Exploring Ekklesia
The Greek word “ekklesia” is translated as “church” in our New Testament Bibles. It literally means “the called out ones” and was originally used in Greco-Roman culture to describe an assembly of city council members – those who had been called out to perform a task and given authority to do so. Another way of defining “ekklesia” is as “a group of people on a mission”. Here’s a more expanded definition of what I believe “ekklesia” means today: “A gathering of believers, with Christ at their center and the Bible as their doctrinal authority, who are intent on glorifying and experiencing Jesus through their relationships and the mutual sharing of the Holy Spirit’s gifts.”
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (ekklesia) and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” – Matt. 16:18
“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” – Matt. 18:20
Many believers all over the world have been, or are beginning to, reevaluate what it means to be “ekklesia”, and to strip away centuries of man-made traditions to get back to the essence of what “church” really meant to the early Christians. This “back-to-basics” way of being the church is referred to by names such as “Relational Church”, “Simple Church”, “non-Institutional Church”, “Open Church”, “House Church”, “Believer’s Church”, “New Testament Church”, etc.
Regardless of what it’s called, the basic elements are pretty consistent. Listed below are some of those elements. I would encourage you to look up the scripture references given:
· Meeting in houses, as the New Testament church did, or in other locations that don’t drain resources, but foster a sense of family and connectedness.
(Acts 2:46-47, Acts 8:3, Acts 20:20, Rom 16:5, 1 Cor 16:19, Col. 4:15, Philem. 1:2, 2 John 10, etc.)
· Gathering in open, mutually participatory meetings, rather than as a passive audience listening to sermons. Moving from an “organized” to an “organic” form of Christianity. (1 Cor 12:4-14, 1 Cor 14:12, 26, Eph 4:16, Eph 5:19-21, Col 3:16, Heb 10:24-25, 1 Pet 4:10-11, John 13:35, etc. Note how often the words “one-another” and “everyone” appear in these texts.)
· Moving away from the unscriptural division of believers into “clergy” and “laity” castes, which has been the norm in church for centuries, and instead learning to function as a body that is directly under the headship of Christ. (Eph 1:22-23, Eph 4:16, Col 1:18, Col 2:19, 1 Tim 2:5, 1 Pet 2:9)
· Having a plurality of Elders (mature believers) who lead through service, example and supportive guidance as opposed to the “top-down” leadership style of the one-man pastoral system which is not present in the New Testament. Pastoring is not an office or position, but a function performed by those believers who are gifted by the Holy Spirit. (Matt 20:25-28, Acts 20:17, 28, 1 Tim 5:17, James 5:14, 1 Pet 5:1-4)
· Endeavoring to make decisions by Spirit-led consensus, which means giving each person in the fellowship the opportunity to provide input and learning to
wait in prayer together, listen together and follow the Holy Spirit together, seeking to learn God’s council and the depths of His heart for the church and the unsaved when making decisions. (Prov 15:22, Prov 24:6, Acts 15, 2 Cor 8-9)
· Placing an emphasis on fellowship – really getting to know one-another and showing love in tangible ways. Encouraging one-another to fully interact as the
parts of Christ’s body that the Holy Spirit desires each of us to be. (John 13:34-35, 1 Cor 12:4-31, 1 Cor 13, etc.)
· Using finances in biblical ways such as giving to the needy in our communities and helping one-another out in times of difficulty. (Acts 6:1-7, Acts 11:27-30, Acts 24:17, Rom 15:25-28, 1 Cor 16:1-4, 2 Cor 8:1-15, 2 Cor 9:1-12, 1 Tim 5:3-16, etc.)
· Sharing the Lord’s Supper (Communion) as a meal, as it was done by the New Testament church. (Acts 2:46, 1 Cor 10:16-22, 1 Cor 11:18-34).
· Studying the Bible together in an interactive, participatory dialog as opposed to a lecture-style monologue. (Read Acts 20:7-11. Note that in v. 7 where it says that Paul “spoke” or “preached” the actual Greek word is “dialegomai” which means to dialog, to discuss, to reason together. This is consistent with the interactive
teaching style of that day.)
· Prayer. Learning about what’s going on in one-another’s lives and taking time to pray for each other. Expecting God to move powerfully and speak to us as a
group.
