Ekklesia- Indian Conversations (A Study of the Church)

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Foreword Ecclesiology is one of the major courses in Theological Studies. The word Ecclesiology comes from two Greek words meaning "assembly" and "word"-combined together to mean "The Study of the Church." The Church can be broadly stated to as being the assembly of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that a systematic study is crucial for those of us in Christian and those being trained for Church ministry Hence, Ecclesiology is a vital subject to understand God's purpose for believers in the world today. It helps us to appreciate both, the Church at large as well as the church as a local assembly of believers.

A Biblical understanding of Ecclesiology would go a long way to correct many of the common problems in churches today. Ecclesiology helps us to understand both the role of The Church as a corporate body of believers to each member, as well as our role within The Church. The Church is the Body of Christ and each of us has a specific function and role within that body. It provides us with the foundation to understand and appreciate church ordinances, church leadership: The selection and structure of leadership, and church interventions: what the church should be doing in regards to believers (worship and discipleship) and unbelievers (ministry and evangelism).

As this is a course prescribed by the Senate of Serampore College (University) the faculty members of the Master's College of Theology have compiled a book based on the syllabus.

I sincerely appreciate the efforts taken by The Principal, Dr. Samuel George and his team to put this module together. They have spent many hours in prayer and research to collect and present relevant, material in a very presentable and readable format. I believe that this is a vital reading that could be used as a textbook in Bible Colleges.

This book is not limited to theological students. I encourage every Christian who desires to be proactive in The Church, to read this and gain a better understanding, and appreciation of the functioning of the Church and his/her role within it. Encourage your friends as well, to get a copy of this book and read it.

Preface Jesus said, " I will build my church, and the gates of hades will not prevail against it" (Mat. 16:18). To which church was he alluding? What constitutes this church? What are the nature, character, and function of the church? Who operates the church? How relevant is the church today? How inclusive is the church today? Well, these and few other questions are not just raised but grappled with an Indian/ Asian perspective by various authors in the book.

In Christian theology, the branch of studying the nature and function of church is called - Ecclesiology. In its simplest sense it can mean, "Theology as applied to the nature and structure of the Christian church." Church derives from the Greek adjective kuriakos, meaning "belonging to the Lord." As such, it is "the Lord's house." However, church was always used in terms of another Greek word ekklesia, meaning, "summoned or called out assembly of people." In the English its equivalence is "convocation." Church therefore, is a convoked community. As such, the present day ecclesiology finds itself at a crossroad to redefine itself. The Indian/Asian context demands a reformulation, restructuring of ekklesia in our context. This book: Ekklesia: Indian Conversations (one of its kind in the Indian context) is a humble attempt towards that goal.

The book comprises of seventeen articles from various branches of Christian theology. A brief introduction is in order here. General background of the term ekklesia by H. Joseph Lalfakmawia is a pertinent and comprehensive introduction to the theme, which offers a clear guide to the reader to engage in a conceptual understanding of the term ekklesia that run throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Egalitarianism in the socio-economic life of Israel: Implications for ekklesia in India - by Atula Ao examines the Biblical egalitarianism as found in the Old Testament. It offers both appreciative prospects and close-up assessments of the socio-economic life of Israel by analyzing major ideologies that underlines the biblical concept of egalitarianism. The writer concludes with a primary call of the church to radically redefine equality that would foster an unwavering ekklesia as a community of equals in contemporary society.

**Contents and Sample Pages**