Notes from T4G: Three Errors in a Churches Display

These may seem a little late in coming since I attended T4G at the beginning of April.  It is, however, deliberate that I have waited a month to post these.  I wanted to wait a few weeks and let the conference high wane and then look back over my notes and see what really stuck. 

One of my favorite messages at T4G was the one given by Mark Dever.  He is one of those unique pastors that will say something only in passing that could potentially spark an entire book.  I have several one-liners like this scattered throughout my notes that Dever just kind of added as side-notes to his message. 

I am not confident that I titled this correctly.  Towards the end of his message Dever listed three common errors of churches in the way that they present their church.  The church is to be the display of God’s glory and character.  What Dever listed here are three common errors of display:

1. To present a church without holiness.  It can be really tempting to want to present the church as tolerant and accepting of all types of sinners—even those that are unrepentant.  Yet, our motivation must be the love of God that is contrary to this world.  If anyone knows Mark Dever this one comes as no surprise.  It is the next two that I was glad Dever emphasized…
2. To present a church without suffering.  True Christianity calls us to suffering and not away from it.  Dever rightly denounced the health and wealth gospel, and then challenged those of us in attendance to consider if we ourselves are selling a soft prosperity gospel.  He then said, “If you want to get a lot of fake Christians in your church, tell them that picking up the cross daily is for those who order Extra Large when they order their spiritual meal.”
3. To present a church without love.  One of the most provocative things Dever said here is that he often tells young guys that like to read the Puritans that if they refuse to get up early to help a 90-year old guy get to church perhaps they aren’t Christians.  A church without love will attract theological accountants.  I found this part especially helpful.  Many (undoubtedly those who view it from a distance) would accuse the church Dever pastors of being unloving.  But Dever made a great argument that a community of true biblical love is both repellent and attractive. 

Dever’s entire message (False Conversions: The Suicide of the Church) is worthy of watching and reflecting upon.  You can do so here:

Review of The Trellis and the Vine by Marshall and Payne

Author: Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

Pages: 206pgs

Publisher: Matthias Media

Price:  11.99

Genre: Ministry/Church Resources

Quick Summary:

“According to this book, Christians are to be disciple-making disciples and pastors are to be trainers. Superb! This book sets out a crucial shift that is needed in the mindset of many pastors. The authors have carefully listened to the Bible. And they've worked on this book. The result is a book that is well-written and well- illustrated, but even more, a book that is full of biblical wisdom and practical advice. This is the best book I've read on the nature of church ministry."

That is how Mark Dever described this book. The authors of this book want to see a ministry mindset shift. Instead of simply engaging in trellis work Payne and Marshall encourage church leaders to spend their time on vine work. Trellis work is working on the structures, programs, that supports the vine and its growth. Vine work is the actual doing of ministry. In this book church leaders are encouraged to turn the way they think of doing ministry upside-down (or perhaps right side up).

What I Liked?

Mark Dever is right, this really is one of the best books on the nature of church ministry that I have read. Some of these things I have known and believed for some time—but was unsure how to articulate them. Marshall and Payne articulate these principles in ways that I would have only dreamed of. But this is not just some pie-in-the-sky approach to ministry, this stuff is practical. The problem is this type of ministry (though very biblical) calls for a patient plodding approach, so it probably will not be flying of the shelves. Many will probably “try it” and then when immediate results do not happen will pick up the “next great thing”. If you like 9Marks type stuff you will like this book.

What I Disliked?

I am completely sold on what is being proposed in this book. I cannot think of any specific thing that I would disagree with or greatly dislike. I was greatly challenged by some chapters, encouraged by others, and helped by all of them.

The only “problem” that I have is wondering how to implement some of these things. I would love to see a sequel; sort of like Dever did with The Deliberate Church. There is just one question that I have how do you do Vine work when your people are expecting Trellis work? I know it’s through patient teaching of the Word—but do you do both until the Word really sinks in and the congregation catches the vision?

Chapter 12 and a couple of the questions in the end really do attempt to answer this question. I may just desire being spoon fed. In the end this is probably not a “hole” in the book as much as it is a “hole” in my intellect and experience.

Should You Buy It?

Absolutely. If you are involved in leadership at church you should read this. It would be helpful I think for any believer to pick this up. You can get it from Monergism now for a little over 10 bucks and it is well worth every penny.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Watch Mark Dever plug this book:

How to win the “best book on the nature of church ministry”

That is how Mark Dever described The Trellis and the Vine. 

According to this book, Christians are to be disciple-making disciples and pastors are to be trainers. Superb! This book sets out a crucial shift that is needed in the mindset of many pastors. The authors have carefully listened to the Bible. And they've worked on this book. The result is a book that is well-written and well- illustrated, but even more, a book that is full of biblical wisdom and practical advice. This is the best book I've read on the nature of church ministry."

And this book can be yours for absolutely FREE.  You have three chances to win.  If you do the third one your name will be entered three times in the drawing. 

1. Leave a comment with your name
2. Leave a comment with your name and how you subscribe to this blog
3. Leave a comment with your name, how you subscribe to this blog, and a link to this article on your blog.

That’s it.  You have until 11:59 PM Saturday, June 5th.  Winner will be announced on Monday. 

Note: Jeremy has yet to claim his prize from the previous drawing.

