The Church - A People or a Place? (My Multi-Site Journey)

The Church is a people not a place. This is really the first step on my multi-site journey.

But how do we confirm this observation as true? Simple: We look to God's Word which is truth (John 17:17; Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17), and the Scripture supports this view in two ways.

First, the Greek word translated "Church" in the New Testament is ekklesia. One helpful work which deals with the meaning of New Testament words and how to translate them accurately into other languages discusses ekklesia in the following way:

"Though some persons have tried to see in the term [ekklesia] a more or less literal meaning of 'called-out ones,' this type of etymologizing is not warranted either by the meaning of [ekklesia] in [New Testament] times or even by its earlier usage. The term [ekklesia] was in common usuage several hundred years before the Christian era and was used to refer to an assembly of persons constituted by well-defined membership. In general Greek usage it was normally a socio-political entity based upon citizenship in a city-state . . . . For the [New Testament], however, it is important to understand the meaning of [ekklesia] as 'an assembly of God's people.'

"In the rendering of [ekklesia] a translator must beware of using a term which refers primarily to a building rather than to a congregation of believers." [These quotes are taken from "Louw-Nida Lexicon" in BibleWorks, ver. 6.0 (Norfolk, VA: BibleWorks, 2003).]

So it's clear from the very meaning of the Greek word translated "Church" that people are in focus as opposed to a place, location, or building. And this is also obviously clear in the way ekklesia is used throughout the New Testament. Just consider every place the word Church occurs from Matthew through Revelation.

Ekklesia surfaces only three times in the Gospels, and all of these occurrences are in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus says in Matthew 16:18 that He will build His "Church" and the attacks of Hell will not prevail against it. Is Christ speaking of constructing a building here? He worked as a carpenter during His incarnation (Mark 6:3), but I don't think He's using the word Church in Matthew 16:18 to refer to one of His physical construction projects. Also, ekklesia occurs twice in Matthew 18:17 where Jesus outlines the final step in resolving a problem among Believers. Christ teaches us that if all private attempts at reconciliation aren't successful, then tell this issue to the "Church". Surely Jesus isn't calling us to speak to buildings! He's telling us to share this issue with the people of God who are the Church.

As we might guess, ekklesia appears many times throughout Acts, the New Testament book which chronicles the birth and growth of the Church. Acts 5:11 mentions great fear which seized the whole Church after the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. Fear doesn't attack buildings, but it does attack people. By the way, the word ekklesia is translated "assembly" in Acts 7:38 to refer to the Israelites as they traveled in the desert. Again, here's a reference to people as opposed to a place even though it's not being used to refer specifically to the New Testament Church as a congregation of Believers.

In Acts 8:1 and 3 we find ekklesia appear twice in connection with persecution. It's actually interesting to look closely at Acts 8:1 because here we find persecution break out against the Church "at Jerusalem". Can you see how the Church (which is a people) is distinguished from their geographical location (which is "at Jerusalem")? We'll see this idea surface many times as we move through every mention of the word Church in the New Testament. Also, Saul wasn't trying to destroy buildings in Acts 8:3. In fact, he was going from "house to house" because while Believers worshipped in different places in the early days of the Church (for instance, at the Temple according to Acts 3:1 and in synagogues according to Acts 9:2, 20), the New Testament mentions how the Church met in various homes (see Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 2).

We again find the Church in different geographical locations mentioned in Acts 9:31. After Saul is converted, Luke tells us in the beginning of this verse that "the church [or Believers] throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace."

In Acts 11:22 and 26 we see the Church in Jerusalem and Antioch mentioned. Once more we see that the Church isn't a place but a people who live in certain places.

It's obvious from Acts 12:1 and 5 that ekklesia refers to people because Herod arrested "some" who belonged to the Church, and the Church was praying while Peter was in prison. Buildings don't pray, but people do.

Just as we've seen above the Church "at Jerusalem" mentioned, Acts 13:1 mentions the Church or the Believers "at Antioch".

In Acts 14:23 we can see how ekklesia refers to a group or congregation of Believers, and Acts 14:27 clearly refers to people because Paul and Barnabas would not have "gathered" buildings but Believers.

