Founding and Birth of the Church
An Introduction to This Series and How the Church Began - Biblical Ecclesiology in Eight Sessions
Introduction and Method
In this eight-part series, I’ll be working through selected topics in ecclesiology: the study of the church. There are two main phases: the first four sessions will focus on the structure and oversight within churches, while the latter four sessions will focus on practice and behavior within churches. The topics have been selected in an arbitrary way—they are topics that I want to explore in community. This post, which includes the first session, is prefaced by a brief introduction to the topic and to my methodology.
This series is for anyone looking to explore what the Bible has to say about the church. However, this notion of “what the Bible has to say” requires some unpacking. In a sense, I do believe the traditional explanation that the Bible has timeless truths on topics such as the church that can and must be applied to churches everywhere, just as it contains moral truths that can and must be applied to [Christian] people everywhere. But, alas, it is not quite as simple as this traditional account, as my reading of the Bible about the church will not produce or reveal such exact and objective results, whether those results concern morals, ecclesiology, or any other topic.
Ecclesiology can apply only to churches: real, instantiated, immanent, among us, making it challenging to practically parse into some abstract concept or set of rules and instructions. I, too, am totally affected by this realness, as I am living within it, and it is only through this life that I can read the Bible. My church context, history, experience, education, and dispositional biases all saturate my reading of what the Bible has to say about the church. Furthermore, my brief experience is but a low-resolution image taken of the grand history that has been passed down to us today; it is but a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture, generationally distilled into the actual experiences of the Christian gathering: the actual experiences of real, fallen, image-bearing people. I — no, we — are not in a good position to evaluate the abstract notion of the church.
This might be okay good. There is too much at stake to approach it as an abstract idea, anyways. Church isn’t something that we have the privilege of being able to merely study in the abstract. If we were to keep the topic at arms length, either in the space of philosophy or in the space of laws and rules, living according to whatever we conceptually think we understand the church to be, that may be just as difficult as coming to the right ideas about it. The abstract approach is lacking in exactly two areas: both 1) thinking rightly about the church in the abstract sense and 2) applying right thinking about the abstract church are difficult because we live in actualized churches comprised of real people. Instead of thinking abstractly about the church, perhaps we should be okay with thinking about the actual church and living in actual churches.
Then how can we do Biblical Ecclesiology?
Well, if it’s going to be Biblical, we have to understand what the Bible says. Typical, simplistic understandings of Biblical hermeneutics — the study of interpreting collections of words — often present a three-step process:
What did the text mean to its original audience (in their context),
What does the text mean in the abstract sense (timeless truths),
And, finally, what we really care about: What does the text mean for us today (in our context)?
As I’ve just suggested, at least on this topic, we get stuck on step 2. Or… was it step 3? Actually, we probably get stuck on step 1, because of what I might vaguely gesture at with the phrases, “the fog of history,” and, “we are not the original reader.” But that doesn’t really matter for this introduction, now does it? I’ve set upon the quest of Biblical hermeneutics, and that’s just what I’ll figure out how to do, even if the typical or simplified process is insufficient by my accounting.
But then, how can we do Biblical Ecclesiology?
Even if our situation as real people in real churches is limiting in some ways, it is simultaneously a great gift. It is exactly what we need to live out Biblical ecclesiology. Doing ecclesiology would be mere study; even if we understand how we might live out that ecclesiology, it is still merely the study of the church. However, the church is a living, breathing thing, as it is comprised of living, breathing creatures. While mere study may seem appealing to curious minds, like my own, it pales in comparison to the importance bequeathed upon it by the realness of ecclesiology that is lived out. In short, why care about ecclesiology if you aren’t going to live accordingly?
Indeed, to rightly engage with Biblical ecclesiology, we need community so that we can live out Biblical ecclesiology, which is why we are compelled to study it in the first place.
Biblical ecclesiology is fundamentally a Christian endeavor, as it unfolds through the Church, or at least through local churches. The Biblical part of it simply implies an intention to base the study of the topic on the Bible—also a rather Christian thing to do. We care about ecclesiology because it affects who and what we are as the church, how we live as Christians, what we view as important, why we do what we do, who we live in close community with, and other such similar things.
