What is the Church? by Andrew Brumme
In June 2005, Robert Sagers wrote an article called "The Wedding Planner" explaining and defining the church from his perspective. Disagreeing with him on several key points, I spent the following year studying the New Testament to gain a more complete understanding of what it says and does not say about the church. The study was a delightful experience, and the discoveries from it were thrilling. I plan to write a number of articles sharing my findings from the study in the coming months, but have begun with this article, answering the question "What is the Church?", as well as an article written specifically in Response to the Wedding Planner article.
Debates about the church rage on through every generation, and ours is no exception. George Barna and others claim that millions in America are “leaving the church.” The Catholic Church and even some Protestant denominations claim to be the “one true church.” Talk of “going to church” is common, as are requirements for “church membership.” But each of these expressions is drawing on a different definition of “church” – ultimately begging the question: What is the church?

Literally
In the New Testament, the English word “church” is a translation of the Greek word “ekklesia”. In classical Greek, ekklesia referred to an assembly of citizens who were called together by the public crier for a legislative gathering. This may well be the context in which first century followers of Jesus would have understood ekklesia. The simplest and perhaps most accurate translation is “assembly” or “congregation”. More literally, it is translated “a calling out”, referring to the public crier “calling” citizens together for the legislative gathering.

There is actually an example of this secular definition in Acts 19, when Paul enraged the craftsmen in Ephesus because his proclamation of the gospel hurt their idol-making business. The craftsmen got the city riled up and the whole city gathered in the theater. But the town clerk eventually broke up the gathering since it was not a lawful ekklesia, “if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly [ekklesia].” (Acts 19:39)

However, for the Christian context, this classical Greek definition of ekklesiaseems to be lacking and incomplete. The use of ekklesia by Jesus, Paul and others in the New Testament suggests an expanded meaning beyond the classical Greek definition, giving it a specifically Christian context.

In the New Testament
Throughout the New Testament, 115 occurrences of ekklesia (translated as “church” by most English translations) refer either to specific groupings of Christians, or all Christians everywhere. For example, Jesus tells his disciples that “I will build my church” (Matt 16:18), referring to all Christians everywhere. In the same way, Paul testifies “I persecuted the church of God” (1Co 15:9).

But many of the uses of “church” in the New Testament refer to groups of Christians in a specific geographic area, such as when Paul writes “to the churches of Galatia” (Gal 1:2) or “to the church of the Thessalonians” (1Th 1:1, 2Th 1:1). Even beyond the geographic groups of Christians, Paul references specific groups of Christians meeting in homes, sending his greetings to “Nympha and the church in her house” (Col 4:15) and “Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house” (1Co 16:19).

In some of these references to the church, New Testament authors expand upon their use of the word “church”, helping clarify the meaning. The opening of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is a great example:
“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (1Co 1:2)
Here Paul is writing to God’s church in a specific geographic region, Corinth. Then he restates what he means by the “church of God” as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints”. But to put their identity in context, Paul explains that their calling is “together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours”. So Paul refers to a specific local expression of the church of God, but goes on to group them universally with all Christ-followers everywhere.

More is revealed in other New Testament letters. It is common to reference the book of Romans as being written to the church in Rome, but it is not explicitly stated. Instead, Paul writes to “all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints” (Rom 1:7). In the same way, Jude writes to “those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:1). These descriptions could be seen as synonymous with “church”.

Metaphors
The vivid metaphors used throughout the New Testament for “church” further illuminate its meaning. The most frequent image is the church as a human body. In this metaphor, each individual follower of Jesus is a body part (eye, nose, foot, hand, etc.), while Jesus himself is the head of the body. This human body imagery shows how deeply interconnected each follower of Christ is, both to fellow body parts and to the head of the body.

The church is also described as a building. The foundation of this building is Jesus Christ, and the followers of Christ are the “living stones” being skillfully built together on top of the foundation. The New Testament is full of this building imagery, as we are repeatedly told the church was being “built up” or “edified” in various regions. Both Jesus and his followers construct this building of God. As Jesus proclaimed, “I will build my church” (Matt 16:18). And in the same way we are told to pursue “mutual upbuilding” (Rom 14:19), joining in the construction process with Jesus as we build one another up.

Closely linked to the building metaphor is the image of the church as God’s dwelling place, as Paul writes that we are “being built together into a dwelling place for God” (Eph 2:21). Historically among the Jewish people, God’s presence resided in a part of the temple known as the holy of holies. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit was given to dwell in the followers of Jesus. That is why together “we are the temple of the living God” (2Co 6:16).

The church is also visualized as the bride of Jesus. The glorious marriage of Jesus to his bride will take place when Jesus returns. But as with a man and woman who are engaged, an intimate connection already exists between Jesus and his promised bride. Paul writes “the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” (Eph 5:31-32) Nothing could be more intimate than the sexual union between a man and a woman, and it is this very imagery that is used to show the connection between Jesus and his followers.

A number of other metaphors are used for the church throughout the New Testament, such as the branches of Jesus’ vine or a field of crops rooted in the soil of Jesus. In these metaphors, we see people intimately connected to Jesus and intimately connected to one another, pointing us towards the meaning of “church”.

Koinonia
This intimacy with Christ and fellow Christ-followers is so central to the meaning of “church”, it is worth unpacking. The Greek word “koinonia” best describes this intimacy. Throughout the New Testament, koinonia is usually translated “fellowship”, but its meaning is much more significant. Koinonia involves intimacy, joint participation, communion and intercourse – all of which are part of the meaning of “church” we see unfolding here.

Paul reminds the Corinthians of how intimate it is to take communion together, as Jesus instructed his disciples to do at the Last Supper. (“Koinonia” is used in place of its English translation):
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a koinonia in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a koinonia in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1Co 10:16-17)
So in the communion act, there is a koinonia with both Jesus and one another. The opening of 1 John draws this connection as well:
“that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have koinonia with us; and indeed our koinonia is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have koinonia with one another” (1Jo 1:3,7)
In fact, this koinonia was a mark of the early followers of Christ, “they devoted themselves to…koinonia…” (Acts 2:42). It referred to an intimate sharing of all their material and spiritual wealth with one another, a lifestyle that grew out of their koinonia with Christ.

What is the Church?
The historical meaning of ekklesia, the use of ekklesia throughout the New Testament, and the metaphors for ekklesia all point to one answer to the question at hand: What is the church?

Put simply, the church is “people in koinonia with Christ and one another”. Christ-followers have been “called out” from the world into new life in Christ. It’s a life of intimacy with Him, and with those who share in this new life. In fact, if you are “in Christ”, then you are in the church.

The church is no more complex than this. Certainly, the Bible gives guidance about what this koinonia should look like when Christ-followers gather together (church gatherings), and how certain individuals especially help facilitate koinonia (church leadership). But it is absolutely crucial not to loose sight of this simple definition of the church: people in koinonia with Christ and one another. There is a constant temptation to make it more complicated, but it simply is not. What a joy it is to be in this intimate union with Jesus Christ and those who also follow Him – this is the church – nothing more, nothing less. Praise God! Amen.


All biblical quotations are taken from the English Standard Version.©