The three mentions of ekklesia in Acts 15:3, 4, and 22 all obviously point to Christians as the Church, and Acts 15:41 again points to the Church as group or congregation of Believers.

We can see the word "Churches" referring to local congregations of Christians in Acts 16:5. Also, the fact that these Churches "grew daily in numbers" is another clear indicator that people are in view here as opposed to buildings.

Could you imagine Paul walking up and greeting a building when it says in Acts 18:22 that "When [Paul] landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the Church"? It's obvious that ekklesia here refers to the people of God.

In the context of the riot in Ephesus, we can see ekklesia surface three times to describe an "assembly" of people (Acts 19:32, 39, and 41). Once again, ekklesia refers to a people and not a place even when it occurs in the New Testament and doesn't refer to Christians.

The last two mentions of ekklesia in Acts are found in Acts 20:17 and 28. It's obvious that Believers are in view in both cases because Paul would appoint elders for a congregation not a building, and furthermore, "shepherds" watch over the people of God rather than locations.

Ekklesia occurs five times in Romans, and they are all in Romans 16. Clearly the Church is the people whom Phoebe serves (Romans 16:1); all Believers as opposed to buildings join Paul in being grateful for the sacrifices of Priscilla and Aquila (Romans 16:4); Christians met in houses for worship rather than buildings meeting in homes (Romans 16:5); surely Believers send "greetings" because buildings don't greet one another (Romans 16:16); and obviously Christians enjoy Gaius' hospitality as opposed to locations enjoying it (Romans 16:23).

Paul mentions the Church eighteen times in 1 Corinthians. He clearly refers to Believers who gather in the city of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:2. Paul refers to the congregations of Believers where he teaches in 1 Corinthians 4:17. The apostle also mentions "judges" in the gathering of Believers in 1 Corinthians 6:4. He also mentions a "rule" he lays down in all the congregations in 1 Corinthians 7:17. Surely Paul isn't talking about buildings but people potentially stumbling in 1 Corinthians 10:32. He mentions the Church three times in 1 Corinthians 11. He speaks of the practices of Christian congregations in 1 Corinthians 11:16; he mentions Believers coming together as a Church in 1 Corinthians 11:18; and he expresses his shock about how the Corinthian Christians were "despising" the Church and "those" who have nothing in 1 Corinthians 11:22. Paul names various gifts God appoints for congregations in 1 Corinthians 12:28. Ekklesia occurs nine times in 1 Corinthians 14. Believers are edified and not buildings in 1 Corinthians 14:4, 5, and 12; Paul would rather speak a few intelligible words to teach others as opposed to locations in 1 Corinthians 14:19; Believers gather and not buildings in order for the Church to assemble in 1 Corinthians 14:23; someone with a message in tongues should keep silent if there's not another Believer in the gathered congregation who has the gift of interpretation in 1 Corinthians 14:28; the plural form of ekklesia is translated "congregations" in 1 Corinthians 14:33; and Paul gives instructions to women who are a part of the fellowship in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 35. The apostle, as a persecutor, harmed Christians in 1 Corinthians 15:9. Paul mentions ekklesia three times in 1 Corinthians 16, and all three occurrences of the word refer to congregations of Believers: The Galatians Believers (1 Corinthians 16:1), Christians in Asia (1 Corinthians 16:19a), and Believers who meet in Aquila and Priscilla's house (1 Corinthians 16:19b).

Paul uses ekklesia nine times in 2 Corinthians. Again, he refers to the congregation of Corinthian Christians in 2 Corinthians 1:1. Next, the apostle mentions the Church five times in 2 Corinthians 8. Clearly fellowships of Christians in Macedonia are in view in 2 Corinthians 8:1; Believers as opposed to buildings "praise" others in 2 Corinthian 8:18; also, people make choices and not locations in 2 Corinthians 8:19; Christian leaders represent congregations in 2 Corinthians 8:23; and only Believers in fellowships can "see" things in 2 Corinthians 8:24. Paul also mentions ekklesia two times in 2 Corinthians 11. He obviously refers to people in Churches in 2 Corinthians 11:8; and the apostle isn't concerned with the soundness of physical building structures but with the spiritual lives of Christians in 2 Corinthians 11:28. Obviously, Paul is clearly referring to Christians when he uses the pronoun "you" and makes a comparison to "other Churches" in 2 Corinthians 12:13.

