well developed processes that might look different than Dever's way of doing things, but it could be very valuable for a leader who is looking for different ways of doing things or for a young pastor who in the process of learning how to lead a church.

One other thing that stuck out to me is that this book seems to be written with male readers in mind. There are a couple points where Dever's action points (like finding another man in the church to be an accountability partner) are specifically written to men. It's not a big deal, especially knowing that Dever's personal belief is that only men should be in positions of authority, but it was a little jarring since the description says the book is for "pastor, elders, and anyone committed to the church’s vitality." I had hoped that women might be included in the last part about anyone who is committed to the church's vitality.

Overall, this book will probably be most helpful for pastors and elders, but it could be interesting if someone is interested in a deep dive into the way that one church functions and why they choose to do things a certain way.

A big thank you to Mark Dever and Paul Alexander, Crossway, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!

[Luke Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dever always brings practical biblical wisdom, and in a church his size and more importantly, with the kind of fruit the ministry there has had, he (other leaders from Capitol Hill) are worth paying attention to. That said , where he “falls short” is not so much in the intense Baptist reformed tribalism (he’s well entitled to speak to his convictions) but in the prescriptive nature of how he is presenting healthy church eldership functioning. I was seeking to put my finger on what made uncomfortable…no doubt there was come conviction that came as it was a challenge in parts to align some of my approaches to his and realise that I may need to grow in applying Bible to my setting, but the greater discomfort was that he could spend so much time speaking to processes to appoint elders and establish a healthy church without once speaking to (or mentioning even, open to correction on this as I did listen to it over several months and could well have missed it ?) the need of the Holy Spirit. It is unfortunate, and why I reached the end feeling a little underwhelmed by such strong statements of absoluteness about the Word of God being the only source of a good, healthy church and no discussion about the Spirit and his work, which seems to have been strongly edited out of this healthy church being presented.

[Braxton Schieler · Rating 4 out of 5]

It helps that I agree with pretty much every idea that Dever presents in this book, but there's also something to be said about the underlying principle of being deliberate. Even if you disagree about some of the less vital issues Dever unpacks, he demonstrates what it means to think about every aspect of church life as relating to the glory of Christ and the mission of making his name great. He shows what it looks like to trust the word of God and to avoid reliance on salesmanship and how doing so ensures that it's God that we look at and God that we share with others. The church should look distinct from the world and in our sinfulness we are prone to bring the world into the church without thinking about it. Reading this book is formative not only in what to think about church, but how to think; it stops us in our tracks and makes us take a deep look at the why of what we do and ensures that this why is connected to scripture at its core. In this regard it is convicting, but also encouraging. Since this book is so intensely practical, it is probably best read more slowly than I read it with time taken to do all of the deep thinking questions and scripture readings that are provided.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever wanted to ask Mark Dever, "How did you revitalize Capitol Hill Baptist Church when you started pastoring there?" this book is the answer.

Dever and Alexander give a lot of practical advice. I am hard pressed to find anything to outright disagree with. I do question the wisdom of declaring this book the blueprint for building a healthy church, I think the original title The Deliberate Church was more appropriate, but I understand what they are trying to do with the name change. Just be aware that CHBC is a unique church: highly affluent, highly educated, a moderately large congregation, and in an urban environment with the majority of members living close enough to walk to church. Several of CHBC’s practices would be too onerous to employ in other contexts. However, do not simply throw out this advice because some of it is difficult to implement. There are gold nuggets to be found in this book of pastoral advice.

I suspect this book will be more helpful for people who have one specific question and can turn to that one specific chapter.

[Tyler Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Excellent resource for building a healthy church. Dever blends optimism and realism well as he dispenses both a practical vision and advice for deliberateness in leading the church. This book certainly stirs up a long term vision for a church deliberately led by a plurality of elders to focus on God and the truth of His world while being used in the carrying out of his desires that the gospel would go out as the good news to all the nations.

There's some ambiguity in his description of the composition of an elder body where he seems to suggest at one point that we ought to recognize and pursue a complementary board of elders in terms of gifting and ability and at another point that we ought to cultivate a group of generalists as opposed to specialists. I think his point is that all of the elders are, in fact, pastors, even as they often have differing specific ministries in the life of the church without being pigeonholed into a specific "specialty."

