When we look at the different terms applied to ekklesia we see something that is so much more than a few worship services or bible studies a week, we see total community that serves the total needs of every community member while engaging in spiritual war (prayer and evangelism) to conquer territory and free the enemy’s captives.

Other terms used for the Ekklesia include:

1. The body of Christ. It is the spiritual body of Christ. Christ is its head (Ephesians 5:23). There is but one body (Ephesians 4:4). The one body is the one ekklesia (Colossians 1:18).

2. The household of God. When we are called “The Household of Faith” or of God we need to realize that a “Household” was a mini-city state in the sense that you had a “patron” with the family and servants and all the “clients” who attached themselves to the House. From these “Houses” senators and other city leaders were selected. This helps us to understand that the ekklesia is the family of God in one sense and a spiritual city-state in another sense. In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul says that the house of God is the ecclesia of the living God. God is the Father and we are His children (Galatians 3:26-27).

3. The kingdom of God. Kingdom suggests a King. Christ is the King (Revelation 17:14). But to be a king, the kingdom has to exist now, and it does (Acts 8:12). We are Christ’s people. The world is His territory. The New Testament is His law. This is the ekklesia (Matthew 16:18-19). The kingdom and the ekklesia are the same.

4. The vineyard of the Lord. Christ is the vine. Individual Christians are the branches (John 15:1-8). Christians must work in the ekklesia and bear fruit for the Lord. As a vine has many branches, all connected to the one vine that is the source, so too our ekklesia ought to have many branches; branches to deal with spiritual issues, public services, finances, and etc.

The ekklesia is the Body of Christ, it is the Household of God, it is the Kingdom of God, and it is the Vineyard of Christ.

If we elevate one of these things above all others we narrow the scope of what the ekklesia is, we reduce it to something less than what it is. If we say it is a church only, in the sense of weekly services and a clergy led bible study, we make it just a temple.

If we say it is just the body of Christ we make it only the living embodiment of Christ. If we say it is only the Kingdom of God we make it only a spiritual state led by our King, Jesus. If we say it is only a vineyard we make it only a plant-like structure that bears fruit for Christ.

ALL of these things are good and necessary, but none of them is the singular definition of what we are called to, none of them by themselves spells out what exactly is involved in living the Christian life.

The ekklesia is ALL of these things and MORE!

Let us consider what one entity, one term, we can use to both convey the local “ekklesia” and the universal “ekklesia”.

The ekklesia is an assembly of people who have been called out, usually it means they have been called out to make legislative decisions.

The term “called out” means “elected”, generally by a vote, which is why we are also called “the elect of God.” We were appointed to this council not by the will of man but by the will of God and it is from Him that we receive our authority and our mandate.
When we consider, from example and scripture, the full mandate of God for His People we must admit that we are not even coming close to carrying it out!

The ekklesia has many elements, from elements that deal with temple activities to elements that deal with more mundane human affairs. This ekklesia is designed to deal with every area of human action and interaction- providing for believers and reaching out to non-believers.

Let us consider what The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible says:
In comparison with other terms, ekklesia was relatively neutral and colorless, conveying by itself little theological meaning.

It was open to use without basic shift in meaning, by unbelievers as well as by believers…Ekklesia was used primarily to designate a particular communal reality, not to describe its qualitative aspects. (Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 1, p. 607)

Ekklesia describes a “communal reality” Therefore the word we choose is “community”. It is an assembly of people, it deals with every aspect of life, and it conveys both the idea of a global assembly of believers as well as a local one.

If we say “The Community of Christ” we refer to all people, organizations, churches, and etc. that make Christ their head. Anyone or any entity that makes Christ its head is a part of the Community of Christ and any person or entity that fails to do so is not part of that community.

Wherever we find a role within the Community of Christ we are meant to be part of the whole community. This means not only that all believers are to be included it also means that every area of human action and interaction is to be included.

The Community of Christ was meant to have different types of authorities and decision-making processes that are suited to its different functions.

Again, the clergy have a role within the church but all believers have various roles, all of equal value, within the whole community and every single community is accountable first to Christ and always THROUGH the consent of the members of that community.

I have to add another note here. My purpose here is to expound on the inherent “priesthood of the believer”, not to attack the clergy as if they are something bad or evil.

The issue is not that the clergy take their role too seriously it is that ALL believers need to take ALL the roles within Christian Community as seriously as any other Divine Call to service because WE ARE ALL CALLED INTO HOLY SERVICE in some way.

The clergy have a good grasp of what a Holy Calling is, why should anyone take that from them? I do not say “the clergy have no Holy Calling” but, rather, “each individual believer has a Holy Calling.”

Let us not discourage the clergy but, rather, let us elevate the while body to the same intensity of commitment and Holy Service as we may have before thought was only for “the clergy” and let us ensure that Christian Communities are governed by Christ not through one or a few people but through the cones of all the People!

