In an American Christianity, where church models are a dime a dozen, Mark Dever's What Is a Healthy Church? is breath of fresh air. As opposed to the church-marketing schemes of the past decades or the man-centered philosophies that permeate our churches, this book is deliberately Scripture-driven and God-focused. Some may object that others attempt to do the same, yet it is evident throughout the entire book that the church should aspire to be and only to be what is delineated within the bounds of God's Word. The church is not an organization driven by the newest schemes nor is it simply a community without divinely inscripturated authority. It is a body of redeemed people who deliberately act as they are called to be.

Before displaying each of the points that have made his 9marks ministry so well-known, Dever seeks to persuade the reader that what our experiences have been within the church are not to be considered the bastion of truth regarding the church. Our experiences cannot override what the Word of God entails a community of believers to look like. We often accept or reject a church by our own list of standards rather than by the standards written in the Bible. As a whole, Dever desires the church to be the center that displays God's character amidst the world and among each of the members.

Within the nine marks, he considers three of them essential: expositional preaching, biblical theology, and a biblical understanding of the gospel. The following six are considered important marks: a biblical understanding of conversion, evangelism, membership, biblical church discipline, biblical discipleship and growth, and biblical church leadership. These are clearly defined and encouraged in Scripture.

Mark Dever would agree. These nine are neither exhaustive, nor divinely authoritative. Yet, they remain great starting blocks for the philosophy of any church. When the foundation remains firm, the structure will follow its prescribed course.