Jonathan Leeman

New in the popular 9Marks series on healthy church life, Jonathan Leeman offers a short, readable book on why church membership is a critical element in every healthy Christian's maturation.

How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus

Church Membership

Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age

How the Nations Rage

Accessible Guide from 9Marks Equips Believers to Steward Their God-Given Authority In every position of power—from executives and world leaders to church elders and parents— lies the potential for life-giving leadership or destructive corruption. Driven by sinful pride or opportunism, many people abuse their God-given influence, harming the ones they're called to lead and contributing to an intense angst against authority. The answer to bad authority, however, is not no authority, but good authority—the kind that, according to Scripture, causes those under it to flourish. In this compelling guide from 9Marks, Jonathan Leeman shows that authority, done biblically, is not only good, but is essential to human flourishing. Through Scripture and many first-hand stories, he presents 5 attributes of positive authority and warns against sinfulness that corrupts leadership. Pointing to Jesus as the ultimate model of good authority, Leeman equips readers to pursue godly influence in their personal and professional lives. Applicable: Challenges readers to identify weaknesses in their own leadership style and offers 5 attributes of godly authority Engaging: Filled with compelling stories that illustrate key points A Great Resource for Pastors, Employers, Officers, and Parents: Helps readers understand how to practice godly authority in church, at home, and in the workplace

How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing

Authority

how the church protects the name of Jesus

Church discipline

What is the nature of the church as an institution? What are the limits of the church's political reach? Drawing on covenant theology and the "new institutionalism" in political science, Jonathan Leeman critiques political liberalism and explores how the biblical canon informs an account of the local church as an embassy of Christ's kingdom.

The Local Assembly as Embassy of Christ's Rule

Political Church

Collin Hansen

Why the Body of Christ Is Essential

Rediscover Church

“A Christian without a church is a Christian in trouble.” Since a global pandemic abruptly closed places of worship, many Christians have skipped church life, even neglecting virtual services. But this was a trend even before COVID-19. Polarizing issues, including political and racial strife, convinced some people to pull away from the church and one another. Now it’s time to recommit to gathering as brothers and sisters in Christ. In Rediscover Church, Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman discuss why church is essential for believers and God’s mission. Through biblical references and personal stories, they show readers God’s true intention for corporate gathering: to spiritually strengthen members as individuals and the body of Christ. In an age of church-shopping and livestreamed services, rediscover why the future of the church relies on believers gathering regularly as the family of God. Published in partnership with the Gospel Coalition and 9Marks.

Jamie Dunlop

Benjamin Merkle

Matt Schmucker

Phil Newton

John Ingold

Bobbie Jamieson

Ken Barbic

Jesus came to deacon (Mark 10:45; Rom. 15:8). So did Paul, Apollos, and Tychicus (1 Cor. 3:5, 6; Eph. 3:7; 6:21; Col. 4:7). And the greatest among us will be deacons (Mark 10:43). It's not a badlabel to wear, apparently.The New Testament only mentions this unassuming office two, maybe three times (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8-13; cf. Rom. 16:1). But pay attention. It also seems to direct the deacon's attention to the church's physical good, which in turn will serve the church's spiritual good. The deacon is a unity builder-and shock absorber! There should be nothing unspiritualabout a deacon.What about your church? Do you officially recognizeanyone as a deacon? Doing so publicly holds forth models of Christian love and service.We hope these articles will stimulate you to considerwhy and how to employ such individuals in your congregation.

Deacons Are Shock Absorbers - 9Marks Journal

Leeman puts forth an expert defense of how God's holy love is biblically, theologically, and practically represented to a watching world through the local church practices of membership and discipline.

