Expanding ekklesia
Toward a more biblical definition of "church"
[N.B. - I originally intended this article as an appendix for Freed Together. However, as I was writing, I realised that it needed to be the first chapter of another book on the church. I’ve included it under The Collapse of Western Christianity because I believe a weak ecclesiology is one reason Western Christianity is collapsing.]
Most Christians know a few words of Hebrew and a few words of Greek – the Bible's original languages — even if they do not realise it. Most Christians have said the words "hallelujah" or "amen", which are taken from Hebrew. I have heard so many sermons on the Greek word agape that I am convinced most Christians would know the word means "love". Another Greek word some people know is the word ekklesia[1], or "church". In English, we have the words “ecclesiastical” (relating to the church or the clergy) and “ecclesiology” (the theology of the church) which come from ekklesia.
Over the years, I have heard many people use the word ekklesia, but I am not sure how many of those people understood what ekklesia really meant – including church leaders. Frankly, I am not sure that I even understood what ekklesia meant. Most often, I just understood it as the Greek word for "church" and left it at that. However, over the past twenty years I have heard more and more people use the word ekklesia in ways that simply seemed wrong. As I was writing Freed Together, I realised that I should consider the actual meaning of this word in the context of the world of the Bible to determine whether I could provide a clear understanding of the word — at least for myself.
Common Errors regarding ekklesia
I will begin by noting some of the incorrect uses of the word that I have heard. First, and most common, is trying to define the word by dividing it into its constituent parts. In basic terms, "ek" means "out" and "kaleo" – the root of the second half of the word – means " to call". So, I have heard many leaders define "ekklesia" as "the called-out ones". I have even read this in some Bible dictionaries. From this, people can go in any number of directions. Christians are the ones "called out" of the world. Christians are the ones "called out" by God. We are "called out" of the world and into the kingdom. All these statements are true, but none of them reflect the actual meaning of the word "ekklesia".
Trying to define a word by dividing it into its constituent parts is a very common error in linguistic studies, not only for Hebrew and Greek but for almost any language. Let me use an obviously ridiculous example for English. Imagine I am sitting in my office chair, when my wife enters the room standing next to me. She looks down and says, "It's time for supper". This means that she has just made a statement to me while standing over me. This must be an "overstatement". I reply, "I will come now". Since I have just made a statement while sitting under her, I must have made an "understatement". This is simply silly. Obviously, words develop their meanings over time in very complex ways. While dissecting a word may occasionally help us understand it better, we must never base our definitions or applications on such dissections.
A second common error that I have heard regarding ekklesia is simply accepting the definition as "church" and then applying whatever cultural understanding of "church" is prevalent at the moment in the particular context. Accordingly, some people in England might understand ekklesia as an Anglican parish church. Other people in a big American city might understand ekklesia as a large gathering of people in a venue resembling a concert hall. Still others in South America might envision ekklesia as the small groups gathering in homes as part of a larger congregation. We call all these "churches" but none of these concepts capture the richness of the biblical word ekklesia.
A related third common error is oversimplifying the definition of a word, failing to consider its history and context. I have heard some suggest that ekklesia simply means a “gathering” of Christians. Sometimes people might suggest that ekklesia is little more than a Christian synonym for the Jewish synagoge. The late-first-century Christians embraced the word ekklesia to distinguish themselves from the Jews as the “synagogue”, which helped them develop a distinctly non-Jewish identity, but that alone was not why the Holy Spirit chose to use this word. A few people even see ekklesia as nothing more than an “assembly” of people, Christian or otherwise. However, the word is not as simple as many assume.
A fourth common error is trying to define ekklesia by setting it against other Greek words, such as apostolos. For example, I have heard people suggest that the apostolos is the group that goes out and ekklesia is the group that stays home. I have heard Christian leaders with travelling ministries say that since they are the apostolos then they must not concern themselves with the ekklesia. Yet biblically, the purpose of the apostolos is to equip God's people so that the body of Christ (which is the ekklesia) may be built up (see Ephesians 4:9-16). Perhaps the only legitimate use of this technique would be to contrast other words referring to a gathering of people, such as synagogue, with ekklesia.
For the most part, I suspect that since it is our assumption we already know what ekklesia means – “church” – we do not look deeper into the word’s meaning. The 1700+ years since Constantine’s conversion has given time for Christians to assume a definition for the word “church” and move on to other, more interesting, theological matters. Yet, I also suspect that it is our lack of understanding for the word ekklesia that has weakened churches and our influence in society. Aside from occasional glimpses, I am not sure that we have seen and appreciated the beauty and wonder of Christ’s Bride. Therefore, we need to capture a better understanding of ekklesia historically and semantically and then consider the implications of that understanding for how we see “church” today.
Toward a historical and semantic understanding of ekklesia[2]
By the New Testament times, ekklesia had gone through many shifts in meaning from its initial definition, “the totality of those who are called out”. The word may have been used at first for calling the army to assemble. As it developed in classical Greek and Hellenistic literature, it became a technical expression for the public assembly of the people of a city, in particular the assembly of free men entitled to vote. These citizens would have literally been “called out” of their homes by a herald and into the public gathering place. Meeting together, they would then exercise their governing authority – their rights and responsibilities as citizens – in ways they could not do apart from one another in their homes.
By 5th-Century Athens, the word was culturally significant and well defined. It denoted the public assembly of the competent full citizens of the city. The assembly would consider changes in the law, appointments to official positions, matters of public business, and every important question regarding internal and external matters for the city. The citizens would also sit in judgment over various legal matters, including the discipline of its members. The ekklesia included prayers and sacrifices to the gods of the city, but they were not religious gatherings. Every citizen had a right to speak and propose matters for discussion. The ekklesia always had a presiding officer.
The ekklesia operated within a clear framework. As Coenen notes, “It was the assembly of full citizens, functionally rooted in the constitution of the democracy, an assembly in which fundamental political and judicial decisions were taken” (NIDNTT). The ekklesia always had a governmental purpose, not a religious purpose. The city, through the ekklesia, would develop permanent forms, institutions, and officials to ensure the ongoing vitality and functioning of the city, especially when the citizens were not assembled.
Although the public assembly itself was perhaps an “event”, it was an expression of the ongoing political reality of the city. The city and its citizenship existed even when the ekklesia was not assembled. However, it was only in and through the ekklesia – the public assembly of the citizens – that the citizens could exercise their governing rights and responsibilities. Citizens could not act independently, but only in unity with other citizens.
To summarize, with the ekklesia, the herald called citizens out of their homes to assemble in a public place so they might exercise their governing rights and responsibilities, according to the city’s constitution and for the city’s corporate benefit. Early Greek-speaking Christians would have understood this general meaning for the word, especially as it was a common word with historical precedence. We must not overstate the point, making connections where none exist. However, Greek speakers and readers of the New Testament in Greek would generally have known and understood the broad historical outlines of the word ekklesia. Neither the Bible nor the early Christians developed or chose a new term for the “church”. No one would have connected the idea of “church” with the idea of “synagogue”, even though that would have been the most natural transition.[3]
Toward a historical and semantic understanding of ekklesia in the NT
In most NT passages, we might translate the word simply as the “assembly”, the “congregation”, the “congregational assembly of Christians” – or “church”. Normally, this would refer to an assembly of Christians at a particular place and time. The word would not have distinguished the local congregation from the translocal community of believers, or even from the totality of the congregation of saints from all times and places before God. However, using a simple definition would not have simplified the concept of ekklesia. It was a well-established word with well-established meanings. The writers of the NT did not choose the word by accident or simply to distinguish the “synagogue” from the “church”. The writers could have used other simpler words if they had wanted to avoid calling a gathering of Christians a “synagogue”.
When early Christians heard the word “ekklesia”, they would have thought of the ekklesia of a city – at least generally. The NT distinguished the Christian ekklesia from the ekklesia of citizens by designating it the ekklesia “of God” (or “of Christ”). “Of God” modified the term and distinguished it even from the Septuagint’s uses of ekklesia. Using the word “ekklesia” for their assemblies would have likely reminded the early Christians that they had been chosen by God, called out of their homes into God’s Kingdom, and were now living into the fulfilment of God’s eschatological purposes in Christ Jesus. The identity marker of the ekklesia as the Bride of Christ, as found in Revelation, would have confirmed this perception, since they knew the tradition that the Groom would return to call the Bride from her home and into the new home prepared for her. Even when the words “of God” would not have been used, the designation would have remained in their minds.
The ekklesia was “of God” in that it was the visible manifestation of God’s Kingdom in the world. It was a visible representation of God’s judgment that had come into the world concerning sin and evil. It was a visible expression of the new life through faith in the Resurrected Jesus Christ available to all. It was a public declaration of the Lordship of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, a direct affront to the powers that be, temporal or spiritual. And it was a public announcement of a new citizenship in Christ.
The new citizenship in the ekklesia did not replace the former citizenships, but it superseded them. The new citizenship demanded loyalty to the King Jesus and to the ekklesia that took precedence over all other loyalties. For the NT, the “saints” were the members of the “church of God”. As adopted “sons”, men and women would have received membership in the city with both the authority and the responsibility to act as free persons in Christ with full citizenship. Baptism was the admission into citizenship, and the Lord’s Supper reaffirmed that citizenship in regular worship gatherings. Preaching would have trained the citizens in the rights and privileges of citizenship, along with its responsibilities.
Church was “ekklesia” only whenever people assembled as citizens of God’s Kingdom. Assembly was the center of church life and the criterion for church life. Failing to assemble – or assembling for the wrong reasons and in the wrong ways – was equivalent to forsaking and despising the church of God. Only when the church assembled did it experience itself or express itself as the “body of Christ”. Apart from one another in assembly, individual Christians would have no coherence or purpose, any more than a severed finger has no purpose apart from the body.
It was only in the ekklesia, as it met together and did life together, that love expressed itself, unity maintained itself, and spiritual gifts cooperated to achieve the demonstration of God’s kingdom. As an assembly of Kingdom citizens, the church had norms for behaviour, mandated activities, crucial ministries, and designated persons with special responsibilities.
Like the civil ekklesia, the Christian ekklesia had a governmental role in God’s Kingdom. The church made public proclamations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The church was a public demonstration of the glory of God who called them out of darkness and into his light. The church modelled a public manifestation of the new human community in Jesus Christ. The church served as a public agency for the advancing of God’s loving rulership (Kingdom) by the Spirit of God in Christ. As the body of Christ, the ekklesia corporately represented Christ and corporately exercised the authority of Christ in the world.
As the NT suggests, until the return of her King, the ekklesia would experience tension: “The church is never triumphant. It is always militant, i.e., under pressure” (TDNT). The church would never be fully welcomed because “the congregation or Church of God always stands in contrast and even in opposition to other forms of society” (TDNT). The ekklesia would be triumphant in Jesus Christ, but the ekklesia would not be triumphalistic. At any given time, the ekklesia may seem weak and declining, ineffective and powerless, but she will ultimately prevail. After all, she is the Bride of Christ who is making herself ready for the return of her Groom.
ekklesia Defined
We must desperately revise our understanding of “ekklesia” for the health and growth of churches today. Churches have foundered in the wash of Western cultural issues, such as individualism and consumerism. Christians have lost their sense of connection with one another. People do not attend the assembly of Christians called “church” because they do not really understand what the “church” is and why it is important. People refuse to be called out of their homes and into a public assembly, choosing to watch popular streaming services rather than participate in person. However, unless Christians respond to the call and reassert their corporate citizenship of God’s Kingdom – including the fulfilment of their corporate responsibilities (such as the responsibility to assemble) – churches will continue to decline, and Christianity will continue to have a waning influence in many nations across the world – especially Western nations.
Based on the historical and biblical review of ekklesia, I would offer a provisional definition[4] of “ekklesia” as “church”:
The ekklesia is the calling and gathering of Christians and Christian families out of their homes and into a public place, so that together they might worship God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, make disciples of Jesus, share their lives and resources, and exercise their corporate authority by fulfilling their corporate responsibilities as citizens of God’s Kingdom, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit according to the Bible.
In this definition, the notion of “public” means a place or space available to everyone in the particular ekklesia. It is a place shared by the church, a communal space. It is not necessarily a completely open gathering place, such as a Western church building or a Middle Eastern marketplace. In some contexts globally, the ekklesia is not free or safe to gather openly or publicly because of persecution. The secret gatherings of Christians in these contexts are not less ekklesia than the gathering of two thousand people in a large church building in Nigeria.
In this definition, being called “out of their homes” does not prevent the ekklesia from meeting in someone’s house. Houses were often the public gathering places for the early Christians. Some of the earliest dedicated church buildings were family houses that people had converted into a “church building”. It was only after Constantine’s adoption of Christianity as the state religion that Christians generally felt comfortable creating special buildings in which the ekklesia might gather. A personal house, a catacomb, a barn, a cave, or any similar place could be used as the “public space” for the ekklesia.
The Responsibilities of ekklesia
When Christians gather as the ekklesia, their first responsibility and highest priority is worshipping God. “Worship” here does not mean simply singing and music, but honouring and serving God as God directs in the Bible. Churches are not free to worship God as they see fit, but only as God desires. Christian worship involves actively and joyfully surrendering ourselves to God the Father, through Jesus the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, according to God’s Word.
The worship of Christians as the ekklesia has ancillary benefits for the ekklesia. Our worship helps us not only to glorify God but also to enjoy him.[5] Our worship as the ekklesia aligns us with God and His purposes and aligns us with one another in the unity we have in Jesus. Our worship shapes and forms our corporate identity as the ekklesia, especially as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. The ekklesia worships not as citizens of this world but as citizens of the Kingdom of God, reminding us that Jesus has made us a kingdom (see Revelation 1:6). Our worship reminds us that God is sovereign over all the kingdoms of this world.
When Christians gather as the ekklesia, they make disciples corporately. God has created us as social beings, so the process of being in community with other people forms and shapes us – especially when those other people are following Jesus. New Christians learn how to worship, pray, read the Bible, see the world, and many other things, as they interact with mature believers in Jesus. We make disciples as we train people with the basic skills they need to become life-long followers of Jesus.
Making disciples of Jesus also means making citizens of God’s Kingdom. When I was growing up in the US, each year my teachers in school would teach me lessons in civics. I learned about the US Constitution. I learned about US history. I learned about my responsibilities as a citizen, such as voting. I learned how to respect those women and men who served the country in special ways. I said the “Pledge of Allegiance” every day. All these lessons were designed to help me become a responsible, grateful citizen of the United States so that, when I turned 18 years old, I could accept those responsibilities and contribute to the well-being of my country. Although the teachers taught the material, I learned as I practised these things alongside my fellow students. In the same way, making disciples of Jesus includes training people to become responsible, mature citizens of God’s Kingdom, for the benefit not only of the Kingdom but also of the world around us.
From the beginning of the ekklesia in Acts, Christians have used the gatherings as an opportunity to do life together and share their resources for mutual benefit (see Acts 4:32-37, for example). We often mistake what the Bible describes in some passages as a form of “communism” or “communal living”. But this was not some idealized gathering. It was part of normal living. People still owned their own property and they still had jobs (see Acts 5:4, for example), but they used the gathering as an opportunity to share their abundance with others – even those from other churches (see 2 Corinthians 8-9, for example).
As we do life together, we are modelling the new life in Jesus Christ. We are also modelling for the world what life is like in God’s Kingdom. As the ekklesia, we represent a whole new ethnicity, and we have a whole new citizenship (see 1 Peter 2:9-10). We see analogies of this in the world.
For example, the Kurds are a coherent transnational ethnic group, most likely originating in Iran. They have their own dialect and customs which they maintain across geopolitical boundaries. They long for their own nation-state. Their dominant identity as a people is determined by their culture and heritage, not their geopolitical citizenship. They may be citizens of Iran, Türkiye, or Syria, but they identify as Kurds above all else. They gather with other Kurds to celebrate and reinforce that cultural identity as they share life together. They understand that, unless they reinforce that cultural identity, they will lose it as they intermingle with others who are not Kurds.
The ekklesia is a constant reminder that our citizenship is not of this world. Although we seek the welfare of the earthly city in which God has placed us (Jeremiah 29:7), we are looking for the city that is to come (Hebrews 13:14). Without our active and consistent participation in the ekklesia, we will always tend to forget our real citizenship is in heaven. We will begin to store up treasures on earth, drawing our hearts away from God’s Kingdom (see Matthew 6:19-21).
Corporate Authority for Corporate Responsibilities
For many Christians, the idea of exercising our corporate authority by fulfilling our corporate responsibilities as citizens of God’s Kingdom will be a completely new idea. However, this may actually be the dominant message of the word “ekklesia” for the church. The Bible could easily have used “synagogue” to include worship, disciple-making, and doing life together. But “synagogue” would not have included the concept of citizens exercising their corporate responsibilities as citizens. In contrast, “ekklesia” primarily expresses the idea of citizens being called out of their homes to exercise their corporate authority by fulfilling their corporate responsibilities as citizens, which almost makes worship, disciple-making, and doing life together seem peripheral.
Understanding our corporate authority and corporate responsibilities as ekklesia begins, as in everything, with Jesus himself. Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One. Eusebius was perhaps the first to connect Jesus as the Anointed One with the anointed ones of the Old Testament – prophets, priests, and kings.[6] As the Anointed One, Jesus the Word came from the Father as the perfect Prophet, the eternal High Priest, and the sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords. As Prophet, Priest and King, Jesus was anointed not by oil and human hands, but by the Holy Spirit himself (see Luke 4:1 and 4:18). Jesus is the eternal Prophet, Priest and King because he is fully God as well as fully human.[7]
Jesus is the King of the kingdom in which Christians are citizens. As King, Jesus has called out the ekklesia, anointing her with the same Holy Spirit that anointed him (see Acts 2:33). God has placed everything under Jesus as King and has given Jesus to the ekklesia, making Jesus the head of the ekklesia, “which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23).[8] With Jesus as her head, the ekklesia as the body of Christ (the body of the Anointed One) is the fullness of Jesus in the world today. With Jesus as her King, the ekklesia is the sign and the manifestation of God’s Kingdom in the world today.
As his Body, with Jesus as the Head, the ekklesia corporately continues the ministry of Jesus as prophet, priest, and king. The ekklesia does not become prophet, priest or king, but it carries out these ministries in unity with Jesus and one another, with Jesus as the Head. Because Jesus is the Prophet, the Priest and the King, the ekklesia’s authority only flows from Jesus, from its ongoing, dynamic connection to the Head. The ekklesia has no authority independent of Jesus.
Just as the ekklesia has no authority independent of Jesus, solitary Christians have no authority independent of the ekklesia. Because the ekklesia is corporate, we have no individual authority for these roles apart from one another. When individuals do seem to exercise these functions, they only do so as gifted by the Holy Spirit and affirmed by the ekklesia. Because Jesus has made the ekklesia a Kingdom, we exercise this corporate authority as citizens of that Kingdom. Jesus has assigned the ekklesia corporately prophetic, priestly and kingly functions in the world, giving them together the authority to carry out these functions.
Prophetic, Priestly, Kingly
In general terms, the prophetic function[9] of the ekklesia corporately includes several things. The ekklesia reveals God’s will for people’s salvation. The ekklesia teaches people how to understand and apply God’s Word to life. The ekklesia shows people God’s will for their deliverance from sin and evil. The ekklesia carries out the Great Commission.
As part of its prophetic function, the ekklesia publicly declares Jesus as Saviour and King, heralding the Good News and announcing how Jesus will make the wrong things right (his justice). The ekklesia declares that there is only one name by which we are saved – Jesus. Serving in the prophetic ekklesia helps prepare Christians to profess Christ in their personal lives and contexts, giving them the courage to know that they do not stand alone.
In general terms, the priestly function of the ekklesia corporately includes several things. The ekklesia intercedes for the salvation and well-being of others. The ekklesia stands in gap between God and the world in prayer. The ekklesia engages in the ministry of reconciliation, reminding people how in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself and not counting their sins against them (2 Corinthians 5.18-19).
As in the OT, the ekklesia offers sacrifices to God based on the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The ekklesia offers the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. The ekklesia presents itself to God as a living sacrifice. The ekklesia exercises its priestly function as it sacrifices itself for the sake of the world, knowing the kindness of God that leads to repentance. The ekklesia also shows this priestly function as it ministers God’s love and grace to people.
In general terms, the kingly function of the ekklesia corporately includes several things. The ekklesia helps people cooperate fully with God’s loving rulership, guiding Kingdom citizens by God’s Word and God’s Spirit. The ekklesia provides discipline and correction so that people might live fruitfully and faithfully as followers of Jesus. The ekklesia helps guard and protect the people of God, equipping them to fight against the world, the flesh and the devil in this life.
Jesus works through the ekklesia to restrain and conquer all his enemies. This means that the ekklesia engages in prayer and spiritual warfare[10] as part of its kingly function. Paul reminds us that we struggle not against flesh and blood (see Ephesians 6:12). We are called to resist the devil until he flees from us (James 4:7), remembering that the command to “resist” is a corporate command primarily, not simply an individual command.
Jesus also works through the ekklesia to shape the future. As Walter Wink once observed, “History belongs to the intercessors – those who believe and pray the future into being”. God reveals his preferred future to his prophetic people and then calls them to pray kingly prayers for the fulfilment of his will.[11] God works with his people through their prayers according to his will to determine the future. Although our prayers – or lack thereof – do not affect the sovereignty of God, God does allow us influence over the course of history. Some things shall not happen unless the ekklesia prays.
The ekklesia exercises its kingly function as its citizens live out the reality of the Kingdom of God at work in our lives. Together, we embody and exemplify God’s new humanity in Christ Jesus. Our very presence as ekklesia in the world demonstrates God’s sovereign rulership. The ekklesia demonstrates that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. This is a major reason why so many regimes seek to persecute the churches. The very existence of the ekklesia is an affront to the rulers of this world.
Jesus calls us out of our homes as the ekklesia to exercise our corporate authority by fulfilling our corporate responsibilities as citizens of the Kingdom. By God’s intention and design, we cannot exercise our corporate authority as individuals – or even as individual families. By God’s intention and design, we cannot fulfil our corporate responsibilities alone. By God’s intention and design, we cannot experience the fullness of Jesus who fills all in all by ourselves. We must gather as the ekklesia.
The Nature of Citizenship
For most of the time, fulfilling the responsibilities of our earthly citizenships seems rather boring and mundane – and even occasionally unpleasant. (Who really likes to pay taxes, after all?) We obey the laws, even those we do not like. We vote in elections and referenda. We support our government, at least by praying for it. We challenge our government when necessary, to hold people accountable. We may serve in the military. We respond in times of crisis to help our fellow citizens. We educate our children to become responsible citizens. We refine one another as we discuss and debate different policies. We prepare ourselves to be good citizens. We get involved directly in government whenever and wherever possible. We serve on jury duty – but most of the time the cases are unexciting. We celebrate national holidays.
As citizens of the nations of this world, we mainly hope and pray that “we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:2 ESV). Most of the time we do not even think about our earthly citizenship, although it affects almost everything we do every day. We hardly ever consider how much authority our citizenship gives us – until we no longer have it.[12]
In the same way, fulfilling the responsibilities of our Kingdom citizenship may often seem rather boring and mundane – unless we consider what an enormous privilege it is to be part of a Kingdom with an eternal influence. We seek to obey the “Big 10” (Commandments), even when all around us are not. We attend worship each week. We serve on church boards or committees. We help with washing dishes. We pray and read the Bible, even when we are not sure God is hearing us and even when we are not sure we are hearing God. We disciple our children, even when they think everything is extremely boring. We might enjoy the Kingdom holidays, but sometimes they feel too few and too far in between them.
Fulfilling the responsibilities of our Kingdom citizenship may even seem unpleasant at times. Not everyone is excited about getting up early on a Sunday to attend a worship service. Most people do not enjoy the conflict involved with church discipline. Many people feel they could use their tithe much more effectively than church leaders do. Often, we do not really like the people in our church. They may not be the people with whom we would naturally associate.
Although it may seem useless and boring, fulfilling the responsibilities of our citizenship – whether it is our earthy citizenship or our heavenly citizenship – has an importance and an impact far beyond what we often perceive. The great challenge we face is that we most often do not immediately see the impact we have, especially when it comes to our Kingdom citizenship. We can struggle to see what difference it all makes, especially when there are more immediately rewarding options. Therefore, as Paul reminds us, we must walk by faith and not by sight (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). The light and momentary challenges of our citizenship is preparing for us an “eternal weight of glory” (see 2 Corinthians 4:17). What we often do not see are the things that are eternal.
I have many stories where people have told me years later how my “Kingdom citizenship” (if you will) influenced their lives. I recall the young woman who told me how my wife and I had inspired her – twenty years earlier – to do youth ministry. I remember the note from the man indicating that the casual conversation we once had – almost ten years earlier – was the most significant thing that led him to become a missionary. I could go on. I also remember how people have influenced me, such as the man who made a financial gift to support me as I began the process to become a minister. His gift continues to affect my approach to money in ministry 40 years later. The primary takeaway from all these stories is how they emerged simply from people fulfilling the responsibilities of Kingdom citizenship.
