The leaders of the Protestant Reformation consistently taught that the marks of the church are:

* the faithful preaching and hearing of God’s Word,

* the rightful administration of the sacraments, and

* the proper exercise of church discipline.

Why did they identify these marks as necessary? Because, as we are going to see, these identifications are what the Founder of the church himself stated were the marks of the church, showing that she belongs to him. Since Christ built the church, he alone can tell us how we are to recognize it. He has the right to tell us how false forms of the church are to be distinguished. We have marks for the church because we have a Marker. Christ has stamped the church in his image and with his own unique identity (Barry J. York, Hitting the Marks, 3).