I am not talking so much about the internal functions of a church but, rather, of a community which ought to encompass believers from all the Christian churches and not just one or a few.

The early Christian communities were essentially mutual aid societies that set themselves up as if they were their own city-councils ruling over a spiritual city-state.

The focus of these spiritual city-states, which formed a universal Christian community, was to instruct believers in the word, to provide mutual accountability, to resolve disputes, to make sure everyone’s physical needs were met, and of course to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ (converting the lost and making them into disciples).

The community revolved around relationships that were familial in their depth, not “services”, and the government of the community involved many members, often “specialists” doing specific tasks but all accountable to the “ecclesia” itself instead of a small group of elites, clergy, or a single person.

The territory of these city-states were the individuals and the households that believed in Christ within a specific geographic area. The Christian ekklesia in Athens, for instance, was set up to spiritually supersede the secular ekklesia of Athens.

Why was the ekklesia persecuted? The Romans and Greeks could see in the very organization of the ekklesia, in the titles it took on, and in its refusals to bow before Caesar or even to use the Roman courts for internal disputes, a clear case of a “state within a state” being formed. They did not realize that this state was a spiritual state, but they did realize that if people joined this spiritual state the reign of Caesar would end.

The model of the early Christian community was a city-state, not a temple. Words like household, army, and kingdom were used but the common Greek words for temple (synagogue and church) were NEVER used!

In the ekklesia there are different offices, such as shepherd, overseer, prophet, helps, administrations, governments, and etc., but in keeping with the city-state system they seem to be modeled on, Israeli tribes and of course Athens, these offices were not permanent.

It is extremely important for the reader to avoid taking this information and using it AGAINST anyone or any group.

Let me repeat; there is NOTHING WRONG with a church or with clergy or church services. These things have been found to be useful for many generations and they are basically doing their job. There is something wrong with the idea that churches are the sole focus of Christian community or that the clergy are the sole leaders and decision-makers within Christian community.

The reality is that a Christian life lived solely within a “church” (in the traditional sense of the term) is a limited and narrow experience because it includes only a limited area of our lives instead of every part of them and a narrow sphere of people (the people who go to “our church” instead of all believers).

It is as unwise to just leave your church as it is to reduce your Christian walk to only the church experience and the things we do in church. What we need is to move beyond “church” and into “community”.

Let us briefly consider aspects of the offices within the ekklesia.

Ephesians 4:11
11And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.

I Corinthians 12:28
28So God has appointed some in the church [for His own use]: first apostles (special messengers); second prophets (inspired preachers and expounders); third teachers; then wonder-workers; then those with ability to heal the sick; helpers; administrators; [speakers in] different (unknown) tongues.

Titles Used

1. Apostles- community builders with a special commission

2. Prophets- inspired preachers and expounders

3. Evangelists- missionary speakers

4. Pastors- mentors and spiritual counselors

5. Teachers- instructors and discipleship trainers

6. Healers- workers of miracles that bring healing/supernatural help

7. Helpers- various workers who help people by their service in practical ways

8. Administrators- managers and financial specialists who handle administrative functions

9. Glosalalists- people who regularly speak in an unknown tongue for the edification of the body

What should be known about these titles is that they are suggestive not imperative; this means that while they show us the types of activities the ekklesia needs to be involved in they are not meant to be a definitive or exclusive list of exactly how the ekklesia needs to organized itself.

Many of these terms were commonly used in reference to communities such as shepherds (pastors), teachers (Greek philosophers used such titles), helpers (parakeletes), and administrators (literally meaning administrative officials).

What is lacking in scripture, and we believe intentionally so, is a clear cut outline that says “this is what you need to do, this is how to do it, these are the officers, this is what each office does, and this is how you select officers.”

Some offices are described, and we se some evidence of how some were chosen, but, for instance, the office of deacons is never mentioned in the two passages that describe the offices of the ekklesia.

If we delve into the duties of the ekklesia, the offices and their functions and selection process we get a clear picture as to the spiritual intentions of God with regards to the ekklesia but we do not get anything we can say is “the ONLY biblical organizational structure.”

We believe that the reason these things have not been specifically detailed is that it is God’s intention for us o decide many of these matters for ourselves so long as we stay within certain parameters.

We can start to work towards creating community with the basic calling of God for our lives, a calling that is clearly not limited to church or any other aspect of Christian community.

Here is the IRS definition:

Certain characteristics are generally attributed to churches. These attributes of a church have been developed by the IRS and by court decisions. They include:

*
Distinct legal existence
*
Recognized creed and form of worship
*
Definite and distinct ecclesiastical government
*
Formal code of doctrine and discipline
*
Distinct religious history
*
Membership not associated with any other church or denomination
*
Organization of ordained ministers
*
Ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed courses of study
*
Literature of its own
*
Established places of workshop
*
Regular congregations
*
Regular religious services
*
Sunday schools for the religious instruction of the young
*
Schools for the preparation of its members