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Book Review: Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever
Wednesday, 12 August, 2026
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church grew out of a sermon series preached by Mark Dever to his congregation at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. First published in 2000 and now in its third edition (2013), the book is a sustained argument that most contemporary churches have confused numerical growth, cultural relevance, and program excellence with genuine health. Dever contends that a truly healthy church is built not on technique but on faithfulness to Scripture across nine identifiable marks. The book is organized in two movements. The first five marks address the content of the church's message — preaching, theology, the Gospel, conversion, and evangelism. The last four address the community of the church — membership, discipline, discipleship, and leadership. Dever writes not as a theorist but as a practitioner who has applied these principles for more than two decades at one congregation, watching them produce a church that is neither liberal, seeker-sensitive, nor merely traditional but genuinely biblical. The third edition was revised in light of nearly twenty years of pastoral experience and includes updated prefaces, a foreword by David Platt, and a more mature reflection on what Dever has learned. The 9Marks ministry (9marks.org) has since grown into a global network of resources, churches, and training rooted in these nine convictions.
