10 Marks of a Biblical Church
(Based on The Mission of 9Marks)
We believe the local church is the focal point of God's plan for displaying His glory and discipling the nations. Our vision is simple: Churches that reflect the character of God and proclaim the Word of God. Our mission is to cultivate and encourage churches characterized by these ten marks:
1. Biblical Worship on the Lord’s Day. The primary purpose of the assembling of the “saints” on the Lord’s Day is for the corporate praise of God. Worship is God-centered, 1 Tim. 1:17.
2. Expositional Preaching. This is preaching which expounds what Scripture says in a particular passage, carefully explaining its meaning and applying it to the congregation. It is a commitment to hearing God’s Word and to recovering the centrality of it in our worship.
3. Biblical Theology – Doctrine. Theology is a compound word which means “the Word of God or the Word about God.” Paul charges Titus to "teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). The word “doctrine” is in the Bible and it simply means teaching. Christians are people who go on being taught, Mat. 28:18-20, Acts 2:42. Biblical theology is a commitment to know the God of the Bible as He has revealed Himself in Scripture.
4. Biblical Understanding of the Gospel: The gospel is the heart of Christianity. But the good news is not that God wants to meet people's felt needs or help them develop a healthier self-image. We have sinfully rebelled against our Creator and Judge. Yet He has graciously sent His Son to die the death we deserved for our sin, and He has credited Christ's acquittal to those who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus' death and resurrection. The “Good news” is that the kingdom of God has come in the person, work, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, Matthew 4:17, 23, Mark 1:15, Acts 28:31.
5. Biblical Understanding of Conversion: The spiritual change each person needs is so radical, so near the root of us, that only God can do it. We need God to convert us. Conversion need not be an emotionally heated experience, but it must evidence itself in godly fruit if it is to be what the Bible regards as a true conversion.
6. Biblical Understanding of Evangelism: How someone explains the gospel to others is closely related to how he understands the gospel. To present it as an additive that gives non-Christians something they naturally want (i.e. joy or peace) is to present a half-truth, which elicits false conversions. The whole truth is that God created us to worship, serve, love, and obey Him in every area of life, to glorify Him in everything we do, 1 Cor. 10:31. Our deepest need is spiritual life, and we must repent of our sins and believe in Jesus as Lord and Christ. We present the gospel openly, and leave the converting to God.
7. Biblical Understanding of Church Membership: Being “in Christ” means membership in His visible body, the church. Membership should reflect a living commitment to a local church in attendance, giving, prayer and service; otherwise it is meaningless, worthless, and even dangerous. We should not allow people to keep their membership in our churches for sentimental reasons or lack of attention. To be a member is knowingly to be traveling together as aliens and strangers in this world as we head to our heavenly home.
8. Biblical Church Discipline: Church discipline gives parameters to church membership. The idea seems negative to people today – “didn’t our Lord forbid judging?” But if we cannot say how a Christian should not live, how can we say how he or she should live? The church of Jesus Christ in its members and shepherd-elders actually has a biblical responsibility to evaltuate the life and teaching of its members, particularly insofar as either could compromise the church’s witness to the gospel.
9. Promotion of Christian Discipleship and Growth: A pervasive concern with church growth exists today – not simply with growing numbers, but with growing members. Though many Christians measure other things, the only certain observable sign of growth is a life of increasing holiness, rooted in Christian self-denial, and knowledge of God’s will, how He is to be served in every area of life, not only in the church, but the home, work, society. These concepts are nearly extinct in the modern church. Recovering true discipleship for today would build the church and promote a clearer witness to the world.
10. Biblical Understanding of Leadership: The Bible teaches us that there should be a plurality (more than one) of elders shepherding the flock of God, Acts 20:17ff.
In identifying and promoting these ten marks, we are not intending to lay down an exhaustive list. There are other significant marks of healthy churches, like prayer and fellowship. We want to pursue those ourselves as well, and we want you to pursue them with us. But these nine are the ones we think are most neglected in most local churches today, with the most damaging ramifications. Join us in cultivating churches that reflect the character of God.