Ecclesiology
In
Christian theology,
ecclesiology is a branch of study that deals with the
doctrines pertaining to the Church itself as a community or organic entity, and with the understanding of what the "church" is —ie.
its role in salvation, its origin, its relationship to the historical Christ, its discipline, its destiny (see Eschatology) and its leadership. It is, therefore, the study of the Church as a thing in itself, and of the Church's self-understanding of its mission and role.
In addition to describing a broad discipline of theology, ecclesiology may be used in the specific sense of a particular church or denomination's character, self-described or otherwise. This is the sense of the word in such phrases as
Roman Catholic ecclesiology,
Lutheran ecclesiology, and
ecumenical ecclesiology.
Ecclesiology comes from the Greek
ekklesia (ἐκκλησία), which comes into Latin as
ecclesia, and which simply means a gathering or a meeting. It is a compound of the Greek preposition
ek (ἐκ), which denotes origin and could be independently translated
from, and
kaleo (καλέω), meaning to call or bid --a calling out, as in a calling together. The most generic definition given by Thayer's Greek Lexicon is "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place." While the term today is closely tied to the Christian church, its roots are therefore broader.
The
Septuagint uses
ekklesia to translate into Greek the Hebrew word
qâhâl (ק"ל), meaning a congregation, assembly, company or other organized body (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions). These uses in the Hebrew Scriptures of
ekklesia are not regarded by most Christian theologians as referring to the Church specifically (in context, they refer to a specific gathering for a partricular circumstance), even though many of these same theologians regard the Jewish people (as "The People of God," a community that understood itself to be defined by a unique covenant with God) to be a foreshadowing, a prototype or a sort of living prophecy of what would one day be the Christian Church.
The generic sense of the word is used several times in one passage of the New Testament (Acts 19:32, 39 & 41) in reference not to the church but to a group of Ephesian craftsmen, something like a guild, speaking out against the
Apostle Paul and his companions.
Ecclesiology asks the questions:
*
Who is the Church? Is it a visible or earthly
corporation do they (those on Earth and those in Heaven) constitute together the Church?
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Must one join a church? That is, what is the role of corporate
worship in the spiritual lives of believers? Is it in fact necessary? Can salvation be found outside of formal membership in a given faith community, and what constitutes "membership?"
*
What is the authority of the Christian church? Is the institution itself, either in a single corporate body, or generally, an independent vehicle of
revelation or of
God's
grace? Or is the Church's authority dependent on and derivative of a prior divine revelation, and individual institutions are the Church to the extent that they teach that message? Is, for instance, the
Bible a written part of a wider revelation entrusted to the Church as faith community, and therefore to be interpreted within that context? Or is the Bible the revelation itself, and the Church is to be defined as a group of people claim adherence to it?
*
What does the Church do? What are the
sacraments, in the context of the Church, and are they part of the Church's mission to preach the
Gospel? Is the Eucharist the defining element of the rest of the sacramental system and the Church itself, or is it secondary to the act of preaching? Is the Church to be understood as the vehicle for salvation, or the salvific presence in the world, or as a community of those already "saved?"
*
How should the Church be governed? What was the mission and authority of the Apostles, and is this handed down through the sacraments today? What are the proper methods of choosing
clergy such as
bishops and
priests, and what is their role within the context of the Church? Is an
ordained clergy necessary?
*
What are the roles of 'spiritual gifts' in the life of the church?
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How does the Church's 'new covenant' relate to the covenants expressed in
scripture with God's
chosen people, the Jewish people?
*
What is the ultimate destiny of the Church in
Christian eschatology?
External Links
*
A Study in Church HistoryA look at ecclesiology from an Evangelical perspective with audio and video resources.
Beliefs that define the Church
*
Body of Christ*
Biblical canon*
Creed*
Orthodoxy*
Theology -- beliefs about the nature of
God. This can include
Pneumatology - beliefs about the
Holy Spirit,
Christology - beliefs about
Jesus being the
Messiah, and
Soteriology -beliefs about how people are
savedRituals that define the Church
*
Liturgy**
Ritualism*
Sermon*
Sacrament**
Eucharist **
Baptism***
Pedobaptism***
Believers Baptism***
Confirmation**
Chrismation**
Holy OrdersTopics in church government
*
Apostolic succession*
Autocephaly*
Canon Law*
One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church*
Separation of church and state*
Full communion*
Laity*
Ecclesia (sociology of religion)*
Sect*
Cult*
Congregationalist church governance*
Episcopalian church governance*
Presbyterian church governance*
Connectionalism*
Clergy**
Pope**
Patriarch**
Metropolitan**
Archbishop**
Bishop**
Elder**
Priest**
Deacon**
Pastor**
Priesthood of all believersUniversity Research Centres
*
Centre for Contemporary Ecclesiology at
Liverpool Hope University
