Mark Dever - Evangelism, Pastors, and Churches

I can't recall how I first came across Mark Dever, but since that time this man has profoundly affected my thinking about ecclesiology and pastoring. His books The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church and The Deliberate Church are something no pastor or church leadership should be without. Also not to be missed are the fantastic collection of interviews and articles over at the 9 Marks website. A lot of good material here for the benefit of the church.

I'm fudging a bit today with the purpose of this blog: this is neither a sermon nor is it a single one. Instead this is a series of talks given by Dever at the Sovereign Grace Pastors College back in February of last year. I hope the content of these talks will encourage you to extend grace to me. Here's the list:

• What is Evangelism?
• A Biblical Theology of Evangelism and the Gospel
• Evangelism for the Pastor or Preacher
• The Church Practice of Evangelism

I've found this to be a very helpful series personally. As a pastor/church planter, I've found it increasingly difficult to work engagement with unbelievers into a schedule filled with church-related items and it's something I very badly want to change.

Mark Dever - Faith that Works (The book of James)

Mark Dever is known for many things, but especially in regards to his 9 Marks ministry and that he has preached each book in the Bible in its entirety in 35 minutes. He has amazing ability to grasp a whole and preach it, which with books like James may not be as tough as something like Revelation, Leviticus, or Malachi. I have read the prophets in hjs Old Testament commentary and all of the New Testament Commentary that he has written and they are very well done. In light of the theme of the week being faith alone, I thought this would be a great sermon to listen to, which picks up faith in action.

Here is the link!

More about Mark Dever!

Mark Dever, Author and Speaker
Mark 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.