[James Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original title for this book is The Deliberate Church. This new title keeps all of the great material of the original. The book is practical and concise. It is a compilation of answers to many of the common questions Mark Dever would receive concerning a healthy church, polity, staffing, etc.

It is not just practical but also biblical. His answers are given with the pastoral wisdom we’ve come to expect from him and it is filled with Scripture references. Each chapter has a “Think Tank” portion that asks several questions to discuss. I found the chapter on church staff positions the most intriguing. He argues against specialization in pastors and argues more for generalists.

The only negative thing about this book is the corners are rounded, unlike the other 9Marks books. It’s not bad just different.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The more clearly we present Christ's person and work to our local churches, the more clearly we will come to reflect his glory together as if in a mirror. This is why it's so important to begin (and continue!) a work by expositional preaching that clarifies the gospel and makes much of God... Nothing else has transforming power for the church but the Word of God plainly set forth in preaching and in living."

Helpful, biblical, and practical.

I appreciate how the authors stand firm on the Bible on primary issues (expositional preaching, elders, pastor's role, etc) while depending on prudence and wisdom on secondary issues (how should pastors make changes, how meetings should run, staffing, and etc).

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second edition of The Deliberate Church, which was the first 9Marks title I read. It’s also by one of my former pastors, Paul Alexander. So you know it’s going to get 5 stars.

But this legitimately is such a helpful book. It’s far ranging, so don’t expect deep dives on specific topics like you find in other titles. But it’s so practical, constantly points you back to the Bible as the basis of church ministry, and exercises a lot of wisdom in putting those principles to work. If you’re a pastor, I can’t recommend it enough.

[Josh Loomis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple but difficult is a good summation of the advice that Dever and Alexander bring forth in How to Build Healthy Churches. Dever and Alexander have a high standard for churches, elders, and membership. That high standard is both refreshing and challenging as I look towards planting a church in the future. I’m grateful for their challenge to take the long view in ministry and to be faithful to what God calls us to. Great book for those that want to lead a healthy God glorifying church.

[Salvador Blanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never got to read Deliberate Church, but I imagine this edition is much clearer and helpful to pastors.

In the end, the message of this book isn’t a quick growth strategy with flow charts and outlines, but instead a “vision of a whole church deliberately ordered and led so as to facilitate its own edification and ministry” (265). Such work takes “time, prayer, hard work, patience, and perseverance” (24).

[Josh G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biblically oriented approach to church structure, leadership, and ministry philosophy. It lacks nuance in various places and I wish it included material about how to pastor hard-cases in the church. But overall this work presents a strong alternative to the program-driven, staff-led model of church ministry that has become ubiquitous in American culture.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

If every part of this book is applied, it will be revolutionary. If only some of it is applied, it could destroy a church. I’ve got to read it at least one more time before I could have anything intelligent to say, but right now, my mind is blown, daring to believe that there is anyone or any body of believers that actually lives this way.

[Anete Ābola · Rating 5 out of 5]

After you have read Dever's "What is a healthy church?", "9 marks of a healthy church" and maybe even "Polity", this book is useful for pastors and church leaders to help implement the needed changes so that your church can form new, biblical traditions and get rid of all ungodly practices accumulated over time. Helps to think clearly about church issues.

[Joel Rockey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! After reading Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (which gives a Biblical theology of church ministry), I was eager to dive into the sequel. How to Build a Healthy Church did not disappoint. This book serves as an excellent, practical 'how-to' blueprint for building a healthy church. It's packed with valuable insights, and I'll definitely be reviewing and re-reading it again.

[Ben Clouston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well worth purchasing. If you have read any of the 9Marks books and would like a little more direction on the "how I can go about putting this into practice" you will find this book will provide that.

It also works well as a reference book for some practical ideas for specific church life situations.

[Destiny || readingisyourdestiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written for pastors but still very practical and insightful for any church member! Very well written and very easy to understand.

Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to read this book before it is released on August 24th.