· Worshipping God, not just through the musical performance of a few, but with anyone being capable of being the “worship leader” at any given time (1 Cor 14:26, Eph 5:19-20, Col 3:16). Exploring expressions of worship with the idea of learning to follow one-another as we corporately follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. Including, but also going beyond music and learning together to worship God with our whole selves and entire lives.
· Evangelism, which takes place not through programs, but through pursuing relationships. Not by inviting people to a church service but by inviting them into our homes.
· Including the children and youth fully in the fellowship so that they can be mentored and fed along with the adults.
· Church growth through multiplication, not addition. In other words, as a house-based fellowship grows it should split (like a cell) into two house-based fellowships. These fellowships continue to “multiply through division” as new members are added. The eventual goal is that house-based fellowships are focused on reaching their immediate surrounding communities. These house-based fellowships periodically come together for corporate celebrations.
To express these elements can be misunderstood as being critical of those who whole-heartedly serve God in the institutional church, and that is not the intention. Neither is this a judgment against the body of Christ. Rather, this is a reevaluation of systems, structures and traditions that have been added to the New Testament picture of ekklesia.
Do we know how to do all this stuff? No! Are we going to make mistakes? Definitely! Remember, this is an exploration, which implies stepping into the unknown.
The costs of exploring “ekklesia” are many. First off, it entails moving into unfamiliar territory (Heb 11:8). It means having our presuppositions challenged (1 Thess 5:21, Acts 17:11) and sacrificing comfortable traditions and practices. It requires having to take responsibility to be a minister and to bring something to give of ourselves and our gifts for the body, and no longer just passively receiving. It means taking the risk of becoming known. It means dying to self: Laying down our agendas, control issues and need to be the center of attention so that the Holy Spirit can lead and Christ can be formed in us corporately (Phil 2:1-4). It means a commitment to helping each other surrender our lives and pursue the depth of God’s heart through sacrificial love (1 Cor 13). It means taking the risk of being misunderstood and labeled as “difficult”, “independent”, “rebellious” or worse. It means making a commitment of time because we are called to be a community (ekklesia) and community doesn’t happen with an investment of two hours on Sunday. It happens by being part of each other’s lives and walking out our discipleship together.
We are beginning this journey of discovery, having just left a pastoral position at a Vineyard church on Sunday. I'll try to use this site to document thoughts that occur along the way.
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (ekklesia) and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” – Matt. 16:18
“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” – Matt. 18:20
Many believers all over the world have been, or are beginning to, reevaluate what it means to be “ekklesia”, and to strip away centuries of man-made traditions to get back to the essence of what “church” really meant to the early Christians. This “back-to-basics” way of being the church is referred to by names such as “Relational Church”, “Simple Church”, “non-Institutional Church”, “Open Church”, “House Church”, “Believer’s Church”, “New Testament Church”, etc.
Regardless of what it’s called, the basic elements are pretty consistent. Listed below are some of those elements. I would encourage you to look up the scripture references given:
· Meeting in houses, as the New Testament church did, or in other locations that don’t drain resources, but foster a sense of family and connectedness.
(Acts 2:46-47, Acts 8:3, Acts 20:20, Rom 16:5, 1 Cor 16:19, Col. 4:15, Philem. 1:2, 2 John 10, etc.)
· Gathering in open, mutually participatory meetings, rather than as a passive audience listening to sermons. Moving from an “organized” to an “organic” form of Christianity. (1 Cor 12:4-14, 1 Cor 14:12, 26, Eph 4:16, Eph 5:19-21, Col 3:16, Heb 10:24-25, 1 Pet 4:10-11, John 13:35, etc. Note how often the words “one-another” and “everyone” appear in these texts.)