This is all fine, but why Biblical ecclesiology? We might achieve a better ecclesiology by not limiting it at all, or at least by limiting it merely to the broader category of Christian ecclesiology. Well, the short answer is that I have plans to write on this in only eight posts. I do primarily care about Christian ecclesiology as a whole, but we have to start somewhere. As this is a Christian topic for Christians to live out in Christian community, I feel no need to spill further words on why we are using the Bible as the source and focus of our study.
Seriously though, but then, how can we do Biblical Ecclesiology?
Our endeavor to “do Biblical ecclesiology” is now clear enough: to live out in Christian community (in our local churches) whatever it is that the Bible has to say about the Church. It is no coincidence, then, that Christian community is also necessary for determining what the Bible has to say about ecclesiology. As I have mentioned, a local church is a collection of people, with each person existing as a real part or element within the “body” of their church. Each of us have real stakes in rightly understanding and living out whatever it is that God, in His great grace, left for our guidance in His Word.
It only follows, then, that we each should eagerly attempt to understand this guidance, that we would intently read and study the Word that he has given us, and that we would engage with one another in actually living out the Word. In doing so, we will discover exactly, as best we can, what Biblical ecclesiology is, and in doing so, we will compel one another to the good work of living out Biblical ecclesiology. While each of us necessarily apply our contexts, experience, history, and other such similar things to our reading of the Bible, this is not an inhibition to our living out of Biblical ecclesiology, as it is equally contextual and real, being really lived out in our community. While bringing such contexts to our reading might make discerning timeless ecclesiological truths difficult, those same contexts are exactly what is necessary for living out a Biblical ecclesiology in Christian community.
For this reason, the sessions I write will have two elements: passages to be read in community and questions to explore in community. While these posts may be read in isolation, only people with unusually curious minds will find that worthwhile. These sessions are intended to be experienced in community—in Christian community—in church. Read the passages, study them, come up with your best statements about what you think they mean for your life and your church, and discuss those statements with your community, in your church. If we all do this, we will be doing Biblical ecclesiology as best we can. What a wonderful thing!
Following this practice, I, too, will be making comments and statements about what the Bible has to say about the Church—only I will be writing them in the body of these posts. I can only really speak to my church, from my perspective. Necessarily, this means writing to and within my tradition. I will do my best to be as helpful and generally applicable in these perspectives as possible, but I actually invite you, my dear reader, to delete my commentary if you find it distracting and, either way, write in your own. Share your ideas with your Christian community, just as I do so with my own. For this exact purpose, I have included the handout PDF versions of these sessions at the end of each post, in which most of my commentary has been skimmed away.
With this methodology in mind, it should be clear why I have focused the following series outline around Scripture passages. I should additionally note that the passages selected are often incomplete, lacking even their immediate context. While I will strive for a well-informed interpretation, if at any time you feel like the passages require more context, simply add to your reading—read the whole Book and form a more comprehensive Biblical ecclesiology. The topics in this series are those that I find most compelling and want to explore more, and I sincerely hope these questions and passages are as helpful to you as they have been to me in understanding and seeking to live out ecclesiology.
Prospective Series Outline
Session 1: Founding and Birth of the Church
How did Jesus establish His church? (Matthew 16:13-20)
What mission did Jesus give His church? (Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:6-8)
How did the apostles prepare for and experience the church's birth? (Acts 1:12-14, 2:1-4)
How did the first believers live out their faith together? (Acts 2:38-47, 4:32-37)
How did the church adapt to growth and challenges? (Acts 6:1-7, Acts 8:1-8, Acts 11:19-26)
How did the early church handle significant theological and practical disputes? (Acts 15:1-21, Galatians 2:1-10)
Session 2: Metaphors for the Church
How do the members of Christ's body work together in unity? (1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Romans 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:15-16, Colossians 1:18, Colossians 2:19)
What does it mean for the church to be the beloved bride of Christ? (Ephesians 5:25-32, 2 Corinthians 11:2-3, Revelation 19:7-9, Revelation 21:2, Revelation 22:17)
How does being God's family shape our relationships and responsibilities to one another? (Ephesians 2:19, 1 Timothy 3:15, Galatians 6:10, Romans 8:14-17, 1 John 3:1-2, Hebrews 2:11-12)
What does it mean to be living stones built together as God's temple? (1 Peter 2:4-10, Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 6:16-18)
How does the shepherd/flock metaphor guide our living in the church? (John 10:11-16, Acts 20:28-29, 1 Peter 5:2-4, Ezekiel 34:11-16, Psalm 23)
Session 3: Structure and Roles within the Church
What leadership roles are described in Scripture? (Acts 20:17-21, Philippians 1:1, 1 Peter 5:1-2, Ephesians 4:11-12)
