Growing a Healthy Church

Sometimes people will ask the elders of Godspeed, “Who is Godspeed accountable to if it’s not a part of a denomination.”  As a non-denominational church, it’s true that we are not members of an organization or convention.  But that does not mean we are not accountable.  All church leaders, Paul teaches, are accountable to God and his Word.  The qualifications for elders are carefully laid out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.  Godspeed also functions with a plurality of elders, so that no one elder, or pastor, has authority over the others.  This promotes accountability and balance among the elders.

Beyond this accountability, Godspeed looks to other ministries for guidance and input.  We certainly don’t have all the wisdom we need and we are often richly blessed to gain wisdom from others.  One of those ministries is 9 Marks Ministries.  While 9 Marks doesn’t give oversight to local churches, it does provide resources and guidance, and a core message summarized in the “9 Marks” of a healthy church.  Those nine marks are:

Expository Bible Preaching

Biblical Theology

The Gospel

Conversion

Evangelism

Membership

Discipline

Discipleship

Leadership

These nine characteristics will not guarantee a healthy church, but it’s hard to thrive without them.  If you want to see the details of these nine marks, and some of what influences our leaders at Godspeed, check out 9 Marks Ministries online, or get the book, What is a Healthy Church? by Mark Dever, the founder of 9 Marks.