This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.
1 Corinthians 12.12-14, 20-27 [12] For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. [14] Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many... [20] As it is, there are many members, yet one body. [21] The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” [22] On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, [23] and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; [24] whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, [25] that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. [26] If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. [27] Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
🗝️ Key Concept: Ekklesia
As we've noted, our spiritual journey is not a solo mission. Because our God is a Trinity— a Community of Love— our salvation is inherently communal. When we think of Christian community, the word that usually comes to mind is "church." We picture a building with a steeple, a place we go to on Sundays. But this misses the profound, dynamic reality at the heart of the New Testament. The word “church” actually comes from the Greek kyriakos, usually meaning a place “belonging to the Lord.” While the building is a place where those who belong to the Lord meet, it is not the community itself. As the old children’s song goes, "Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors, and see all the people." The people are the Ekklesia community.
To capture this living reality, we must use the word the first Christians used: Ekklesia. This Greek word, from ek-kaleo, literally means "to call out from." In the ancient world, the ekklesia was the public assembly of citizens "called out" from their private homes to conduct the business of the city. The New Testament writers seized this political term and filled it with theological meaning. The Ekklesia is the community of God's people, the "saints," who are called out from the world's broken systems and called to a new purpose: To share in the mission of Christ to heal the world.
This calling isn't limited to one ethnic group or religious background. Across Scripture we find saints who are "set apart" for God's mission. And just as God has had saints and holy people across all cultures and times, now the Ekklesia is a universal assembly of saints. It is the family of God, the body of Christ, the tangible, on-the-ground community that helps us thrive.
📎MORE TO THE STORY: For a graphical organizer of the different kinds of Christian Communities, see this Flowchart of Christian Traditions, and compare it with this Christian Family Tree detailing the growth of Christian Traditions. Learn some basics about how different Christian groups form their identity with Three Spectrums of Christian Community. Finally, to explore the Anglican Christian Tradition, see Explaining Anglicans: A Guidebook for Exploring a Tradition-rich, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, Balanced Faith.
📖 Scriptural Reflection: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 20-27
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth provides the most powerful and enduring image of what the Ekklesia truly is. He reveals that this community is not just a political gathering, a social club, or a voluntary association of like-minded individuals. The Ekklesia is an organic continuation of the Incarnation itself. God's first incarnation was as an individual person: Jesus Christ. But God's ongoing incarnation is as a social person: The Body of Christ.
Paul writes, "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." This is a breathtaking claim. We are not just followers of Christ; we are Christ in the world. As St. Teresa of Avila would later write, "Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours." We are the vessels through which the life and love of the risen Christ continue to flow into a broken world.
This organic unity means we are profoundly interconnected and interdependent. "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,'" Paul insists. In fact, he argues that the members that seem "weaker" or "less honorable" are actually indispensable, and God gives them greater honor to ensure there is no division. This is a radical, counter-cultural vision. In a world that prizes strength and status, the Ekklesia is a community where the most vulnerable are treated as the most valuable.
This deep connection means our fates are tied together. "If one member suffers," Paul writes, "all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it." This reflects the profound insight of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who wrote from his Birmingham jail cell, “In a real sense all life is inter-related. All [people] are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” We all need each other. We all have a role. We are all connected.
🔎 What kind of community is the Ekklesia?
The Ekklesia is a Trinitarian community, reflecting the very nature of the God who called it into being. We experience this communal life in three distinct, yet unified, ways.
In relation to God the Father, the Ekklesia is a God's Family. Through our baptism into Christ, we are adopted as God’s beloved children, making us brothers and sisters to one another. Like any family, we have different roles and stages of life. Bishops are like spiritual grandparents, full of wisdom and experience. Priests and ministers are like parents, nurturing and guiding the next generation. And the Laity are all siblings, learning and growing alongside one another in messy, beautiful, and sometimes frustrating relationships.