How were early churches organized? (Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23, Acts 6:1-6, 1 Corinthians 12:28)
What purpose does church structure serve? (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40, Ephesians 4:11-16)
Session 4: The Service of Overseers and Deacons
What are the qualifications for overseers? (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9)
What are the qualifications for deacons? (1 Timothy 3:8-13, Acts 6:3)
What specific duties are given to overseers? (Acts 20:28-31, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Titus 1:9)
How should the church relate to its overseers? (1 Timothy 5:17-19, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
Session 5: Membership and Total Commitment
What does Scripture teach about our connection as members of Christ's body? (1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 4:15-16)
How should members of the body relate to and care for one another? (Romans 12:9-16, Colossians 3:12-15, Galatians 6:1-2)
What specific instructions are given about gathering and encouragement? (Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:42-47)
What process does Scripture outline for addressing sin within the body? (Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11)
Session 6: Culture and Worship and Sacraments
How should the church conduct its gatherings? (1 Corinthians 14:26-33, 40)
What role does singing and teaching have in church worship? (Colossians 3:16-17, Ephesians 5:19-20)
What is the meaning and practice of baptism? (Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 2:38-41)
How should the church observe the Lord's Supper? (1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Acts 2:42)
Session 7: Culture and Denominations
What kind of unity did Jesus pray for among His followers? (John 17:20-23)
How did the early church handle significant doctrinal disagreements? (Acts 15:1-21, Galatians 2:7-10)
What principles did apostles give for maintaining unity despite different practices? (Romans 14:1-6, Romans 15:5-7)
What causes divisions in the church and how should they be addressed? (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-9)
How did early churches demonstrate practical unity? (2 Corinthians 8:1-15, Philippians 4:14-16)
Session 8: Church and State
How does Jesus distinguish between obligations to God and to human authorities? (Matthew 22:15-22, John 18:33-38)
What responsibilities do Christians have toward governing authorities? (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17)
When must the church prioritize obedience to God over human authorities? (Acts 4:18-20, 5:27-29)
How should churches pray regarding governing authorities? (1 Timothy 2:1-4)
Founding and Birth of the Church
The Church began with Jesus' declaration of its founding, was commissioned with His final words, and was born in power through the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Understanding these foundational moments and early practices helps us grasp both the divine origin and practical development of the Church as God's people gathered in community. In this session, the passages explored are foundational to God communicating His intended purpose and function for the Church. As such, many of the passages mentioned this week will be revisited in future weeks as we consider more specific elements and facets of ecclesiology.
How did Jesus establish His church?
Matthew 16:13-20
Have the group read Matthew 16:13-20. Consider asking participants to identify the specific claims Jesus makes about His church and the authority He gives to His disciples. What significance do they see in Peter's confession about Jesus' identity and Jesus' response about building His church?
In this pivotal moment at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus responds to Peter's confession by establishing the foundational truth upon which His church would be built. The dialogue reveals both divine insight and human participation in the church's establishment. Peter's declaration, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," comes not through human reasoning but through divine revelation ("flesh and blood has not revealed this to you"). This interplay between divine revelation and human confession becomes a pattern for how the church would function—God reveals, His people respond in faith, and He builds His church through this dynamic relationship.
In this passage, we get the most fundamental claim about the church, as Jesus Himself dubs it "My church". It was in this moment that we were given a sort-of name—rather, a description of what we do as a community of Christians—with the word for "church", as well as the reality of belonging to or being characterized by Jesus Himself.
The wordplay in Jesus' declaration about Peter being the "rock" merits careful consideration. When Jesus first met Simon, He gave him the name Cephas (Peter), which means "rock" (John 1:42). This personal name becomes profoundly significant in this later encounter. While various Christian traditions have understood this "rock" differently—some seeing it as Peter himself, others as Peter's confession of faith, and still others as Christ the cornerstone—we can find common ground in Paul’s elaboration found in Ephesians 2:19-22. Here, Paul presents a beautiful image of the church, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. This helps us see how Peter's role as "rock" works in harmony with Christ's supremacy: the apostles, including Peter, serve as foundational witnesses and leaders in the church, as foundational as the prophets of old, while Jesus remains the cornerstone that holds everything together and gives it proper alignment. This affirms the foundational role of the apostles and prophets in the church, the even more fundamental, centralizing role of Jesus, and God’s intended unity within the Church—beautifully illustrated as a totally united, singular building in Christ.
