What is a local church? What is it to distinguish and mark the church?

“The local church is a covenanted community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord."

"Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to Christ's institution, there, it is not to be doubted a church of God exists."

Below are nine marks of a healthy church. This is not an exhaustive or authoritative list. There are other significant marks like prayer and fellowship. But these nine are marks that we believe have tremendous impact on the health of our church and feed into other marks.

In a recent newsletter I laid out the 2017 timeline for Grace Church. I've added it below along with a list view for our three seasons.

SPRING 2017

A time of prayer: As a family of currently 30 adults and 25 children (that includes four babies with due dates this summer!) and others who are interested in joining our family, we will gather once a month from January to April. Our first gathering will be on Wednesday, January 25th from 6:30pm to 7:45 at the Fort Worth Church of the Lord’s building seen above (fka Korean Central Church): 200 Mildred Ln E Benbrook, TX 76126. Grace Kids will be provided. There are currently 45 adults and 14 children registered! Please register yourself and your children here. We will devote ourselves to God’s Word and prayer. I will teach on Jesus as the grace of God to sinners and sufferers and the implications for our family. Then we will pray together for deep friendships as a family and bold evangelism so more people will meet Jesus and be welcomed into our family.

This excerpt is taken from Being A Gospel Witness: 7 Marks Of A Witness From Mark 6 by Daniel Montgomery

ARE YOU A WITNESS?

The evangelical world has experienced a gospel craze over the decade, a renewed emphasis on church planting, and a revitalization of expositional preaching. We should be grateful and excited to live in such an era. However, sometimes even these principles can live in abstraction instead of reality.

Recently, I was in a discussion with young seminarians and the question was asked, “What is the evidence of someone being called to church plant?” After responses about theology, leadership, qualifications of eldership, and personality traits I remarked, “What if the would-be church planters were just asked, ‘Write out everyone you have evangelized in your life and how has the gospel grown in them since?”

Over four years ago my wife Bailey and I moved to Fort Worth with the intention of returning to Arkansas after one year. Immediately after moving into our apartment God started opening our eyes and hearts to a desire to remain in Fort Worth with the hope to plant a church. After only two months I withdrew from the graduate program I had begun, we bought a house and decided to become Partners with The Paradox Church. During this time, sin was exposed and we grew in a deeper understanding of repentance and response to the work of Jesus Christ. His call for us to stay in Fort Worth was clear. Over the next two years we pursued community through city groups, I enrolled in Porterbrook Theological Training and we became City Group Leaders. We learned so much and have walked with friends through life, sin and new life.