Defining Church

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Today we continue looking at the essential church. Or the minimal church. Maybe just church.

I started last week by asking, “What is the church? Specifically I wanted to look at the idea of Minimal or Essential Ecclesiology. Quick review.

Minimal:

The least viable form or the least possible to call something a church. What can you remove from your existing church and it still be a church?

Essential:

If you have nothing else you must at least have this to call it a church.

Ecclesiology: doctrine relating to the church

The goal is to consider the smallest, most adaptable, most flexible definition of the church. Why? Because the church is intended to be multiplied in any environment. If church planting is really important, and we are going to do it, we need to identify the seed, the core definition of church.

You don’t start with the finished product in gardening or in church planting or in disciple making!

What do you start with? A seed that contains the DNA of the future life at maturity.

Resources:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/chuch-of-shrinking-definition/

https://www.catalystnw.org/Groups/1000103697/Catalyst/Catalyst_Network/Microchurches/Microchurches.aspx#:~:text=Our%20%22definition%20of%20church%22%20(,Jesus%2C%20they%20are%20the%20church.

https://www.tampaunderground.com/microchurches

https://saturatetheworld.com/2021/01/26/7-marks-of-essential-ecclesiology/

https://www.ruralministry.net/post/ecclesiology-and-the-rural-church

Christ Loved the Church by William MacDonald

Rediscover Church: Why the body of Christ is essential by Collin Hanson and Jonathan Leeman

The Doctrine and Administration of the Church by Paul R Jackson

Doctrine of the Church by Dr. Harold L. Wilmington

Practical Christian Theology by Floyd H. Barakman

Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches by Edward T. Hiscox

https://realfaith.com/what-christians-believe/characteristics-church/

Future Church by Will Mancini and Cory Hartman