Congratulations Mark Dever on 15 years at Capitol Hill!

Mark Dever is a hero to me. He is the kind of pastor I aspire to be. The video below is a surprise celebration hosted by his church to mark his 15th year as pastor.

The men gathering across the front of the stage midway through the video are men mark has mentored who are now patoring churches overseas.



The following is taken from a deeply moving testimony written by a member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church:

it dawned on me, in God's loving providence, that God reserved my life's MOST challenging experiences for when i would be sitting in a church that has continued to sustain me. i wish there were words for all that i feel for this body of Christ. for these friends. for this unbelievable example of Love and Unity i share with these 600 people. i had no idea church could be like this...

this church isn't a club...or a place where we gather to hang out with people who are JUST like us. where we can find a common bond...or build relationships on human, earthly commonalities.

this isn't a shopping center where we can go and pick up something that serves our purpose. and this certainly isn't a place where we all gather for an emotional experience that provides warm fuzzies for our egos.

conversely, church for me can be painful at times...and that's ok. it's refining. it's clear. it's sharp. and it takes me from a place of comfort, into a place where i recognize i need something infinitely bigger than myself, or all this world can provide.

i say all of this, because our dear shepherd and tireless pastor, Mark Dever, has been leading our congregation for 15 years! and tonight we held a TOP SECRET surprise celebration for him, which was more meaningful than i even expected.

Read the entire post HERE.