What mission did Jesus give His church?
Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:6-8
Read together Matthew 28:16-20 and Acts 1:6-8. How do the elements of Jesus’ commission work together to shape the church's mission?
The Great Commission represents Jesus' comprehensive vision for His church's mission, carefully structured with divine authority bracketing practical commands. It begins with Jesus' declaration of "all authority" and concludes with His promise of perpetual presence, creating a framework within which the church's mission operates. The central commands—to make disciples, baptize, and teach—form an integrated approach to ministry that encompasses both initial evangelism and ongoing spiritual formation. Notably, Jesus' instruction to "teach them to observe all that I have commanded you" creates a self-replicating pattern: disciples who make disciples who make disciples. This mission statement avoids both the extreme of pure intellectualism (mere teaching without obedience) and mere activism (doing without teaching), instead uniting both under the concept of comprehensive discipleship.
This intimate, personal model for the church requires individuals who are engaging with the world such that people are drawn to follow—to be discipled. This calling is supported by Jesus' emphasis on love, peace, unity, and service throughout His ministry (John 13:34-35, John 17:20-23, Matthew 20:26-28). Just as Jesus' own disciples were called to follow Him, our mission is to call others to follow Jesus. This unfolds dynamically through personal relationships in the context of the community of Christians we call the Church. Paul exemplifies this discipleship model when he writes, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1), showing how Christian leadership creates a living chain of discipleship connecting believers to Christ.
In Acts 1:6-8, keeping with a central theme in the Gospels, Jesus redirects the disciples' focus from political restoration to spiritual transformation, promising the Holy Spirit's power to make them effective witnesses. This progression—"Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth"—not only outlined the historical spread of the early church but continues to remind us that our mission extends from our immediate community to the entire world.
How did the apostles prepare for and experience the church's birth?
Acts 1:12-14; Acts 2:1-4
Study Acts 1:12-14 and Acts 2:1-4 as a group.
After witnessing Jesus' ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem "with great joy" (Luke 24:52) and devoted themselves to prayer. This period of waiting and preparation reveals much about the nature of church life—it begins in joyful obedience and continues in patient expectation. The specific mention of Jesus' family members and the women disciples paints a picture of unity that transcends typical social boundaries of the time. The disciples’ collective devotion to prayer reflects their right understanding that living out Jesus’ plan, whatever it would turn out to be, would require divine rather than human power.
The dramatic events of Pentecost stand in marked contrast to this period of quiet preparation through prayer, yet both elements—patient prayer and powerful manifestation—characterize the church's ongoing life. The Spirit's arrival through wind and fire echoes Old Testament theophanies, marking the transcendental significance of this moment. This pattern of preparation through prayer followed by divine empowerment establishes the fundamental rhythm—the dynamic interplay of God working through the Church—that would mark the Church's life and growth throughout Acts.
How did the first believers live out their faith together?
Acts 2:38-47; Acts 4:32-37
Read both Acts 2:38-47 and Acts 4:32-37. As a group, consider creating two lists from these passages: one of spiritual practices and another of practical behaviors. How did these practices reflect an understanding of and living out of Jesus’ commission?
These early passages in Acts present a remarkably integrated picture of complete spiritual devotion and comprehensive practical care within the early church community. The spiritual practices—teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer, and praise—weren't merely religious activities but laid the foundation for their shared life. This unity of worship and life in the Church show us a clear indication of how comprehensively the lives of Believers in the early church were transformed. Likewise, their practical behaviors—sharing possessions, meeting needs, daily gathering—demonstrated how the priorities of the Kingdom of Heaven comprehensively reorder earthly concerns and priorities. The apostles' powerful testimony to the resurrection (Acts 4:33) served as the center point connecting these spiritual and practical dimensions. These passages paint a clear picture of the supremacy of grace, and the potential of truly living according to the priorities that Jesus established even here, on Earth, in Christian community, in the Church. Truly, God has established in us through Christ something truly profound and transcendental.