In relation to God the Son, the Ekklesia is the Body of Christ. As Paul’s metaphor suggests, each of us is a unique and vital cell in this living organism. Some are like the hands, gifted for service and practical action. Others are the feet, carrying the good news to new places. Some are the mouth, gifted for teaching and encouragement. Others are the heart, with a gift for compassion and prayer. There are countless roles, and every single one is necessary for the Body to be healthy and whole.
In relation to God the Holy Spirit, the Ekklesia is a Vessel to pour out God's Love, filled with the power of Christ to heal the world. The Spirit pours out upon the Body a rich diversity of spiritual gifts, or charismata, (where we get the word charisma from). Paul lists many of these in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12: gifts of wisdom, knowledge, healing, prophecy, teaching, administration, and acts of mercy. These are not private talents for our own benefit, but divine empowerments given for the "common good," to build up the Body so we thrive, and to equip us to be agents of God's reconciling Love.
🔎 What are the roles of clergy and laity in the Ekklesia?
Within the Body of Christ, God calls certain individuals to specific roles of leadership and service. This is the origin of the distinction between clergy and laity. The word laity comes from the Greek laos, which simply means "the people." The laity are the whole people of God. The word clergy comes from the Greek kleros, meaning "a portion" or "an inheritance," referring to those who have been set apart for a specific portion of the Body’s work.
This "setting apart" happens through ordination, a practice rooted in the New Testament where the community lays hands on individuals and prays for the Holy Spirit to equip them for leadership. This practice is a continuation of the mission Jesus gave to his first apostles, as he prayed for them and sent them out to the deeds he did (Matthew 10). The ancient Church recognized a threefold pattern of ordained ministry that continues today:
Deacons (or ministers) are called to a ministry of service, connecting the Church's worship with the needs of the world, especially the poor and marginalized.
Priests (or elders) are called to a ministry of pastoral care, teaching, and sacramental leadership within a local community.
Bishops (or overseers) are called to a ministry of oversight, guarding the faith and unity of the Church across a wider region.
In Apostolic succession, Christ ordained the Apostles. Then the Apostles ordained the first bishops, who ordained the next generation of bishops, and so on, right to the present day. Most bishops can show you how their ordinations track all the way back to the Apostles!
Crucially, these ordained ministers are not a special, holier class of Christians. They are set apart to empower the most important ministers in the Church: The laity. If the clergy are the bones that provide structure and support to the Body, the laity are the muscles, organs, and limbs that actually carry out Christ's mission in the world. The clergy exist to equip the laity for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12), so we all may grow into Christlike saints!
In the most ancient traditions of the Ekklesia, shared by Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Christians, there is no "super-bishop" like the Roman Pope. While the Roman Church later developed the bishop of Rome into a ruling overseer with more power and responsibility than their other bishops, the rest of the ancient traditions have not followed this pattern. Instead, in most traditions, all bishops are brothers and sisters with equal responsibility. Some may be "elder siblings" and revered ambassadors, but only as "first among equals". To make decisions for the whole Ekklesia, these bishops follow the pattern of Acts 15 and meet in councils to discern the mind of the Spirit for God's People. This reflects the communal, relational nature of the Triune God and the Ekklesia that bears God's Name.
🔎 What is the mission of the Ekklesia?
The Ekklesia does not exist for its own sake. It exists to continue Christ's mission in the world. As the first letter of Peter says, "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received... so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:10-11). We are the hands and feet of Christ, called to reach out and participate in God's healing of the world.
This mission is distinctively Christ-centered. When Jesus first sent his apostles out on a mission, he told them to do the exact same kinds of things he did: To heal, to share, to cast out evil, to teach what is good (Matthew 10). Now we are called to follow in their footsteps and draw others into Christ as we imitate Christ. C.S. Lewis summed up our Christ-centered mission this way: "The Church exists for nothing else but to draw [people] into Christ, to make them little christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose."
