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We asked Logos users to share their go-to books about building healthy churches. Hundreds of you gave your opinion via our social posts. Here are the top six books on church health, according to Logos users.
This list includes a mix of your top-voted titles, as well as a few unexpected additions for a dash of variety. Plus, we’ll give you a short scoop on what makes each one distinct.
A quick heads-up: Our Logos users did not disappoint and mentioned the Bible and specific books of the Bible often! And honestly? They’re absolutely right. These books in the Bible are the foundational texts, the very blueprint for how we should think about church health. We’ve put these biblical texts at the top of our list, then we move on to some extra-biblical voices seeking to encourage the church.
- Paul’s epistles
- Acts
- Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, by Mark Dever
- Letters to the Church, Francis Chan
- Slow Church, by C. Christopher Smith, John Pattison
- The Christian Ministry, by Charles B
What do you think?
1. Paul’s epistles
If you want to understand what makes a church healthy (and to get a model for how to correct unhealthy churches), Paul’s an authority on the matter. Writing somewhere between the late 40s to early 60s, Paul’s letters—with special emphasis on Ephesians, according to those who responded—are absolutely foundational for grasping the theology, structure, and character of the church.
Paul pulls no punches when it comes to church health—he’s constantly pushing churches toward unity, spiritual maturity, sacrificial love, and solid doctrine. Whether you’re reading 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, or 1 Timothy, Paul’s writings reveal what it actually means to live as the body of Christ under Jesus’s leadership.
… speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Eph 4:15–16)
The Church According to Paul: Rediscovering the Community Conformed to Christ
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Paul’s Understanding of the Church’s Mission
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Remember the Future: The Pastoral Theology of Paul the Apostle
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A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership
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Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit
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Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology, 2nd ed.
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Theology of Paul the Apostle
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2. Acts
Want to see what the early church looked like immediately following Christ’s resurrection and Pentecost? Acts is your window into that world.
Likely written around AD 62, Acts captures the birth and expansion of the early church through the Holy Spirit’s power. You’ll find bold witnesses, deep fellowship, shared resources, and resilient faith by navigating the early church’s growing pains. Look to Acts as both blueprint and inspiration for any church that wants to be Spirit-led and mission-focused today.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42–47)
The Challenge of Acts: Rediscovering What the Church Was and Is
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Timeless Church: Five Lessons from Acts
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Acts (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible)
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Between History and Spirit: The Apostolic Witness of the Book of Acts
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The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus: Luke’s Account of God’s Unfolding Plan (New Studies in Biblical Theology | NSBT)
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The Mission of the Triune God: A Theology of Acts (New Testament Theology)
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Mobile Ed: Studies in Acts Bundle (3 courses)
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3. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, by Mark Dever
Dever keeps a laser focus on what actually makes a church healthy according to the Bible’s perspective. He lays out nine characteristics—things like expositional preaching, biblical theology, and meaningful church membership.
His mission? Get churches to stop chasing after whatever’s trendy or consumer-friendly and get back to a God-centered vision that’s actually rooted in Scripture. This book is practical without being shallow.
The health of the church should be the concern of all Christians, because it does involve the spiritual life of everyone who is a Christian and a member of a church, especially of those called to be leaders in the church. Our churches are to display the glorious gospel of God to his creation in an amazing variety by all the different personalities he puts in the church and the ways he allows them to relate together and to show his glory. That’s what we’re called to; we’re called to display God and his character in a glorious way to his creation (Eph. 3:10). We are to bring him glory by our lives together.1
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, 4th ed.
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How to Build a Healthy Church: A Practical Guide for Deliberate Leadership, 2nd ed.
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The Church: The Gospel Made Visible
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The Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive
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4. Letters to the Church, Francis Chan
Chan’s passion shines through in this plea to the modern church. He challenges readers to completely reimagine what church could look like if we actually took the radical, sacrificial love from the New Testament seriously.
He gets personal about his own journey—leaving megachurch ministry to pursue something simpler, more relational, and way more dependent on the Spirit. This book is a clarion call to ditch comfort for the real church.
For decades church leaders like myself have lost sight of the powerful mystery inherent in the Church and have instead run to other methods to keep people interested. In all honesty, we have trained you to become addicted to lesser things. We have cheapened something sacred, and we must repent.2
Letters to the Church: Study Guide
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Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples
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5. Slow Church, by C. Christopher Smith, John Pattison
Ever feel like church has become this frantic, fast-paced thing that feels more like a franchise than a family? Smith and Pattison totally understand that frustration—deeply enough to write a book about it.
They contrast all that hurried, business-paced Christianity with a vision that’s rooted, local, and highly relational. Taking a page from the “slow food” movement, they’re inviting churches to actually cultivate deep discipleship, genuine hospitality, and thoughtful presence within their communities.
God’s plan has always been centered on the gathering of a peculiar people who will embody God’s reconciliation.3
Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus
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Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus (audio)
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6. The Christian Ministry, by Charles Bridges
Don’t let the publication date fool you: Though originally published in 1830, this classic of pastoral theology is still incredibly relevant. Bridges dives deep into the calling, responsibilities, and pitfalls that come with ministry.
Even though he wrote this almost two centuries ago, his wisdom on prayer, preaching, and the spiritual health of leaders is timeless. Plus, he doesn’t shy away from exploring why ministry can become ineffective and how to recover that spiritual power.
We shall find that our most successful hours of employment for our people were not those when we were speaking to them from God, but when we were speaking for them to God.4
The Christian Ministry, with an Inquiry into the Causes of Its Inefficiency, Vols. I & II
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An Address to Young Persons after Confirmation
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What do you think?
Do you agree with what other Logos users have said about their go-to books on building a healthy church? What books are missing from the list?
Tell us about it on the original Facebook, X, and Instagram posts. We’d love for you to share your favorite books and writers on building healthy churches.
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