Does the Bride of Christ have amnesia? Too many churches have lost their sense of identity. Without knowing who they are, they will never know how they are supposed to function. Every local church would benefit from a self-reflective study of ecclesiology.
What are the best books on church membership and church discipline?
9Marks includes the following titles pertaining to CHURCH DISCIPLINE/MEMBERSHIP on their reading list for pastors:
Handbook of Church Discipline, Jay Adams
The Compromised Church, ed., John Armstrong
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever
Polity: Biblical Arguments on How to Conduct Church Life, ed., Mark Dever
The Reformation of the Church, ed., Iain Murray
Democratic Religion, Greg Wills
Grace Baptist Church of Cape Coral, Florida (pastored by Tom Ascol) shares on its website the following list of recommended books on Church Membership.
Life in the Body of Christ: Privileges and Responsibilities in the Local Church by Curtis C. Thomas.
Life in the Father’s House: A Member’s Guide to the Local Church by Wayne A. Mack and Dave Swavely.
Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love with the Family of God by Joshua Harris.
What Is a Healthy Church? by Mark Dever.
Spiritual Disciplines within the Church: Participating Fully in the Body of Christ by Donald Whitney.
Membership Matters: Insights from Effective Churches on New Member Classes and Assimilation by Chuck Lawless.
The Church Member’s Guide by John Angell James
Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has recommended the following books on Ecclesiology.
Brand, Chad and Stan Norman, eds. Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2004.
Bakke, Ray. The Urban Christian. Downers Grove: IVP, 1987.
Clowney, Edmund P. The Church. Contours of Christian Theology. Downers Grove: IVP, 1995.
Colson, Charles. The Body. Dallas: Word, 1992.
Cowen, Gerald P. Who Rules the Church?: Examining Congregatinal Leadership and Church Government. Nashville: Broadman, 2003.
Dever, Mark. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. exp. ed. Wheaton: Crossway, 2004.
__________. A Display of God’s Glory: Basics of Church Structure. Washington, D.C.: Center for Church Reform, 2001.
Getz, Gene A. Elders and Leaders. Chicago: Moody, 2003.
Hammett, John. Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2005.
Kostenberger, Andreas J., and Thomas R. Schreiner, and H. Scott Baldwin. Women in the Church: A Fresh Analysis of I Timothy 2:9-15 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005.
Malone, Fred. A Defense of Believer’s Baptism. Founders Press, 2003.
Norman, Stan, ed. The Mission of Today’s Church: Baptist Leaders Look at Modern Faith. Nashville: Broadman, 2007.
Saucy, Robert L. The Church in God’s Program. Chicago: Moody, 1972.
Schreiner, Thomas R. and Shawn Wright, eds. Believer’s Baptism: The Covenant Sign of the New Age in Christ. Nashville: Broadman, 2007.
Strauch, Alexander. The New Testament Deacon: The Church’s Minister of Mercy. Littleton, CO: Lewis & Roth, 1993.
________________. Biblical Eldership: Restoring Eldership to Rightful Place in Church. Littleton, CO: Lewis & Roth, 1995.
Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
Webb, Henry. Deacons: Servant Models in the Church. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2001.
Webber, Robert. The Church in the World. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church. Chicago: Moody, 1996.
What books would you add to these lists?
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