Ecclesiology

Definition and Meaning

Ecclesiology is the branch of systematic theology that deals with the nature, marks, offices, and mission of the church. The Greek word ekklesia, translated "church" in the New Testament, means "those called out," that is, an assembly. The church therefore refers not primarily to a building but to a community of people called by God. Protestants commonly describe the church as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), the people of God, and the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Biblical and Historical Background

• Scripture: The following passages serve as principal foundations for ecclesiology.
• "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18)
• The portrait of the early church, which continued steadfastly in teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42-47)
• The passage calling believers "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9)
• The early church: The Nicene Creed, finalized in 381, confesses the church as "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic."
• The Reformation: The Reformers located the true church in the Word and the sacraments rather than in institutional continuity.
• The Augsburg Confession (1530) identified the church as the place where the gospel is rightly taught and the sacraments are rightly administered.
• The Belgic Confession (1561) added church discipline (the church's governance and correction) to these, presenting the three together as the marks of the true church.
• The Westminster Confession of Faith distinguishes between the "invisible church" and the "visible church."
• The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, emphasized during this period, became the foundation of Protestant teaching on church offices.

Practice in the Korean Church

Understandings of how the church is governed, that is, of church polity, differ from denomination to denomination.

• Presbyterian: The pastor and the elders elected by the congregation together form the session. The session is connected to the presbytery and the general assembly, reflecting a representative system in which the church is governed through elected representatives.
• Methodist: Combines episcopal elements, including bishops and district superintendents, with conciliar bodies such as the annual conference.
• Baptist: Emphasizes the autonomy of each local church and congregational government, and stresses a church composed of those who have personally professed their faith.
• Anglican: Regards the episcopate, which it holds to have continued from the apostolic age, as an important element of the church.
• Pentecostal (including Full Gospel churches): Emphasizes the church as a community in which the gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifested.

The Korean church commonly summarizes the church's mission as worship, education, fellowship, service, and missions. In addition to the offices of pastor, elder, and deacon, it also maintains offices that developed within the Korean church, such as that of kwonsa (exhorter).

In recent years, several developments have revived the ecclesiological question "What is the church?" Examples include debates over online worship and online Communion since the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the growing number of "Canaan believers" (believers who do not attend church).