Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Ecclesiology is the study of the church and has two focal points; the one is the historical and doctrinal perspective on the church, and the other is the church as situated in a local context in the sense of the local practices of actual congregations. The ecclesiology or, more correctly, the ecclesiologies of this volume mainly focuses on the second aspect, i.e., understanding the local congregation or parish as a community of believers. A congregation may firstly be described by posing a theological question: What is the local missional church or congregation all about? This question may be answered from different perspectives, but it remains essential to answer it from a theological perspective. The first five chapters in this book focus mainly on a theological understanding of the congregation. This is done from different disciplines within the study field of theology. Congregations are, secondly, social realities and should be described and analysed through an analytical or empirical lens, or, to answer the question attached to the first empirical-descriptive task of practical theology, “What is going on?”. The remaining chapters use a quantitative and qualitative lens and give an empirical analysis of the congregation. The intention is to critically reflect on the church and congregations’ ecclesiology from a theological and analytical perspective with an emphasis on the South African context. It wants to map markers for the development of contemporary ecclesiologies, and the different chapters are meant as mirrors to look in and reflect on the theological and contextual relevance of denominations and congregations in South Africa.

Religious gatherings --- Church --- Congregational churches --- Mission of the church --- 260.1 --- 26 <6> --- 26 <6> Ecclesiologie. De Kerk:--theologisch--Afrika --- 26 <6> Ecclesiologie. L'Eglise catholique--Afrique --- Ecclesiologie. De Kerk:--theologisch--Afrika --- Ecclesiologie. L'Eglise catholique--Afrique --- 260.1 Ecclesiologie:--algemene vraagstukken --- Ecclesiologie:--algemene vraagstukken --- Christian sects --- Ecclesiastical theology --- Ecclesiology --- Theology, Ecclesiastical --- People of God --- Theology --- Assemblies, Religious --- Congregations (Religious gatherings) --- Gatherings, Religious --- Religious assemblies --- Religious meetings --- Councils and synods --- Meetings --- Mission --- Purpose --- Christian Churches & denominations --- Christianity --- faith communities --- theology --- denominational perspective --- Dutch Reformed Church --- congregations --- church --- ecclesiology --- missio dei --- the Jesus walk --- spiritual

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Recent research has made a strong case for the view that Early Christian communities, sociologically considered, functioned as voluntary religious associations. This is similar to the practice of many other cultic associations in the Greco-Roman world of the first century CE. Building upon this new approach, along with a critical interpretation of all available sources, this book discusses the social and religio-historical background of the weekly gatherings of Christians and presents a fresh reconstruction of how the weekly gathering originated and developed in both form and content. The topics studied here include the origins of the observance of Sunday as the weekly Christian feast-day, the shape and meaning of the weekly gatherings of the Christian communities, and the rise of customs such as preaching, praying, singing, and the reading of texts in these meetings.

Religious gatherings --- Worship --- Lord's Supper --- Agape --- Sacred meals --- Church history --- Christianity --- History. --- History --- Rome --- Religious life and customs. --- Assemblies, Religious --- Congregations (Religious gatherings) --- Gatherings, Religious --- Religious assemblies --- Religious meetings --- Councils and synods --- Meetings --- Apostolic Church --- Church, Apostolic --- Early Christianity --- Early church --- Primitive and early church --- Primitive Christianity --- Fathers of the church --- Great Apostasy (Mormon doctrine) --- Meals, Sacred --- Sacramental meals --- Dinners and dining --- Fasts and feasts --- Love --- Love feasts --- Religious aspects --- Religious gatherings - Christianity - History. --- Worship - History - Early church, ca. 30-600. --- Lord's Supper - History - Early church, ca. 30-600. --- Agape - History. --- Sacred meals - Rome - Comparative studies. --- Church history - Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600. --- Religious gatherings - Rome - Comparative studies. --- Rome - Religious life and customs. --- Theology --- Early Church & Patristics --- Eucharist --- Jesus --- Paul the Apostle