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Book Review - What Is A Healthy Church Member?
- 07/15/08
- 10
There are many books available today that address the needs, the responsibilities and the health of the local church. While The Purpose Driven Church is probably the best-known of these, there are plenty of others as well, many of which were written in the aftermath of that book's unparalleled success. To this point the books have been largely focused at pastors and church leaders.
Where many books have been written describing a healthy church (among the most useful of which are Mark Dever's Nine Marks of a Healthy Church and The Deliberate Church), I cannot think of any that describe the state of a healthy church member. But that has changed with Thabiti Anyabwile's new book What is a Healthy Church Member? In this small 120-page book, Anyabwile one-ups Mark Dever's nine marks of a healthy church by providing ten marks of a healthy church member. The goals for this volume are made plain early-on. "This little book is written," he says in the Introduction, "in the hope that you might discover or rediscover what it means to be a healthy member of a local church, and what it means to contribute to the overall health of the church. ... While Nine Marks of a Healthy Church primarily addressed pastors in the task of church reform, this book seeks to address the people that pastors lead and to encourage those people to play their part in helping the local church to increasingly reflect the glory of God."
Here are the ten marks Anyabwile focuses on:
- A healthy church member is an expositional listener
- A healthy church member is a biblical theologian
- A healthy church member is gospel Saturated
- A healthy church member is genuinely converted
- A healthy church member is a biblical evangelist
- A healthy church member is a committed member
- A healthy church member seeks discipline
- A healthy church member is a growing disciple
- A healthy church member is a humble follower
- A healthy church member is a prayer warrior
Each of these ten marks receives a chapter-length treatment that concludes with questions for reflection and application. I do not think Anyabwile will be offended to read that I found little that is truly original in this book. There is little that has not been said elsewhere--Anyabwile offers nothing shockingly novel or original. Instead he turns to the basic requirements and responsibilities of those who seek to honor God through their commitment to the local church. He writes clearly and winsomely about these ten marks, encouraging Christians to be committed and to remain committed to their local churches. He gives them a list of marks, a list of characteristics, that they can use to gauge their effectiveness in serving Christ through His church.
While the book is valuable to individual readers, it is also ideally suited for small group study. In my church we often read books together and I am sure this is the kind of book the leadership is likely to consider for future study.
What Is A Healthy Church Member? is a valuable little volume and one I commend to you. Those who read it are sure to benefit from it.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (10)
Does #6 (being a committed member) include confronting error one sees in one’s local church? I have been challenged in understanding how to best approach such situations where I know my ministerial staff continually has people telling them how to better do their jobs. Do the remaining marks help to add balance so one doesn’t just become a complainer? Additionally, do they aid one in not becoming offended when they get push-back?
Sounds like a good read… one I’m sure most of us could benefit from with a book like this as a periodic reminder. I remember reading Josh Harris “Stop Dating the Church” a while back and I liked how he emphasized a high view of the Church. Since reading that, my wife and I (just recently, actually) have found a solid, little reformed Church that just makes our soul sing every time we go. Although it is a small congregation, it is full of people that I think embody those ten virtues of healthy church members and where those traits are strongly encouraged. I don’t know that I could have written out that list as well as Mr. Anyabwile did, but it was certainly the observation of those traits at work in the congregation when we first started attending that made me feel certain we had found the church we’d been looking for.
I look forward to reading this. I’d like to know that I’m as beneficial to the Church as the Church is to me. Thanks once again for an insightful and positive review. I have to admit, I much prefer the reviews for books that I want to read to the ones I want to avoid! But I am thankful for both. I wish I could read books as quickly as you do!
Interesting list that, on the surface, appears to have very few verbs or nouns referring to any kind of hospitality, service, generosity with time or money. Perhaps such involvement flows from church members who are characterized by these ten traits. Or does it.
To Mark - I would have to think that if you are genuinely converted, gospel saturated, His humble follower, prayer warrior, biblical evangelist, etc. then yes, it should be implicit that you are serving God, serving others by serving God (and serving God by serving others), giving generously of your time and your money, and all that you have and all that you are because it is Christ living in you. Actually, I would say if you are “genuinely converted”, all the rest should flow from that. You will have desire to be saturated with the gospel, a love for the Church that Christ loves, a passion for reaching out to the lost by the power of His word, growing in humility by the discipline of the Lord, moved to pray, and so on.
I think a good companion to this book would be Philip Ryken’s “Communion of the Saints”. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. I just got my copy of that one a week or two ago, but I think the two of these books would be a healthy perspective check for anyone who has lost their love for the body and the bride of our Lord.
