It is written in four sections: Gathering the Church, When the Church Gathers, Gathering Elders and When the Elders Gather. The first 5 chapters have to do with gathering the church. In those chapters, the basics of church are outlined, starting with preaching, praying, personal discipleship and patience. Also included is how to begin the work (clarifying the gospel), followed by responsible evangelism, the importance of church membership and why it should be limited to believers, and finally, doing church discipline.
The second section deals with the operation of the church when she is gathered together for worship. The first two chapters of this section discuss what Dever calls the “Regulative Principle” which briefly states that everything we do in a corporate worship gathering must be clearly warranted by Scripture. Clear warrant can either take the form of an explicit biblical command, or a good and necessary implication of a bilical text. From this principle, the authors argue that God cares about how people worship! This section also includes the role of the Pastor, the roles of the different gatherings (Sunday school, morning worship, evening worship, mid-week services, etc…, the roles of the ordinances, loving one another and music.
The third section deals with finding elders. This ultimately comes down to a character issue based on the qualifications outlined in I Timothy and Titus. Once qualified elders have been recognized, elected and installed, the last section deals with how the elders function when they gather for meetings.
This is one of those books that every pastor and elder should read and digest, and every member concerned about the status of the evangelical church should read. Not only is it solidly biblical, Dever and Alexander give helpful ideas, many of which have been implimented in their own church. They also give a quality reading list for further study after each section. This isn't a 7-step plan or 12 step program about church. It's an attitude, a way of thinking about what the Bible says the church should look like and then making it happen. Every church in the world should be striving to be A Deliberate Church Read ‘em & Reap!
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The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry On the Gospel - Mark Dever & Paul Alexander
