The Church (2)
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 1 Corinthians 12.27
Four levels of “church”
In the New Testament the term “church” is applied at four levels among the community of believers.
The first level consists of the house churches, gatherings of believers, perhaps within walking distance of one another, who joined together regularly for worship, prayer, sacraments, and the ministry of the Word. These house churches, mentioned in various places in Paul’s epistles, seem to have been the most basic cellular units of the Body of Christ, having all the identity, privileges, and responsibilities of all other churches. They continued to exist as the core feature of corporate Christian life for more than two centuries.
We are perhaps most familiar with the second way that the idea of “church” is expressed in the New Testament, that of the whole church within a city—as in Corinth, Ephesus, and so forth. These city-wide churches were comprised of the various house churches which appear to have joined together regularly as larger communities for worship and other duties, including the exercise of church discipline, sharing in one another’s lives and needs, and generating resources for missions and the relief of other Christian communities. This is most clearly seen in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians (cf. 1 Cor. 1.11-16; 5.1-5; 14.1-40; 16.1-4).
The house churches met regularly and so did the city churches; and both levels of the Church were equally the Body of Christ.
The third sense in which the word “church” is used in the New Testament is in a regional sense, the Church within a particular geographic area: as in the “church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria”, which “had peace and was being built up” in the early days of the Christian movement (Acts 9.31 ESV, see NKJV marginal note). Paul seems to have regarded the “churches in Galatia” in the same manner, addressing one letter to them all in order to clarify some doctrinal issues and instruct the Church in Galatia in matters of Christian practice.
Peter seems to be doing the same in his first epistle. Some commentators have also argued that the seven churches to which Christ wrote in Revelation 2 and 3 were regarded as one regional expression of the Church, since their geographic locations formed a kind of circle in that part of Asia Minor.
During the first Christian centuries, as house churches and city churches continued to multiply, city churches became organized by geographic area as “synods” in which bishops and pastors met frequently to consider matters of importance affecting all the churches within their area.
Finally, of course, “church” is applied to the whole worldwide body of Christians in every place. This is the Church Jesus is building (Matt. 16.18) and that represents Him in His fullness as He is working to fill all things with the knowledge of God and His glory. That application may also be extended to the Church universal, in every age and place (cf. Heb. 12.22-24).
The church at every level
All these expressions of the Church are important, and if we fail to maintain any of these in our day, then we must provide good reasons for setting aside the counsel of Scripture and the practice of the early Church for whatever may be our preferred way of thinking about “church.”
The Church, Paul says, is the Body of Christ. At all levels, it represents the “present incarnation” of Jesus in the diversity of gifts expressed by the members of Christ’s Body. Believers are members of the Body of Christ at all levels—in your local church (which in our day has replaced the house church, not necessarily for better), the Church within your community (which in most of our communities doesn’t really exist), the churches which make up the Body of Christ in your geographic and cultural region (these do not exist either, except in certain denominations), and the worldwide Church of the Lord (which exists but is largely unacknowledged by those who comprise it).
Since the Church at each of these levels is the Body of Christ, we should expect that here, by our participation in each of these expressions of the Body of Christ, is where we may hope most to experience the reality of the risen Christ as well as to express Him through our individual and collective gifts and callings. Wherever the Body of Christ is, we should expect to see Jesus present and at work. Jesus’ prayer for His followers to be one, so that the world will believe the Father has sent Him, reinforces the idea of Church at every level (Jn. 17.21). For it is in this identity as His Body that we enjoy fellowship with Him and through Him with one another.
Believers are members of the Body of Christ. We cannot possibly hope to fulfill the unique demands and opportunities of our individual “membership” unless we are vitally connected to the other members of Christ’s Body in meaningful and significant ways.
If in any way we and our churches are not working to achieve expression of the Body of Christ at all the levels indicated in the New Testament, then we are compromising our reason for being, frustrating our mission and calling, setting aside the New Testament’s model to pursue our own, and (it is no wonder) bound to stumble and halt in our mission to make disciples of all nations. And since this is the case with almost every church and every member, that this four-depth unity and power have been set aside, then it is not surprising to see the Church so compromised and feckless in turning our world rightside-up for Jesus Christ.
You may not agree with that summation, but then you must explain the rationale for why we no longer “do church” according to the teaching of the New Testament and the example of the first generations of believers. Have we allowed tradition to substitute for Biblical teaching? Jesus had some thoughts on that. Do we find it inconvenient to work for such unity and organization? Paul and the other apostles would not be impressed.
Rather than excuse our drift or seek to justify it in pragmatic terms, it seems to me, we should recognize that we have detached from our Biblical moorings, admit our hubris, and begin discovering ways to renew our vision and practice of Church according to the template and teaching of Scripture.
For reflection or discussion
1. In which of the four senses of the idea of “church” are you presently involved? Are there opportunities for you to be involved with Christ’s Body in the other levels? Explain.
2. Do you see any evidence that the Bible-believing churches in your community recognize one another as members of the Body of Christ? What would such unity even look like?
3. Why do you think churches today are not more involved with one another and with the Church worldwide? Is it possible to remedy this?
Next steps—Preparation: Meditate on the four levels of “church” mentioned in this article. What advantages to having each of these in place can you discern?
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from If Men Will Pray. Our Crosfigell teaching letter begins a new series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
