The deliberate church : building your ministry on the gospel

內容簡介

Foreword / D.A. Carson -- Section 1: Gathering the church -- 1. The four P's -- Preaching -- Praying -- Personal discipling relationships -- Patience -- 2. Beginning the work -- Clarifying the gospel -- Cultivating trust -- Cleaning the rolls -- Conducting reverse membership interviews -- 3. Doing responsible evangelism -- Including essentials -- Extending invitations -- Avoiding entertainment -- Avoiding manipulation -- Being God-centered -- 4. Taking in new members -- Where is local church membership in the Bible? -- The new members' class -- The church covenant -- The membership interviews -- The ministry of new members -- The margin of error -- 5. Doing church discipline -- Formative and corrective -- The preventative function of accountability relationships -- The context -- The care list -- Removing a member from the rolls. Section 2: When the church gathers -- 6. Understanding the regulative principle -- The regulative principle -- Worship is the purpose of redemption -- God cares how people worship in the Old Testament -- God cares how people worship in the New Testament -- 7. Applying the regulative principle -- Read the Bible -- Preach the Bible -- Pray the Bible -- Sing the Bible -- See the Bible -- On multiple services -- 8. The role of the pastor -- Practitioner of the marks -- Teaching is everything -- The day-to-day -- The three G's -- 9. The roles of the different gatherings -- Adult education hour -- Sunday morning service -- Sunday evening service -- Wednesday evening service -- Members' meetings -- 10. The role of the ordinances -- Baptism -- The Lord's Supper -- 11. Loving each other -- A live, active culture -- Building a corporate witness -- 12. Music -- Congregational singing -- Accompaniment -- Variety -- a staple spice -- Getting there. Section 3: Gathering elders -- 13. The importance of elders -- Brief biblical background -- The practicality of plurality -- 14. Looking for a few good men -- Recognizing before training -- What an elder is NOT -- What IS an elder? -- Qualification quadrants -- 15. Assessment -- Assessing character -- Assessing ability -- Assessing fit -- 16. Why character is crucial -- Modeling -- Meetings -- The great meeting -- 17. Getting started -- Exposition -- Recognition -- Nomination -- Election -- Installation -- Cooperation -- Rotation -- 18. Staffing -- Why not specialize? -- What's the alternative? -- The relationship between staff, elders, and deacons. Section 4: When the elders gather -- 19. The Word and prayer -- The Word -- Prayer -- 20. The agenda: what to talk about -- Preparation -- Categories for conversation -- The annual budget process -- Others in the room -- 21. Decision making: how to talk about it -- The pastor's role -- Speaking graciously -- Observing order -- Voting -- Conclusion: A godward-looking church -- An outward-looking church -- Appendix: Church membership interview form.