The Church - Part 4 - Analysis

This is part four in describing a minimalist definition of church.
1 - Importance of
2 - What the church is not
3 - Definition

Irreducible Ecclesiological Minimum Analyzed

“A community…”
At its core, the church is a community – people gathered. (1 Corinthians 6:19)
“… of believers with a common faith in Christ as Savior and Lord…”
The people share the same faith in the same God, sent to earth as a man to save them from their sins, now reigning in glory. (Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8-9)
“…seeking to both believe and live out the teachings of the Bible together…”
The Bible is the source from which they learn of Christ and grow in their faith and Christian practice. (2 Timothy 3:16, James 2:26)
“…carrying out God’s commands to love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength…”
This “greatest” commandment will summarize their orientation toward God. (Matthew 22:37)
“…loving their neighbors as themselves.”
This second greatest commandment will summarize their orientation toward people.
(Matthew 22:38)
“In this they are compelled to carry out the Great Commission of making disciples, teaching their faith and baptizing as they go.”
Christ’s commission gives the church its mission. The church is grown and the faith is passed along. Baptism will remind all of the work of Christ and welcome new believers into the church. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Closing Thoughts

The task facing church planters is immense. Beginning this process with an unclear or unbiblical view of the church will either grow the burden of church planting or worse – equip a church planter to grow something that truly is simply a building, a charity, or a political machine, or a performance.