Reflections on An Introduction to Ecclesiology

Karkkainen, Veli-Matti. An Introduction to Ecclesiology

Chapter 1:
At the center of Eastern Orthodox Ecclesiology is the Eucharist. My church’s traditions could learn from the reverence that Eastern Orthodox Churches have towards the Eucharist. Also, the Eastern Orthodox Churches view salvation as a gradual journey of sanctification and deification. My church’s tradition would benefit from not just viewing salvation through a lens of sin and guilt, but as something continually worked out in our entire lives. Similarly, members are equally honored in Eastern Orthodox Churches, as in my church.

Chapter 2:
Roman Catholic Ecclesiology is committed to Christian unity and appreciates other’s traditions for their transmission of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As part of a non-denominational church, often we tend to forget the value of other traditions and fail to realize elements that could be appropriated.

Chapter 3:
Luther perceived the church as the “communion of the saints.” According to Luther, the only crucial marks of the church are the Word and sacraments. My church is similar in that it does not maintain that sacraments are necessary for salvation. The entire people of God are seen as priests and therefore, the only difference between the members of the congregation and the ordained is the public character of the office. Likewise, my church tradition embraces the universal priesthood perspective and furthermore, perceives members as full-time ministers in any area of society they are part of.

Chapter 4:
Reformed Ecclesiology emphasized confession of faith by example of life and partaking of the sacraments. Within the church structure the minister and elder were separately defined. Calvin legalistically stressed discipline. He perceived the church as a visible community. However, Karl Barth supported congregational church government and saw that the entire church is gifted and called to participate in God’s mission.

Chapter 5:
Free Church Ecclesiology is marked by the concept of the believers’ church, in which each member voluntarily follows Christ. Church mission involves all members who are gifted and have access to God. Significantly Free Churches understand that mission in not a task; instead, it is the reason for all church vitality. Ordination is not perceived as a sacrament; instead, it is understood as the acknowledgment of a divine call that is already functioning in a believer’s life.

Chapter 6:
Pentecostal churches are designed to position the congregation to encounter God. The exercise of spiritual gifts is embraced and a focus is placed on experiencing God during worship. The church is both Charismatic and structured. Emphasis is placed upon the community gathered for mutual edification. Charismatics are more focused on community life than Pentecostals. Perhaps the value for community could be strengthened as Pentecostal churches glean from Charismatics.

Chapter 7:
The ecumenical movement promotes the unity of Christians and believers based on the unity of the Triune God and apostolic tradition. Unity is not to be misunderstood for uniformity. However, different traditions have varying qualifications necessary for unity.

Chapter 8:
According to John Zizioulas, churches consist of persons in communion. He also allows for unique personhood. The Eucharist is a focal point that makes the church and through it, communion is possible. The existence of a local church hinges on the Eucharist and the presence of a bishop. When a bishop is originally ordained, his position alters to a representation of the entire congregation. The laity are also ordained simultaneously when they are baptized.

Chapter 9:
Hans Küng focuses on the necessity for renewal of the church, because of the changing times and err the church can fall into. He was instrumental in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and developed the idea of the church as the people of God, in which every member belongs, based on the call of God and is incorporated through baptism and the Eucharist.

Chapter 10:
Pannenberg presents ecumenism as the ultimate goal of the church and therefore, the church as a sign of the unity of all people submitted to God. He argues that church leadership should be universal. He believes that the end goal of the church is for humanity to be reconciled and united in praise in God’s kingdom. Therefore, Pannenberg recognizes that the church is missionary. He perceives the church as the body of Christ and fellowship of believers. The perception of the church as essentially mission is vital for the life of churches today.

Chapter 11:
Moltmann understands the church as a missionary church, with dialectical hope and dialectical love. His doctrine is messianic and relational, anticipating the kingdom. He understands the church to have a dual nature of “under the cross” and a “festival of freedom and joy.” He supports the Free Church model and disagrees with the state church model of infant baptism. He perceives the church as a fellowship in freedom and equality.

Chapter 12:
Volf identifies the church as a place where two or three people are gathered, committed to God’s will and in Christ’s name, and therefore, where Christ is present. The ordained office is perceived as for the churches well-being, rather than a constitutive part of the church. However, Volf argues that the sacraments are essential for the church. The common confessions of faith link churches together. These confessions have been omitted from the liturgy in my tradition. We could benefit from incorporating them again!

Chapter 13:
McClendon presents the church as a narrative community. The entire church has the task of learning and studying doctrine. Again, this practice has been lost in my tradition. The teaching of sound doctrine needs to be restored in order to stabilize the faith of believers.

Chapter 14:
Newbigin testifies that the essential nature of the church is missionary. Hence, there is no church without mission. He reveals that mission is not just non-western areas. We have largely identified missionary endeavors with traveling to developing countries, meanwhile ignoring the missionary call which is part of our daily lives. The essential missionary nature of the church must be embraced again in my home church.

Chapter 15:
Faith Life could be grateful for the Non-church movement in Asia, in which Uchimura seeks to discover true ecclesia and reveals that although the church confronts the world, the church should not be isolated from the world. It is easy, in a passion for holiness, to retreat from the world, but Uchimura warns against the separatist mentality and churches edging towards the outskirts of culture and society.

Chapter 16:
The Roman Catholics describe social justice as “a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the gospel” (175). The refocus of the Catholic Church toward social justice, spearheaded in Latin America, could serve as an example for Faith Life to follow. The idea of social justice as a crucial part of the church is only just beginning to develop in Faith Life. Significant knowledge and practice could be gleaned from the Catholic forerunners and implemented.

Chapter 17:
Feminists perceive ministry in the church as an acknowledgment of the gifts that God has bestowed upon people. Therefore, they advocate that roles in ministry should be open for men and women. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, Faith Life is similar to the Feminist movement in that it supports the ministries performed by men and women.

Chapter 18:
Faith Life could be likened to the Pentecostal movement in Africa, in that it similarly proclaims “a holistic gospel of salvation that includes deliverance from all types of oppression such as sickness, sorcery, evil spirits and poverty,” according to Allan H. Anderson (201). The worship could be complimented by communal worship exemplified in the African Independent Churches, which is highly communal.

Chapter 19:
The Shepherding movement stresses personal pastoral care. It has appealed to many Christians and presents renewal ecclesiology as a “contemporary, controversial and challenging contextual case study” to other traditions. The movement emphasizes discipleship and monitors the growth of the disciples as they are exhorted by the shepherd. Submission is stressed, which has been criticized for leading to domination. My tradition promotes discipleship, but largely concerning the spiritual vitality of a person rather than holistic discipleship. Discipleship could progress to include “not just their spiritual well-being, but their full development emotionally, educationally, financially, vocationally, and socially” and still guard against control (206).

Chapter 20:
The church is linked to culture. However, Vincent J. Donovan argues for ecclesiology that is exempt from “cultural baggage” (211). The emerging planetary church is an inquisitive church. This questioning approach would be beneficial to members of my tradition. It would help prevent a spoon fed approach to ecclesiology and provoke the discovery and search for truth.

Chapter 21:
Barry A. Harvey exhorts the church to once again become a distinct people who live differently in the midst of the world, not just for their own sake, but so that the world may be saved. He presents the paradigm of the church as another city. Harvey also challenges the church to “holy madness,” in which they act and think differently (229).