Now granted a bad church experience can be difficult to overcome, but it is important to remember that churches are nothing more than gathering places for sinners, although the good ones seek to cleanse us with the washing of the word to present us spotless and without blemish to the glory of the Lord. If you are a Christian and Christ is in you, you need to be in the Church. There are no lone rangers in the faith.
Peace & Blessings,Simple Mann
“Where many books have been written describing a healthy church…I cannot think of any that describe the state of a healthy church member.”
While Thabite’s book may encourage today’s Reformed church (and hopefully beyond these small borders) towards biblical health, Richard Baxter’s A Christian Directory is (with apologies to 9 Marks!) in a class all its own. Don’t be scared off by its size (nearly 1000 pages!) or the fact that it’s old—from a Puritan (oh my!!) written in 1664-65.
Yes, in some ways the book is obviously dated, but put your fears aside: the book is both robustly theological and deeply practical, covering everything from the tongue, humility, lust, gluttony, loving your neighbor, money, giving to the poor, family, prayer, preparation for the Lord’s Day, backbiting, relationship to pastors—-I could go on and on (and on!). it is THE book on what distingushes a “healthy” church member from the spiritually stunted or even the false professor.
I have the (now defunct) Soli Deo Gloria edition, first published in 1990. (Currently published, if I’m not mistaken, via Ligonier.) And the front cover’s sole quote, by a then comparatively little known pastor/author?
“…the greatest manual on Biblical counseling ever produced…”Dr. Timothy Keller
Tim,
I have read this book and think that it is a great addition to the resources available. I really loved the way Thabiti turned the tables in looking at the 9marks from the perspective of the church member. The book is practical with helpful guides. Our staff is already buzzing over it an thinking how we can use the resource in our ministry.
I have enjoyed “Life in the Father’s House” by Swavely & Mack as well as “Spiritual Disciplines within the Church” by Whitney, but I think that this book is much more palatable, maybe bite size is a better word, for our congregation.
I highly recommend “What is a Healthy Church Member.”
While there may be nothing original or novel in this book, it sounds like a good and challenging reminder for all who wish to honor God and do their part in His Church. In our postmodern America, it is increasingly rare to find these marks characterizing those that sit in the pews. May God use this book to stir His people!
Just what this world needs: another list do’s (and implied don’ts). I suppose that my failure in any of these areas means I am a lousy church member. Why must we boild everything down to forumlas and to-do lists? While the author is probably well-intended and right in many areas, I fear the legalists will have a field day with this book.
Stephen,
Have you actually read the book, or are you just making an assumption based on the discussion? I’ve heard the argument against lists before, and while there may be some merit there, let me offer one counterpoint. When my wife or I go to the grocery store, there is a big difference on the amount of time AND money we spend there when we have a simple list of things we need once we walk in the doors. It helps us avoid temptation, stay focused, get in and get out, and is generally quite helpful.
Now, walking by faith is not accomplished by knowing a list, but if you have something to compare yourself against, you can at least check yourself. Isn’t this essentially what John provided the Church in his first epistle? A means of testing yourself to make sure you are in the faith? Have you ever struggled with a certain sin and made yourself a list of scriptures to memorize or refer to when you needed strength and wisdom to overcome temptation? Have you ever made yourself a list of things you needed to accomplish for a day or a week, working on a project, etc.? Is the tendency to reject anything that sounds legalistic actually a form of legalism in itself? I.e., this author, this book, this article, and this line of thought sound legalistic… therefore, I reject them outright because I am not legalistic.!?
However, the main question I have for you is, have you even read the book? Do you know that it has nothing to offer you simply because you see a list of 10 points the author categorized his information into? Perhaps you should give it a read before you make your decision… that’s my point.
Peace & Blessings,Simple Mann
Michael - I really had to laugh at my momentary dyslexia when reading your post. Thank you, by the way, for mentioning what sounds like a really, really good book by Richard Baxter on Christian growth and maturity. I will keep an eye out for it. For some reason, my eyes changed your fears into “four years” when I read the following:
“in some ways the book is obviously dated, but put your fears aside: the book is both robustly theological and deeply practical…”
I am so glad I went back and read that twice. When I thought you were saying to put “four years aside” to read it, I thought “Whoa, I’ll never get to that one. Bummer.” But now that I have put “my fears aside” I’ll see about getting a copy!
Peace & Blessings,Simple Mann