Thinking Through ‘The Deliberate Church’: Foreword

A couple of years ago I read Mark Dever and Paul Alexander’s excellent book The Deliberate Church.  Recently a friend of mine as well as a couple other people have made mention of this book.  I thought it would be helpful to journey through this book with a few other believers.   It has been awhile since I read it and could certainly use other believers to think through some of these issues—especially others from different churches.  I will attempt to summarize each chapter (so maybe those that are not reading the book can still follow along) and then ask a few questions that we can discuss in the comments. 

If you have not bought this book yet, you really should.  It is only $8.99.

Quick Summary:

Dever wonders ‘why did you buy this book’?  Accident, discouraged, wanting to make an impact, disillusioned, or looking for new life in your church (the next great thing)?  Regardless of the reason for your purchase (or following along with us as we read through it) it is important to know from the beginning what this book is not.  It is not new, it is not a program, and it is not a quick fix.  This book is not about innovation it is about biblical faithfulness.

Dever defines the purpose simply as this: “To be deliberate about treating the biblical Gospel as that which feeds the church’s growth, drives its progress, and governs every aspect of the church’s corporate life and leadership.” (21) 

The foreword is closed out by asking a very important question:  Is it replicable?  Thankfully, it is absolutely replicable.  It is important as well to catch what Dever says on page 23, “[these] are not intended to be taken as either exhaustive or exclusive, but simply as an attempt to revive a warm conversation about how we feed, lead, and protect the flock of God.”  It will take patience and it depends on the sovereignty of God.  The goal is faithfulness. 

Quotables:

“Healthy growth takes time, prayer, hard work, patience and perseverance.”  (20)

“Our goal isn’t to see how innovative we can be.  Our goal is to see how faithful we can be.”  (21)

“…human method has to remain plain, or else it will naturally supplant the Gospel’s rightful role…the Gospel is cast in bold relief against the backdrop of our own admitted weakness.”  (22)

Questions:

• So why did you buy this book?  Or why do you want to discuss it? 
• What do you think of this statement: “When the Gospel enjoys functional centrality, the church gains traction in the culture…”?
• This one is from the book:  “Does the Gospel enjoy functional centrality in your church?  Why or why not?  Are there ways in which your current model of ministry might siphon off the glory of the Gospel for itself?  How so? 
• What other thoughts and questions do you have?

Review of Mark Dever--The Gospel and Personal Evangelism

Author: Mark Dever

Pages: 124 pages

Publisher: Crossway

Price: 7.49 USD

Genre: Evangelism/Missions


Quick Summary:

On the back cover J.I. Packer sums up this book the best when he says, “For most of us, personal evangelism is the reverse of easy, and so it becomes a task we evade. Mark Dever writes to shake us up about this, clearing our heads as to just what evangelizing involves and motivating our hearts to go to it realistically and responsibly. This is a word in season that will surely do a great deal of good”.

Dever’s aim in this book is to “connect some of the dots in our thinking”. He does this by asking 7 basic questions: Why Don’t We Evangelize? What is the Gospel? Who Should Evangelize? How Should We Evangelize? What Isn’t Evangelism? What Should We Do After We Evangelize? Why Should We Evangelize? All of these questions serve as the frame for the book. Dever then closes by considering the sovereignty of God in evangelism. Each chapter is concise yet packs a punch.

The greatest book that I have read on evangelism is, by far, Will Metzger’s Tell the Truth. Dever adds little to that work. However it also does not detract from the central message of Metzger’s work. Both exalt the supremacy of God and the ultimate God-centeredness that must mark biblical evangelism. Dever’s book will be appreciated because it is more concise and a little easier read (though Metzger’s is not difficult). One of the easiest ways to sell a book, especially in the Reformed community, is to put the name Mark Dever on it. Because of his growing popularity this important message will find itself in churches than Metzger’s would. Therefore, it is a helpful addition to the corpus of books on evangelism.

What I Liked:

If Dever adds anything to Metzger’s work it would be in the first chapter. He goes much more in depth in his considerations of why we do not evangelize. The reader will be motivated and at the same time unable to hide behind any of our typical paltry excuses. Dever also shines in telling us what evangelism is not. It is a much needed, and hopefully welcome, rebuke to consider the fact that results are not to be confused with evangelism. The concluding chapter might be an offense to some (those not of the “Calvinistic” persuasion), but Dever does a wonderful job, as did J.I. Packer before him, of showing that the sovereignty of God should motivate rather than hinder the cause of evangelism. That is a much appreciated truth. Another positive throughout the book is Dever’s storytelling ability. It keeps the book light-hearted and yet pointed at the same time.

What I Disliked:

My biggest criticism of Dever’s work is that it adds little to the discussion. However, this is a very unfair comment. Dever’s intent is not to be a pioneer. He does not intend to write a landmark work like Metzger’s Tell the Truth. Dever’s aim, as it appears, is to make simple what men like Metzger labored to communicate. Therefore, he succeeds. I personally would rather read Metzger, so I must honestly say in that regard that I got very little out of this work personally. However, I am able to see it’s great value as a launching pad within the church.

Should You Buy It:

I suppose I should ask, what is your intent? If you want an excellent quick read that is going to still pack a weighty theological punch, then buy this. If you want a more detailed exposition and a deep explanation of what the gospel is, along with a compare and contrast of a God-centered and man-centered gospel, then by all means get Metzger’s work. If you desire to start a small group study with your church—buy Metzger for the leader and work through Dever as a church. All in all, I would heartily recommend this book; but especially for new believers.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars