The Church

The Greek word usually translated "church" in the New Testament is "ekklesia" (ek' la see' ah), which literally means, "to call out of". The Greeks used the word to describe the assembly of citizens gathered to conduct the affairs of State (Acts 19:39).

In the New Testament the word is used to describe the gathering of the nation of Israel (Acts 7:38) and to describe a riotous mob (Acts 19:32). But most of the time "ekklesia" refers to the assembly of Christians. In Alexander Campbell's translation of the New Testament, "The Living Oracles", "ekklesia" is always translated "congregation".

In the New Testament "ekklesia" is applied to the church as the whole company of believers throughout the ages and to the assembly of Christians in a specific location. When the plural of "ekklesia" is used it refers to congregations in a specific district.

We are going to look at the five features of the church: 1) it's name, 2) its membership, 3) its relations to other congregations, 4) it relations to the general community, and 5) its relations to the State.

The Name of the Church. In the New Testament the church is called: Church of God, Church of the Living God, Church of Christ, Church of the Saints, and Church of the Firstborn. These are the Biblical names for the church. Today churches go by many different names, which come from a particular practice, or a belief, or a person, or a system of church government.

For example, the name "Baptist" comes from the practice of immersing believers instead of sprinkling of infants. The name "Methodist" comes from John Wesley's "method" of making members of the Church of England more holy. "Presbyterian" and "Episcopal" come from their systems of church governments (Presbyterian - groups of elders or presbyters, and Episcopal - individual priests and bishops). Sometimes the name "Free-will" appears in the name of the church. "Free will" means the church does not believe in unconditional determinism (see chapter on Predestination). The name "Catholic" means universal. And "Lutherans" have obviously named their church after the great reformer, Martin Luther.

I personally prefer that the church be called simply the "church" and that the place where the church meets be called a chapel. But these names and titles are of little consequence because in the Scripture several words are used to describe the "called out".

Having said this however, in I Corinthians 1:10-17, the apostle Paul expresses his concern that believers are dividing themselves into denominations by boasting that they are followers of Paul or Peter or Apollos or Christ. Paul said, "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?" Denominationalism is not a scriptural practice.

Alexander Campbell, the man who spearheaded the movement to restore the church as close to the church of the New Testament as possible, liked to call Bible things by Bible names. So Campbell preferred to call individual believers "disciples" and the congregation the "Christian Church" or "Church of Christ".

Names tend to have power and I believe it is prudent to call ourselves after Christ and demonstrate to the world that we are united in Christ alone.

The church and its membership. Church membership has always been a puzzle to me. The only one who can add to the church is the Lord (Acts 2:47) and I don't know the names of those whom the Lord has added to His church, nor does anyone else have this information. Yet churches make an issue of church membership. And the conditions for membership are about as varied and the number of churches.

In those places where the New Testament speaks of "members" it is speaking of the parts of one's body or being a part of Christ. In I Corinthians 12:12ff ("ff" is shorthand for "following" the verse cited) the apostle Paul speaks of the members of the physical body, referring to the nose, ears, hands and feet. He is not talking about membership is the church as an organization.

Church membership has become important in large measure because we have an unscriptural form of church government that has become a tradition written in the constitution and by-laws of a church or denomination. (See the chapter on Leadership in the Church)

The only reason "membership" in a local congregation is important is because the "members" are allowed to vote or become leaders. And the only way we can know who is eligible to vote or lead the church is if the person has been approved by the other members of the church as a bonafide "member" of the church.

I personally do not care about church membership. Persons who are Christians are members of the Lord's church whether I accept them or not. Being added to the Lord's church is sort of like when I was added to my family. I had no choice in the matter of who my brothers and sisters are, and there is nothing I can do to change it. To judge who is and is not a part of the Lord's church is not my job, nor is it the job of anyone else.

For me, church membership is a non-issue, so I go with whatever the policy of the local congregation is.

The church as it relates to other churches. Believers come in all sorts of beliefs and practices. I am not threatened by the beliefs of those who would disagree with my theology, nor do those who do not believe the Scripture is the revelation of God threaten me. Obviously there will be some churches with which I have so little in common that it is not practical for me or them to do much together. There are items of doctrine that I will not support with my presence just as those who disagree with my theology do not want to support my theological position with their presence.

The problem with associating with churches, that I believe are substantially outside the unmistakable teachings of the Scripture, is that by cooperating with them, especially in evangelistic efforts, I may be categorized as having the same unbiblical theology.

So cooperating with other churches is a judgment call on the part of the leadership of the church. And if the decision not to work together with anther congregation, it must be clearly understood that this is not a condemnation but merely a matter of difference which one cannot conscientiously compromise.

The church as it relates to the community. Perhaps the one area in which the church misses an opportunity to witness its faith is in its isolation from community affairs. The church is a part of the fabric of the neighborhood or community in which it is located. It is in its relationship with its neighbors that people come to know the people who meet behind the brick walls with the stained glass windows. The church ought to be involved in the wholesome activities of its community, not as primarily evangelists, but simply as good neighbors who add to the life of the neighborhood.

The church as it relates to the state.  The next chapter deals with this issue.