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Ecclesia, holding vexillum and chalice, stands across from Synagogue at a portal to Freiburg Münster

Ecclesia (or Ekklesia) in Christian theology denotes both a particular body of faithful people, and the whole body of the faithful. Latin ecclesia, from Greek ekklesia had an original meaning of "assembly, congregation, council", literally "convocation", see Ecclesia (ancient Athens).

According to Saint Gregory (P. L., LXXVII, 740), the church was composed of "Sancti ante legem, sancti sub lege, sancti sub gratia ("The saints before the Law, the saints under the Law, and the saints under grace"). This is the basic definition of the church which underpins much of John Calvin's writings.

More narrowly, it may signify the whole body of Christian faithful, including not merely the members of the church who are alive on earth but those, too, who have fallen asleep in Christ, and as such form part of the communion of saints, considered the Body of Christ (see main article Body of Christ). Some churches therefore describe the church as being composed of the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant (Being those Christians on Earth and in Heaven respectively.) In Catholic theology, there is also the Church Suffering comprising those in purgatory.

The Christian family, the most basic unit of church life, is sometimes called the domestic church^[1]

Finally, 'The Church' may sometimes be used, especially in Catholic theology, to designate those who exercise the office of teaching and ruling the faithful, the Ecclesia Docens, or again (more rarely) the governed as distinguished from their pastors, the Ecclesia Discens.

Some theologians (e.g. Baptists, Congregationalists) accept the local sense as the only valid application of the term 'church', in so doing rejecting wholesale the notion of a universal ('catholic') church. These people argue that all uses of the Greek word 'ekklesia' in the New Testament are speaking of either a particular local group, or of the notion of 'church' in the abstract, and never of a single, worldwide church. (1689 London Baptist Confession, Savoy Declaration)

Some also note the distinction between the term 'ekklesia' (or 'ecclesia') from the term 'church'. The 'ekklesia' represents the congregation or living body of believers in Christ, as compared to the 'church' which more represents the religious institution or organisation (eg. Catholic Church). The 'ekklesia' appears to be what Christ was referring to in the New Testamant when he said 'Upon this Rock I will build my ekklesia, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' (Matthew 16:18), as the original Greek meaning refers to the 'ekklesia'.

Many groups teach the image of the church as the "bride of Christ" to explain the relation between Christ and the members of the Body.

"The theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist. The Lord referred to himself as the "bridegroom." [John 3:29] The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the faithful, members of his Body, as a bride "betrothed" to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him. The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb. [Revelation 22:17] 'Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her'" [Ephesians 5:26] He has joined her with himself in an everlasting covenant and never stops caring for her as for his own body."^[2]

Similarly, Evangelical churches emphasise the progression of the people of God towards becoming this perfect bride of Christ (Revelation 19:6-8).

The disciples of a single locality are often referred to in the New Testament as a church (Revelation 2:18, Romans 16:4, Acts 9:31), and arguably Saint Paul even applies the term to disciples belonging to a single household (Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 1:2. Colossians 1:18 says that Christ "is the Head of the Body which is the Church". Ephesians 5:21-32, as previously noted, presents Christ as the bridegroom of the church.

• Church
• Body of Christ
• Catholic Church
• Orthodox Church

• Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium
• The church Alive!
• Ekklesia.co.uk
• Ekklesia.us
• Ecclesia.gr
• Reflections on the Church by Reid Monaghan