Reintroducing the Doctrines of Church Membership and Discipline

The Church and the Surprising Offense of God's Love

Owen Strachan

John Piper

Mark Dever

Russell Moore

Timothy Larsen

Michael Haykin

Daniel Bays

Phillip Jensen

Bruce Kent

Mike Gilbert-Smith

Thomas Kid

Matt McCullough

Greg Cochran

What good is a church if it loses its distinctness? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.The growing opposition to the Christian faith in Western culture is heart breaking and worth challenging. That said, God has good purposes for letting the nations-even a so-called Christian nation-oppose his people. And one of them is to sharpen the church's distinctness. He is seeking a bride for his Son, and he means for her to radiate.The nature of our relationships inside a church should be distinct. Our ways of serving our employers and employees should be distinct. Our treatment of spouses and children should be distinct. Our loves and our laughter should be distinct. Our sexuality and family budgets and vacation plans should be distinct. And the more our culture opposes God and his people, the more the distinctness of our churches should shine. Yes, there should be points of commonality. We never stop being human, and our lives and loves should be deeply humane. But we are the new humanity. Our neighbors should find us both familiar and exotic.Notice, then, the further a nation moves away from Christian moral assumptions, the more its churches have occasion to radiate the life-changing power of God. Which means, cultural opposition shouldn't scare us. It sets a backdrop for the display for the glory of God in our lives.Not only that, our evangelistic power is tied to our distinctness. An old friend of mine known as a Christian who works deep in the heart of British politics recently affirmed gay marriage. He doesn't know it today, but a couple decades from now he just might look back and see that he lost all his prophetic power on the day he made that affirmation. He blended in. He became indistinct. His salt was no longer salty. Might as well throw it out.How precious for evangelism's sake are our doctrines of sin and conversion.As cultural opposition grows, in short, church leaders must not be all lament. Or all battle-cry. There might be places for both. But pastors must preach hope, recognizing divine purposefulness in that very opposition. God is behind it. We should not presume to know what God is specifically doing through any moment of opposition, but we can assume that all the purposes for his church are love.The goal of this 9Marks Journal is to help pastors adopt a fuller perspective regarding the growing cultural opposition all around us. How should we think? How should we speak and pray? They might subpoena our sermons or fine our florists. But the game is God's, and he moves about his opponents like pawns.

Seeking the Right Perspective As Opposition Grows

The Vanishing Church? - 9Marks Journal

Like our previous 9Marks Journal on this topic, this journal attends to both elements and forms. Several us think about membership from the Bible. Several more consider why it is crucial around the world and not just in the United States. And still more recommend different forms-what we call "best practices." Also worth highlighting is the fact that church membership often has been abused. After all, members involves the use of authority, and fallen sinners will abuse the good gift of authority. Authority biblically practiced, however, gives life.Our goal is to give you something solid, something Christians can both feet upon because it's from the Bible. Whether theculture loves us or hates us, we all want to know how God means to mark off his saints, put them on display, sanctify them, and putthem to work.

Following the Lord Together - 9Marks Journal

Congregational authority is less about the meetings and more about the mission. Congregationalism has a bad rap for well-known reasons: inefficient meetings, upstart members, browbeaten ministers. But biblical congregationalism isn't so much about the meetings. It's about empowering the whole church to promote and protect the gospel. Pastors lead and equip. Members get to work strengthening one another and pursuing Christ's mission in the world.

Understanding the Congregation's Authority

How the Local Church Should Reflect God's Love and Authority

The Rule of Love (Russian)

Understanding the Congregation's Authority (Nepali)

Kevin DeYoung

Andy Johnson

Michael Lawrence

Rosaria Butterfield

Albert Mohler

Bobby Jamieson

Tom Schreiner

Alex Strauch

Greg Turner

Our culture's assault on gender differences and authority is generationally urgent because it's unique to this Western moment, this time and place. So we must not take either set of problems out of our sights: the generationally urgent challenges to difference and authority andthe universally chronic challenge to equality. All this leads to our present moment: a reckoning for complementarianism.The task for complementarians more than ever is to continue reforming ourselves according to God's Word. We must work to understand authority and difference as well as equality from the Bible. A right understanding and practice of each will be the best defense against abuse and abdication both. That way we will "Keep [our] conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when we speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12).

A Moment of Reckoning

Complementarianism | 9Marks Journal

The Rule of Love

The Rule of Love (Polish)

Jak rozumie¿ autorytet ko¿cio¿a? (Understanding the Congregation's Authority) (Polish)

Understanding the Congregation's Authority (Simplified Chinese)

Jonathan Leeman

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