Ekklesia occurs three times in Galatians 1. In Galatians 1:1 and 22 Paul refers to Christians congregations in two geographical locations: Galatia (Galatians 1:1) and Judea (Galatians 1:22). He also clearly refers to people when he mentions his persecutions against the Church of God and his attempts to destroy the Church - burning a building down, for example, would not eliminate the Church because the congregation would still exist since it's a people and not a place (Galatians 1:13).

Paul mentions the Church explicitly nine times in Ephesians. Christ is "head" over all who Believe in Him who make-up the Church in Ephesians 1:22. Christians are a channel through whom God reveals His manifold wisdom in Ephesians 3:10, and God is glorified in His people, the Church, in Ephesians 3:21. The apostle uses the word ekklesia six times in Ephesians 5. The "body" of Christ is clearly a reference to Believers since buildings don't make-up His body (Ephesians 5:23); locations don't "submit" to Christ, but Christians do (Ephesians 5:24); Jesus died for sinners and not structures (Ephesians 5:25); Christ will have a people as His bride as opposed to a building (Ephesians 5:27); Jesus nurtures to His people as opposed to the places where they gather (Ephesians 5:29); and finally, Paul is referring to Christ's love and care for His people and not their places of worship (Ephesians 5:32).

The word ekklesia occurs twice in Philippians. In Paul's autobiographical sketch in chapter three, Paul mentions how he persecuted the Church (Philippians 3:6). Obviously, Paul persecuted people - not buildings. Also, in Philippians 4:15 he notes that when he left Macedonia, "not one church shared with [him] in the matter of giving and receiving, except [the Philippians] only." Of course, locations don't "give," but Believers in locations do.

Paul uses the word ekklesia four times in Colossians. He tells us Christ is "the head of the body, the church" in Colossians 1:18. Clearly, the apostle isn't referring to Jesus as the head of a building's physical structure. Again, Christ's body is referred to as the church in Colossians 1:24. Once more, we see the imagery of a "body" describing the Church which accentuates the fact that the Church is a people and not a place. Paul mentions the Church that meets in Nympha's house in Colossians 4:15. This is another place where we see a distinction between the Church, God's people, and their place to meet, a house. The clear implication is that the Church is a people and not a place. Lastly, in the next verse, Colossians 4:16, the apostle refers to "the church of the Laodiceans." This is a fellowship of Believers from Laodicea - a people in a certain place because the people and the place are to be distinguished.

In Paul's correspondence with the Thessalonians, the word ekklesia surfaces four times - two occurrences in each letter. The apostle's opening words is to "the church of the Thessalonians" (1 Thessalonians 1:1). As mentioned above, this is a congregation of Christians in Thessalonica. While the English word "churches" occurs twice in 1 Thessalonians 2:14 in the NIV, the Greek word ekklesia only occurs once at the beginning of the verse. And again, we find here a reference to the Church, God's people, in a certain geographical location, Judea, making the clear distinction between God's people and the place where they worship and serve. In 2 Thessalonians 1:1, we also see Paul open his letter in the same way he begins his first letter to the Believers at Thessalonica - "to the church of the Thessalonians". Of course, the same point fits both of these references which is that the Church refers to God's people in a particular location. Finally, Paul notes in 2 Thessalonians 1:4 how various congregations of Believers "boast about [the Thessalonians'] perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials [they] are enduring."

In the Pastoral Epistle of 1 Timothy, ekklesia appears three times. In 1 Timothy 3:5, Paul writes, "If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?" Surely the apostle refers to shepherding people here as opposed to looking after buildings or locations. Notice this crystal clear reference to the Church as God's people in 1 Timothy 3:15 where Paul explains what he means by the words "God's household" with the words "the church of the living God." In the final mention of ekklesia in 1 Timothy, Paul is addressing an issue related to widows, and in 1 Timothy 5:16 he teaches, "If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need." Again, the English word "Church" occurs twice in this verse in the NIV, but the Greek word ekklesia occurs only once. And it's obvious from the way Paul uses the word that he is referring to a congregation of Believers because buildings can't be "burdened" while people can.