There is one very significant way that our Kingdom citizenship differs from our early citizenship: Citizenship in the Kingdom does not allow postal voting. At one time, to vote in US elections people had to go to a public polling station in person to cast their ballot. Many considered it an essential act of citizenship to take the time required from their busy day to stand in a line and exercise a key responsibility of citizenship. Additionally, people had to register in advance to vote. Recently, many governments have changed the system to allow people to vote by post. To do this, people receive a ballot delivered to the comfort of their homes so they can cast their votes as simply and easily as possible. Some people see postal voting as a good thing, while others see it as something that cheapens the central responsibility of citizenship.
Although civil governments may allow postal voting – voting from the comfort of someone’s home – the Kingdom of God works differently. Inherent in the very definition of ekklesia is citizens being called out of their homes and into a public gathering place. Citizens of the Kingdom exercise their responsibilities in person.[13] We have an inherent responsibility to gather with other Kingdom citizens to conduct Kingdom business.
Enhanced by Technology
One essential issue to consider regarding this definition of ekklesia concerns technology. Each church must discern how it uses various technologies, reflecting on the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We would strongly encourage churches to consider the issues raised in this appendix in their discernment process, but each church is accountable to God for its mission and ministry. That said, we are not, and we cannot be, anti-technology.
At the same time, we would note the considerable difference between using videoconferencing platforms and using livestream for corporate gatherings. Where I minister, we use both – although we emphasise videoconferencing platforms. In our experience, we have found that the experience of watching a livestream is more like watching a TV program or film. For many, the experience tends toward that of entertainment or education instead of engagement with people. Some people even put the livestream on in the background while they might do dishes or other household chores. The act of watching – even when it may be done in person – cannot replicate or replace the active engagement of ourselves in fulfilling the corporate responsibilities of Kingdom citizenship.
Using videoconferencing technology allows people to see and interact with one another throughout the gathering, giving people much more personal engagement. We can give opportunities for people to participate actively in the corporate gatherings via videoconferencing. For example, we might allow people attending via videoconferencing to pray, speak, or even preach. When using videoconferencing technology, we would recommend having a “point person” who seeks to engage people who are attending via videoconferencing with the people who are attending in person. Over several years, we have found that the deepest engagement and impact of videoconferencing occurs with people who have also engaged at times in person.
ekklesia Includes All Church Traditions
What we have said about ekklesia includes all genuine churches of Jesus Christ. It includes all church sizes from three to three thousand (and beyond). It includes all churches no matter in which “public place” they meet. It includes all churches no matter in which cultural and community context God has placed them. The ekklesia is the church.
What we have said about ekklesia is also not a matter of church tradition or church polity. One big concern I have is that people would read this chapter and assume a particular church tradition, like “Pentecostal”, “Charismatic”, “Roman Catholic”, or any other. The definition of ekklesia applies no matter the church tradition. At the same time, this definition does not promote some wooly ecumenism, where any group of people might claim ekklesia for themselves. Some “churches” are ekklesia in name only and do not bear the marks of a true church. However, the ultimate judgment in this matter belongs to God.
Another similar concern is that people would read this chapter and assume a particular church polity, like “Presbyterian”, “Congregational”, or “Episcopal”. The definition applies no matter the church polity. The challenge for each leader and each church is to review their church tradition or polity in view of this definition of ekklesia without distorting the definition through the lens of their church tradition or polity. The Bible gives more latitude for variations of church polity than we often assume.
Three Conditions for Becoming ekklesia in Your Context
Throughout history, churches have profoundly influenced their contexts – community, city, nation, and nations beyond. God has used churches to advance his Kingdom. God has used churches to make disciples of all nations. Most often, churches have naturally (supernaturally) influenced the world around them without much reflection on whether they were fulfilling the definition of ekklesia. They simply sought to follow Jesus and do life together as the people of God. However, we have entered a time where churches must regain the biblical nature of ekklesia or continue the downward spiral of decline and dysfunction.
