The Deliberate Church

Over the Christmas break, I read The Deliberate Church, by Dr. Mark Dever, pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C. Having had a little bit of exposure to Dr. Dever through his 9 Marks of a Healthly Church, I was excited about reading this book, and I was not disappointed (in spite of the terrible cover design!). This book is the most practical yet theologically sound book on church administration I have ever seen.

There were several things that stood out to me about the book. 1) The careful thought that Dr. Dever puts into every area of the church ministry. While you may not always agree with his conclusion, you can't doubt that he has thought through things carefully. Just reading his book will challenge any pastor to think through areas of ministry that may not have gotten much thought. 2) His wonderful understanding of the church as a living body, the importance of the function of each member of the body, and powerful impact such a body can have upon the world that surrounds us. 3) His position on music may provides some interesting theological arguments which may be more powerful with some people than the "Language of Music" approach. 4) This book is the most practical book on church leadership that I have ever read. Dr. Dever does not take the time to detial all the theology behind his practices (for that you need to read "The 9 Marks of a Healthy Church), his theology clearly dictactes his practice, which is unfortunately all too rare. 5) Many of the practical suggestions made in the book reminded me of my days as a church intern and as Pastor Herbster's administrative assistant at Tri-City. In some ways they are cut out of the same mold. I believe they could get along (too bad Dr. Dever is a Southern Baptist!).

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anybody that is in ministry or ministry training.