· Moving away from the unscriptural division of believers into “clergy” and “laity” castes, which has been the norm in church for centuries, and instead learning to function as a body that is directly under the headship of Christ. (Eph 1:22-23, Eph 4:16, Col 1:18, Col 2:19, 1 Tim 2:5, 1 Pet 2:9)
· Having a plurality of Elders (mature believers) who lead through service, example and supportive guidance as opposed to the “top-down” leadership style of the one-man pastoral system which is not present in the New Testament. Pastoring is not an office or position, but a function performed by those believers who are gifted by the Holy Spirit. (Matt 20:25-28, Acts 20:17, 28, 1 Tim 5:17, James 5:14, 1 Pet 5:1-4)
· Endeavoring to make decisions by Spirit-led consensus, which means giving each person in the fellowship the opportunity to provide input and learning to
wait in prayer together, listen together and follow the Holy Spirit together, seeking to learn God’s council and the depths of His heart for the church and the unsaved when making decisions. (Prov 15:22, Prov 24:6, Acts 15, 2 Cor 8-9)
· Placing an emphasis on fellowship – really getting to know one-another and showing love in tangible ways. Encouraging one-another to fully interact as the
parts of Christ’s body that the Holy Spirit desires each of us to be. (John 13:34-35, 1 Cor 12:4-31, 1 Cor 13, etc.)
· Using finances in biblical ways such as giving to the needy in our communities and helping one-another out in times of difficulty. (Acts 6:1-7, Acts 11:27-30, Acts 24:17, Rom 15:25-28, 1 Cor 16:1-4, 2 Cor 8:1-15, 2 Cor 9:1-12, 1 Tim 5:3-16, etc.)
· Sharing the Lord’s Supper (Communion) as a meal, as it was done by the New Testament church. (Acts 2:46, 1 Cor 10:16-22, 1 Cor 11:18-34).
· Studying the Bible together in an interactive, participatory dialog as opposed to a lecture-style monologue. (Read Acts 20:7-11. Note that in v. 7 where it says that Paul “spoke” or “preached” the actual Greek word is “dialegomai” which means to dialog, to discuss, to reason together. This is consistent with the interactive
teaching style of that day.)
· Prayer. Learning about what’s going on in one-another’s lives and taking time to pray for each other. Expecting God to move powerfully and speak to us as a
group.
· Worshipping God, not just through the musical performance of a few, but with anyone being capable of being the “worship leader” at any given time (1 Cor 14:26, Eph 5:19-20, Col 3:16). Exploring expressions of worship with the idea of learning to follow one-another as we corporately follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. Including, but also going beyond music and learning together to worship God with our whole selves and entire lives.
· Evangelism, which takes place not through programs, but through pursuing relationships. Not by inviting people to a church service but by inviting them into our homes.
· Including the children and youth fully in the fellowship so that they can be mentored and fed along with the adults.
· Church growth through multiplication, not addition. In other words, as a house-based fellowship grows it should split (like a cell) into two house-based fellowships. These fellowships continue to “multiply through division” as new members are added. The eventual goal is that house-based fellowships are focused on reaching their immediate surrounding communities. These house-based fellowships periodically come together for corporate celebrations.
To express these elements can be misunderstood as being critical of those who whole-heartedly serve God in the institutional church, and that is not the intention. Neither is this a judgment against the body of Christ. Rather, this is a reevaluation of systems, structures and traditions that have been added to the New Testament picture of ekklesia.
Do we know how to do all this stuff? No! Are we going to make mistakes? Definitely! Remember, this is an exploration, which implies stepping into the unknown.
The costs of exploring “ekklesia” are many. First off, it entails moving into unfamiliar territory (Heb 11:8). It means having our presuppositions challenged (1 Thess 5:21, Acts 17:11) and sacrificing comfortable traditions and practices. It requires having to take responsibility to be a minister and to bring something to give of ourselves and our gifts for the body, and no longer just passively receiving. It means taking the risk of becoming known. It means dying to self: Laying down our agendas, control issues and need to be the center of attention so that the Holy Spirit can lead and Christ can be formed in us corporately (Phil 2:1-4). It means a commitment to helping each other surrender our lives and pursue the depth of God’s heart through sacrificial love (1 Cor 13). It means taking the risk of being misunderstood and labeled as “difficult”, “independent”, “rebellious” or worse. It means making a commitment of time because we are called to be a community (ekklesia) and community doesn’t happen with an investment of two hours on Sunday. It happens by being part of each other’s lives and walking out our discipleship together.
We are beginning this journey of discovery, having just left a pastoral position at a Vineyard church on Sunday. I'll try to use this site to document thoughts that occur along the way.
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