Seven Pillars of a Biblical Church

The Vital Truths and Essential Practices for Us to Re-embrace God’s Design for the Church

John B. Carpenter

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781666736236
  9781666794281
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666794298
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Uncovering seven lessons from Scripture and the Puritans, John Carpenter applies the principles and practices that are often neglected by the church today but are key in making a church truly biblical. Drawing on his background as a scholar of Puritanism and years of planting and pastoring a church, Carpenter establishes each pillar on the Bible and shows, through Scripture and practical examples, how they work. Beginning with the tale of how an eyewitness account of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center shows us the perils of only seeing part of God's revelation, we see: why we must listen to what God says about himself; why we must understand that the gospel is not a self-help plan; why salvation is so simple that it can be reduced to a bumper sticker ("Jesus saves") but is still so often misunderstood, leading to unconverted people leading churches; and why believers aren't called just to go to church but to be covenanted members of a specific church where they can be corrected by their pastors and where worship is centered on God, not on personalities, putting on a show, or attracting crowds.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Pillar 1: The Whole Counsel of God
• Pillar 2: God According to God
• Pillar 3: Knowing the Gospel
• Pillar 4: Genuine Conversion
• Pillar 5: Meaningful Membership
• Pillar 6: Leadership & Followership
• Pillar 7: God-centered Worship
• Conclusion: The Idea of a Church
• Author