Pete's Blog

In various posts I may use the (distinct) terms "church" and "Church". When I refer to the latter, I am talking about all believers in the entire world. It can also be called the Church Universal, the Invisible Church or, if properly understood, the Catholic Church (note, not the Roman Catholic Church). But when I use the word "church", I am referring to a local body of baptized believers, gathering in covenant (i.e., membership - for details, consider reading some of Mark Dever's writing on the Sixth Mark of a Healthy Church or Piper), with a structure of authority under Christ, forming an image of the Invisible Church as a witness to the surrounding society.

 

If you want more details on what I think the church is supposed to look like I would highly recommend all of Dr. Dever's materials or even his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.

 

Since this is a "Character" post, I would also like to give a quick word about Dr. Dever. I discovered Dr. Dever originally at desiringGod.org from one of the conferences, but came to grow quite fond of his ministry when I heard an interview that C.J. Mahaney did with Dr. Dever. I agreed completely with his theological views, admired him for his respect for Piper, and had a huge respect for his brillance. It was then that I started reading his articles about local churches and truly adored his desire for precision in defending doctrines. He's probably the pastor that I feel like I can relate to best among contemporary, (relatively) well-known, evangelical preachers. He is also a tremendous preacher. In fact, one thing that keeps me liking him is that he actually preaches the Old Testament. He does a great job with it. In fact, Derek Thomas said, "Mark Dever, of Capital Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., for example, more than anyone else I know, has the ability to preach through large portions of Scripture in one sermon," in the article Preaching from Lengthy Books in the Old Testament.