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What is Church Matters?

Church Matters is a quarterly journal for pastors. Each issue works to equip and encourage biblical thinking among pastors for the purpose of helping them build healthy churches.

Is Church Matters just another 9Marks book?

No. It may look and feel like a book, but Church Matters is a journal with 1000 to 2000 word articles. The unique benefits to the journal format are at least three-fold for pastors: 

1. Range and specificity. The journal format allows 9Marks to treat in briefer compass a wider range of subjects than would often be considered for books (i.e., Christian Nationalism, Catholicity, Seasons in a Pastor’s Life etc.). Each issue treats a topic from dozens of different angles ranging from theology to practice. In short, journals cover more topics closer up and from many different angles. 
2. Written by practitioners. Each issue of Church Matters depends on the hard-won insights of 25-plus practitioner-pastors. This many trusted authors naturally means a diversity of perspectives due to geography, demographic, church context, and so forth. In short, the Bible’s authority provides unity of thought, while the variety of experiences offer a diversity of application.
3. Written for practitioners. 9Marks has always aimed to write for pastors. This is nowhere more clearly seen than in Church Matters. Whether covering foundational subjects like church membership or more time-sensitive topics like Christian Nationalism, each issue aims to equip, encourage, train, and support healthy pastoral ministry. In short, Church Matters is unique because it’s for pastors.

Please note: The image shown is a representation of subscription volumes across past, present, and future releases, so not all volumes pictured will be included.

Current Issue

Volume IX: The Pastor and His Family - Where Godly Leadership Begins
Is it possible to be “successful” behind the pulpit while being negligent in your own home? Maybe in the eyes of the world, but not according to God’s Word. Those who care for God’s household must first manage their own household well. That’s not simply practical leadership advice—that’s a biblical qualification for any man who desires to shepherd God’s people. This issue of Church Matters provides pastors with biblical and practical counsel for leading their families well. You’ll hear from fellow pastors, as well as pastors’ wives, who are seeking to apply God’s Word to some of the most important and difficult questions surrounding this topic.

Table of Contents: 

Part 1: The Pastor’s Marriage

Setting Realistic Expectations for Your Wife’s Ministry in the Church by Dan Miller

How Do Pastors’ Wives Partner in Ministry with Their Husbands? by Keri Folmar

Pastor, Do Good to Your Wife by Godwin Sathianathan

Preaching after Fighting with Your Wife by Cheston Pickard

What to Do When Your Wife Is Burned Out by Rob Kane

Part 2: The Pastor’s Parenting

The Biblical Pattern of Terrible Fathers by Dave Kiehn

Parenting Advice for Pastors by Ed Moore

Family Worship—More Important Than You Think by Joshua Chatman

Family Worship—Less Important Than You Think by John Sarver

Practical Wisdom for Raising PKs by Paul Twiss

Parenting Around the Dining Table by Bryan Sloan

Pastoral Ministry when Parenting Gets Hard by Stephen Brucker

Protecting Your Children from Bitterness Against the Church by Daniel Bennett

Helping Pastors’ Kids Love the Church by Brennan Cook

Things I Did Well and Didn’t Do Well in Parenting by Bob Johnson

A Lifetime of Parenting by Shane Walker

Part 3: The Pastor’s Home

Doing Ministry as a Family by Josh Pool

The Team Mindset of a Hospitable Home by Gary Kirst

Raising a Family in the Stresses of Ministry by Andy Constable

Caring for Aging Parents by Brian Parks

Don’t Use Your Family as an Excuse to Be Lazy by Rhys Plant

Work to Cultivate a Happy Home by Mitch Kimbrell

The Missionary and His Family by Matthew Bennett

Part 4: The Pastor’s Fitness for Ministry

What to Ask a Prospective Elder’s Wife by Juan Sanchez

What Does It Mean to Manage Your Household “Well”? by Mark Redfern

What Does “Believing” Child Mean? by Justin Taylor

Can a Single Man Serve as an Elder? by John Piper