A church's life, doctrine, worship, and even polity are important issues. Yet they are so rarely addressed. The Church is Mark Dever's primer on the doctrine of the church for all who see Scripture alone as a sufficient authority for the doctrine and life of the local church. He explains to the reader what the Bible says about the nature and purpose of the church-what it is, what it's for, and what it does.

Mark has served as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church since 1994 and as president of 9Marks (a ministry to churches and church leaders) since its founding in 1998. He's married to Connie and they have two adult children, both married, and one grandchild. Mark has authored a number of books, including Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.