A resource-rich follow-up on The Church

Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Dear DCC,

We recently completed our series, The Church: God’s New Humanity, in Jesus. I hope you found it helpful, clarifying, and surprisingly edifying. To further press these realities into our shared life, I thought it would be helpful to follow-up with a single list of additional resources on the topics addressed in this series. For example, if you heard the sermon on “baptism” and desire to learn more, I encourage you to read one (or more) of the resources below, organized from “basic” to “advanced”. Perhaps consider printing this out, tucking it in your bible, and integrating reading about the church into your regular reading diet. It is through the church the manifold wisdom of God is made known (Eph. 3:10)!

Many of these resources are already available in our bookstore and all of the Church Question booklets are available by the Connect Desk in the commons. You can find the entire series on our mobile app and on the series page. By way of reminder, the topics we covered were as follows:

#1 The Local Church as God’s New Humanity
#2 What is the Mission of the Church?
#3 Who Leads the Church?
#4 What are the Keys of the Kingdom?
#5 What is Baptism?
#6 What is the Lord’s Supper?
#7 What is Church Membership/Discipline?
#8 What is a Healthy Church Member?

Additional recommended resources:

The Church (general)

Understanding the Great Commission, Mark Dever (beginner)
What is a Healthy Church, Mark Dever (beginner)
The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ, Ray Ortlund (beginner)
The Church: The Gospel Made Visible, Mark Dever (intermediate)
Baptist Foundations: Church Government for an Anti-Institutional Age, Eds. Dever & Leeman (advanced)

Mission of the Church

What is the Church’s Mission? (Church Questions), Jonathan Leeman (basic)
What If I’m Discouraged in My Evangelism? (Church Questions), Isaac Adams (basic)
Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus, Mark Dever (beginner)
Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus, Mack Stiles (beginner)
Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global, Andy Johnson (beginner)
What is the Mission of the Church?, Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert (intermediate)

Church Leadership/Keys of the Kingdom

Who’s in Charge of the Church? (Church Questions), Sam Emadi (basic)
Understanding the Congregation’s Authority, Jonathan Leeman (beginner)
Understanding Church Leadership, Mark Dever (beginner)
Church Elders, Jeramie Rinne(beginner)
Don’t Fire Your Church Members: The Case for Congregationalism, Jonathan Leeman (intermediate)

Baptism

Why Should I Be Baptized? (Church Questions), Bobby Jamieson (basic)
Understanding Baptism, Bobby Jamieson (beginner)
Going Public, Bobby Jamieson (intermediate)
Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ, Eds. Schreiner & Wright (advanced)

Lord’s Supper

Why Is the Lord’s Supper So Important? (Church Questions), Aubrey Sequeira (basic)
Understanding the Lord’s Supper, Bobby Jamieson (beginner)
The Lord’s Supper: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ Until He Comes, eds. Schreiner & Crawford (advanced)

Church Membership

Why Should I Join a Church? (Church Questions), Mark Dever (basic)
Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus, Jonathan Leeman (beginner)
40 Questions About Church Membership and Discipline, Jeremy Kimble (intermediate)

Church Discipline

Is It Loving to Practice Church Discipline? (Church Questions), Jonathan Leeman (basic)
Understanding Church Discipline, Jonathan Leeman (beginner)
Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus, Jonathan Leeman (beginner)
See also Kimble under “Church Membership"

Healthy Members

What Should I Do Now That I’m a Christian? (Church Questions), Sam Emadi (basic)
How Can I Serve My Church? (Church Questions), Matthew Emadi (basic)
How Can I Find Someone to Disciple Me? (Church Questions), Garrett Kell (basic)
Why Should I Give to My Church? (Church Questions), Jamie Dunlop (basic)
What if I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church? (Church Questions), Gunner Gunderson (basic)
What is a Healthy Church Member?, Thabiti Anyabwile (beginner)

May the Lord use His Word—and these secondary resources that seek to unpack what is found therein about His church—to stir in us an even deeper love for Him, one another, and His mission in the world. Can you believe we get to be a part of this together?

Christ is all,
Pastor Adam