Churches must meet three conditions to walk fully into their standing as genuine ekklesia and regain their influence in society. The first condition is that churches must be “in Christ”. Jesus must become the centre of our life and ministry together. Our corporate eyes must be fixed on Jesus as the founder and finisher of our faith, the one who died on the cross and rose bodily from the grave. Christians must understand who we are as individuals in Christ, adopted children of the Father. We must also understand who we are corporately in Christ, as the Body and Bride of Christ.
The second condition is that churches must be “in unity”. Many people completely misunderstand Christian unity, as if it is something for which we must work hard – or even as something that is impossible. However, our unity as Christians is a gift that we have already received in Christ. Jesus’ prayer in John 17 has already been fulfilled. Christians simply need to live out of that reality. We are called to keep or guard the unity of the Spirit – a unity we already have – in the bond of peace (see Ephesians 4:3).
The third condition – the one that has become much more evident when considering the definition of ekklesia – is that churches must be “in person”. We simply cannot live out our kingdom citizenship as isolated individuals. We cannot continue Jesus’ work as prophet, priest and king as the Body of Christ if we are not actively and personally connected with others in that Body. When dynamically connected with others in the Body of Christ, even while doing seemingly insignificant things, we have a corporate authority and influence that will change our communities, cities, nations, and world.
We have entered a season of church history where churches must recover the biblical definition of ekklesia and how that applies to the life of their church. From the beginning, God has intended to make known his manifold wisdom through the ekklesia to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (see Ephesians 3:10). God has built us together as the ekklesia to declare the excellencies of God who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light (see 1 Peter 2:9). Jesus has redeemed us from every tribe, language, people, and ethnicity, making us a kingdom and priests to our God, and we as the ekklesia shall reign on the earth (see Revelation 5:9-10). Together we are citizens of God’s Kingdom, under the Kingship of Jesus our Saviour. We are called out of our homes to exercise our corporate responsibilities as Kingdom citizens so the whole world might know the One who has ransomed us to God by his blood shed on the Cross. Jesus alone is worthy.
[1] The Greek ἐκκλησία is transliterated in several ways, frequently as ecclesia. I have chosen a simplified transliteration, without various accents. I have also chosen the convention of italicizing the transliterations.
[2] None of the work in this section and the one that follows is original to me, except the organisation and links. I refer you to the following: Roloff, J. Balz, Horst and Gerhard Schneider, eds. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Accordance electronic ed., version 1.4. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990 (ExD); Coenen, L. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Accordance electronic ed., version 3.8. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986 (NIDNTT); and, Schmidt, K. L. Kittel, Gerhard and Geoffrey W. Bromiley, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Accordance electronic ed., version 3.1. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964 (TDNT). Any quotes will refer to these references using the abbreviations.
[3] Ironically, “church” today is often used in the way “synagogue” was used in NT times. The synagogue was both the gathering and the place of the gathering. The gathering occurred primarily for religious and community purposes.
[4] A “provisional definition” is one based on present considerations but subject to further revision and development.
[5] See the Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1.
[6] See “Chapter III. The Name Jesus and Also the Name Christ Were Known from the Beginning, and Were Honored by the Inspired Prophets” in Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds. Eusebius Pamphilus: Church History, Life of Constantine, & Oration in Praise of Constantine. Vol. I of A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series. Accordance electronic ed. New York: Christian Literature Publishing, 1890.
[7] See The Heidelberg Catechism Questions 31-32 and the Westminster Shorter Catechism Questions 23-26 for brief expositions of Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King.
[8] I do not think most Christians have even begun to consider the impact of this statement. Together, we are the fullness of Jesus. It is quite extraordinary!
[9] We should not confuse this with the spiritual gift of prophecy as discussed in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.
[10] The topic of “spiritual warfare” evokes a variety of images, some of which are very unhelpful. In this context, “spiritual warfare” simply means radical obedience to God and standing firm so that the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms are overcome in Christ.
[11] See Daniel chapter 9 for a biblical example of how this works.
[12] As someone who resides in a country of which I am not a citizen, I continually regret not having the right to vote and to do other things citizens can do. It is a constant reminder of my lack of civil authority.
[13] We must strongly assert that saying this does not devalue, denigrate or depreciate those who are unable to participate in person, especially those who are physically disabled or who serve in helping professions such as nursing that require Sunday working. However, it is also self-evident that those who do not come out of their homes do not generally have the same level of impact and fruitfulness in their Kingdom citizenship.