Paul mentions ekklesia once in the second verse of his brief letter to Philemon. And as the apostle used the word before, he uses it again here to refer to a fellowship of Christians who meet in a house for worship.

Ekklesia occurs twice in Hebrews. The word is translated "congregation" in Hebrews 2:12, and it's a clear reference to Believers who are called "brothers" in the previous verse. Lastly, in Hebrew 12:23a the writer of Hebrews mentions "the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven." This is an obvious reference to Christians unless we want to assert that the names of "buildings" are written in heaven.

James uses ekklesia one time in James 5:14, and he speaks of elders from a congregation of Believers when he mentions the Church.

The word ekklesia surfaces three times in the Johannine Epistles - all in 3 John. In 3 John 6, the apostle mentions how some "brothers" (see verse 5) told the Church about Gaius' love. Obviously, people speak to people as opposed to buildings. John also says that he wrote to the Church about Diotrephes in verse 9. Again, people write to people and not to buildings. Lastly, the apostle mentions how Diotrephes acts in ways dishonoring to the Lord when he puts certain people out of the Church or congregation of Believers in verse 10.

John uses the word ekklesia twenty times in Revelation. As you might guess if you're a student of Scripture, fifteen of these twenty references to the Church appear in Revelation 2 and 3 which deals with Jesus' messages to the seven Churches. But before we take a look at them, John addresses his book to "the seven Churches in the province of Asia" in Revelation 1:4. Clearly the apostle is writing to congregations and not to buildings. Again he mentions these seven congregations in Revelation 1:11, and John uses the plural form of the word ekklesia twice in Revelation 1:20. He first refers to the "angels" (or messengers or pastors) of the seven Churches or congregations, and he also mentions the seven Churches or fellowships of Believers themselves at the end of this verse.

For the majority of the occurrences of ekklesia in Revelation 2 and 3, a clear pattern emerges. For instance, for seven of these occurrences, Christ refers to the Church in a certain location - Ephesus (2:1), Smyrna (2:8), Pergamum (2:12), Thyatira (2:18), Sardis (3:1), Philadelphia (3:7), and Laodicea (3:14). It's obvious for all of these occurrences that the word Church refers to fellowships or congregations of Believers who gather in different geographical locations according to Jesus. Also, another seven of the occurrences of ekklesia in Revelation 2 and 3 appear at the end of Jesus' messengers to the seven Churches. In other words, Christ closes His message to each Church with the following words: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). Of course, these words clearly tells us that Jesus has people in view when He refers to the Church because people "hear" what the Spirit says and not buildings. The only exception to this basic pattern of how the word ekklesia surfaces in the Jesus' messages to the seven Churches is found in Revelation 2:23. In the beginning of this verse, Christ tells the Church in Thyatira that "[He] will strike [Jezebel's, see 2:20] children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds." Once again, it's plain to see that Jesus is referring to Believers when He mentions the Church because people "know" as opposed to buildings or locations which do not.

The final mention of ekklesia in Revelation is in Revelation 22:16a where the following words occur: "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches." This use of the word Church is an obvious reference to people unless we want to think Jesus sent His angel to buildings. Clearly, Jesus sent His angel to give a testimony to His people who are His Church.

While the above exercise of going through every mention of the word ekklesia in the New Testament is tedious, it shows the opening statement of this blog enjoys solid Biblical support: The Church is a people not a place. This is the only way the word Church is used in the New Testament.

Again, all this relates to my multi-site journey in one major way. I desire for everything I do to align completely within the perimeters of Scripture, and in light of the New Testament evidence above, a multi-site approach to ministry fits firmly within what Scripture allows because it accentuates the Biblical fact that the Church is a people and not a place.

There's nothing inherently sinful about constructing buildings for ministry - I preach in one weekly, and all of our multi-site campuses meet in buildings. Jesus and Paul both preached in synagogues and in other locations. However, there's nothing in the New Testament which says that a congregation of Believers can only meet in one building for various ministry purposes. The reality is that one of our campuses has three separate buildings on its property that are all used for different ministry opportunities. Again, according to the New Testament, the Church is a people, God's people on mission with Him, and not a building, and so they can use different buildings to extend the ministry and mission of the Gospel to other places.

Okay, more on my multi-site journey in the future (Colossians 1:28-29)! Blessings...