The radical generosity described in Acts 4:32-37 deserves special attention, as it demonstrates how thoroughly the early believers internalized Jesus' teachings about kingdom values. Their willingness to view possessions as secondary and subserviently to ministry rather than personal security grew out of their conviction about Christ's Lordship. Barnabas's example shows how individual acts of generosity could both meet practical needs and encourage the entire community. This integration of spiritual conviction and practical action created an attractive community that drew others to Christ, fulfilling Jesus' commission through their shared life together.
How did the church adapt to growth and persecution?
Acts 6:1-7; Acts 8:1-8; Acts 11:19-26
Invite study participants to read Acts 6:1-7, 8:1-8, and 11:19-26. What can we learn about handling challenges—be those internal conflict, external persecution, and/or cultural expansion—that arise in the church? Consider identifying the elements of faith and wisdom applied in each passage.
These passages reveal how the early church faced challenges with remarkable adaptability while maintaining focus on its core mission. In Acts 6, we see the apostles addressing an internal administrative challenge with wisdom that honored both practical needs and spiritual priorities. Their solution—appointing qualified individuals to specific roles—established an important principle: church structure should serve mission rather than tradition alone. The requirement that these leaders be "full of the Spirit and wisdom" shows how even practical service roles within the Church were understood as fundamentally spiritual in nature.
The persecution that began with Stephen's martyrdom (Acts 8) and continued through Acts 11 demonstrates how God can use even opposition to advance His purposes. What began as a threat to the church became the catalyst for its expansion, forcing believers to scatter and thereby spreading the gospel to new regions. The Antioch church (Acts 11:19-26) is a powerful example of how this expansion led to cultural adaptation without compromising essential truth. Here, we see the gospel crossing cultural boundaries, with the significant marker that believers were first called "Christians" in this multicultural context. Together, these passages show the church learning the power of the Gospel to overcome any challenge that the world could throw at it.
How did the early church handle significant theological and practical disputes?
Acts 15:1-21; Galatians 2:1-10
Read Acts 15:1-21 and Galatians 2:1-10 together. Guide participants in tracing the process the church used to resolve this dispute. What roles did different people play? How did they arrive at and communicate their decision?
The Jerusalem Council provides our earliest model for how the church can address serious theological disagreements while maintaining unity. The process they followed merits careful attention: they allowed full discussion of the issue, respected the authority of Scripture, weighed evidence and experience, and sought consensus under apostolic leadership. Significantly, both Paul's account in Galatians 2:1-10 and Luke's in Acts 15 emphasize how the church balanced truth and grace, maintaining the gospel's essentials while seeking practical ways to promote unity between different cultural expressions of faith.
The resolution they reached demonstrates remarkable wisdom: it upheld the gospel's core truth of salvation by grace and provided practical guidelines that facilitated fellowship between Jewish and Gentile believers. James's appeal to Scripture (citing Amos) shows how the church grounded its decisions in God's revealed word, while the practical accommodations they recommended show sensitivity to relationship and community. All of this establishes the reality that even the most serious and difficult of disagreements within the Church can and must be overcome in order to maintain unity—there was no alternative in the apostle-led church. Even the complex issues of today’s Church, steeped in and reinforced by centuries of spilled words and history, could be viewed in the same light: as petty squabbles in comparison to the purpose and mission of Christ. The early church recognized that love for one another, unity, and peace with the world are central to the Christian witness, and that these virtues could overcome their severe, dramatic, and culturally institutionalized differences in order to maintain and grow this witness, clearly demonstrating the power of the gospel and its personally transformative effects.
Conversation Starters:
"I will build my church," Jesus declared. How does this statement shape your understanding of your role in the church and church growth?
The early disciples waited in prayer before Pentecost, then moved with bold purpose afterward. When and how does your church pray? Do you engage in active ministry after prayer, following the pattern of the early church?
In what ways do you see your local church fulfilling or struggling with aspects of the Great Commission's call to make disciples? Who is discipling you, and who are you discipling?
The early church was marked by both spiritual devotion and practical care for one another. Does your practice integrate both of these elements of Christian community?
The Jerusalem Council prioritized both gospel truth and practical unity. How might the Jerusalem Council's approach to theological disagreement guide churches today in handling significant disputes? What disputes among denominations or the broader church could be healthily informed by this approach?
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