We can map this mission using the four "marks" of the Church found in the Nicene Creed: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
One (Inreach): The Church's mission begins with its own internal life. We are called to be a community of fellowship and mutual care, sharing our lives, supporting one another in times of struggle, and celebrating together in times of joy.
Holy (Upreach): The Ekklesia is a community of worship. We are called to reach up to God, connecting with our Source through prayer, song, and sacrament, offering our lives back to the one who gave us life.
Catholic (Outreach): The word "catholic" means universal. Our universal mission is to reach out with Christ's love to all people, at all times, in all places. We are called to be agents of justice and compassion, working to heal the brokenness of individuals, families, communities, and the world.
Apostolic (Body Building): The Ekklesia is a community of discipleship. We are called to build up the Body of Christ in a lifelong process of "training" in Christlikeness, learning from the teachings of the apostles, and growing into the mature people God created us to be, so we may be co-writers with God in the ongoing story of salvation.
This four-fold mission is our inheritance and our calling. The Great Story of God's Love is not a closed book sitting on a shelf. It is an epic drama, and the final act is still being written. God invites each of us to co-write that Story as we seek to be one in fellowship, holy in worship, catholic in outreach, and apostolic as we build each other up to fulfill our mission!
📎MORE TO THE STORY: See this graphical organizer for the The Mission of the Ekklesia.
📚 Topical Scriptures
Here are some Scripture passages which explore and elaborate on the themes of this chapter. As you look them up and study them, think about how they relate to the Key Concept and Guiding Questions.
Exodus 19:5-6
This is God's foundational call to Israel at Mount Sinai to be a "treasured possession," a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation." It establishes the Old Testament model for the Ekklesia as a people set apart for God's mission in the world.
Micah 4:1-3
This prophetic vision foresees a day when all nations will stream to the mountain of the LORD to learn His ways, turning their weapons into farming tools. It reveals the ultimate, universal, and peace-making mission of God's covenant community.
Acts 2:42-47
This passage provides a beautiful snapshot of the first Ekklesia in Jerusalem immediately after Pentecost. Look for the core practices that defined their life together: apostolic teaching, fellowship (koinonia), breaking bread, and prayer, all marked by a spirit of generosity and awe.
Acts 4:32-35
This passage provides a powerful picture of the early Ekklesia's radical unity and generosity. It describes the community of believers being of "one heart and soul," living out their shared life in Christ by holding all their possessions in common to care for every member in need.
Romans 12:4-13
Paul describes the Ekklesia as one body with many members, each with different gifts to be used in service to one another. This text offers a practical guide to the marks of a thriving community, urging believers to live in genuine love, hospitality, and mutual care.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
This is the most detailed exploration of the "Body of Christ" metaphor. Paul emphasizes the radical unity and diversity of the community, arguing that every member, especially those considered "weaker," is indispensable for the health of the whole.
Ephesians 2:11-22
Paul describes Christ's work on the cross as breaking down the "dividing wall of hostility" between different groups of people. This text shows that the Ekklesia is a new, unified humanity, a holy temple built on the foundation of the apostles with Christ as the cornerstone.
Ephesians 4:1-16
This passage outlines the purpose of ordained ministry within the Ekklesia. It shows that leaders are given not to hold power, but to "equip the saints for the work of ministry," so that the entire Body can mature and build itself up in love.
1 Peter 2:4-10
Peter applies the titles of ancient Israel to the new, international Ekklesia. He describes the community as a "spiritual house" made of "living stones," a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation," called to proclaim the mighty acts of God.
1 Peter 4:8-11
This is a practical exhortation on how the members of the Ekklesia should use their diverse gifts to serve one another. It frames their communal life as an act of stewardship, responsibly managing "God's varied grace" for the good of all.
Hebrews 10:19-25
This is a call for the Ekklesia to persevere in its communal life, linking our confident access to God through Christ's sacrifice with the practical necessity of meeting together. The author urges believers not to neglect their gathering, but to use it to stir up one another to love and good works.
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