CHURCH IS NOT IN THE BIBLE
My friend Richard is doing research on the word church for a paper he is writing titled The Church Christ Built - A study Of The Word Church. He is not quite finished yet but what he has found so far is quite interesting, his research has found that the word "church" is not in the Bible. Ok, don't pick up the rocks to start stoning the blasphemer just yet. True our English translations have the word "church" in several places, but based on the original Greek language of the New Testament the word rendered as "church" and our English word church are not related at all. Richard states that "In tracing the word "church" back to its earliest recorded occurrence, we learn it came from a Greek word meaning "of the Lord" (kyriakon). The earliest written record of kyriakon was more than two hundred years after Jesus and the twelve (apostles) died. People used it of the building in which Christians met for corporate worship, kyriakon doma or house of the Lord." You can follow Richard's work in progress on his blog Our Lord's Ekklesia.

I did some research of my own...

The first place that we find the word "church" is in Matthew 16:18 where Jesus is speaking to Peter, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The Greek word ekklesia {ek-klay-see'-ah} translated here as "church" (as it is in 115 places in the New Testament) would have been better translated as "assembly" or "congregation". According to the Blue Letter Bible Dictionary and Word Search ekklesia (Strong's 1577) is a compound term for "out of or away from" and "to call or to be called to bear a name or title". I addition to the 115 occurrences where ekklesia is translated as "church" it appears in three more places in the NT where it is used to describe a public gathering or mob and it is translated there as "assembly".

My friend Richard writes... "William E. Vine, in his dictionary of New Testament Words, does not provide a Greek word for "church." Instead, we find the following, "For CHURCH see ASSEMBLY and CONGREGATION." Why did he not give a Greek word for "church"? His reference book is a dictionary of New Testament Words. The reason he did not give a Greek word for "church" is the sacred writings simply do not contain the Greek word for "church" (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words with their Precise Meanings for English Readers, copyright 1985, p. 102)"

What then are the origins of our English word church? I found that according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary the English word church comes from "Middle English chirche, from Old English cirice, ultimately from Late Greek kyriakon, from Greek, neuter of kyriakos "of the lord", from kyrios lord, master".

So then I decided to check the Blue Letter Bible Dictionary and Word Search for the Greek word kuriakos {koo-ree-ak-os'} from which we get our English word church to see if it is found anywhere in the Bible. I found that kuriakos is in the New Testament only twice, translated once as "the Lord's supper" and once as "the Lord's day" but never as "church". The Greek root of our English word church isn't used in the New Testament as "church", its not there so how did "church" get into our Bible?

I searched more to find out how "church" got into our Bible and came across an article by Dr. Herbert Samworth titled "The King James Bible - A Brief History" where Dr. Samworth states that King James established rules to govern the work of translating the Bible, one of which was that "Ecclesiastical words such as church and priest were to be used to translate their Greek counterparts. Tyndale had never used the word church in his editions of the Bible because the word at that time only applied to those who had taken vows to the religious establishment. Tyndale used the word congregation to translate the word in the original language, thus underscoring the biblical teaching that the church includes all who have personal faith in Christ, not just those who have taken holy orders."

Ah-ha! A political conspiracy to maintain the power base, King James controlled the Anglican Church and thereby controlled the common people. (I just love those conspiracy theories, hey what do you want from an old hippie from the 60's?)

EKKLESIA vs. KURIAKOS
Richard points out that the Greek word kyriakon and the Greek term ekklesia have "no etymological connection... they are two entirely different words... words like "church" or "churches" do not convey the meaning of the Greek term ekklesia" The Online Etymology Dictionary confirms the Greek word kyriakos as the origin of our English word church, but it also states that kyriakos "was used of houses of Christian worship since c.300". Do we want to go on using the word church (kyriakos, ie. the building) to describe the congregation (ekklesia, ie. the people)? Do we want to be focused on the building we meet in for worship or on the people who gather together to worship the Lord?

When looking up church in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary I can see why there are so many mental images that we have when we use the word church. Take a look, only one (#3) out of the five usages of the word church relates to the assembly or the congregation of God's people...

"Church:
1 : a building for public and especially Christian worship
2 : the clergy or officialdom of a religious body
3 : a body or organization of religious believers: as a: the whole body of Christians b: DENOMINATION c: CONGREGATION
4 : a public divine worship
5 : the clerical profession "

The mistranslation of ekklesia as "church" only reenforces this misconception of what church is.

What is it about the meaning of the Greek term ekklesia that we need to understand? Are we being nit-picky here or is there a deep truth about ekklesia that escapes us because of hundreds of years of usage of the word "church"? It is interesting to note that the Septuagint (third century B.C. Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) uses ekklesia throughout the Old Testament Scriptures to describe the assembly of the people of Israel. To the New Testament writers the Greek term ekklesia was common to them, it was in their Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures that they used daily. So what was the concept of ekklesia to them? What mental image sprang to mind for them when hearing this common term ekklesia? Was there a continuum of thought that ties the Old Testament body of believers to the New Testament body of believers? We may never fully grasp all of the nuances associated with the Greek term ekklesia but we can try to clear up some of the confusion in our modern usage of "church" to more accurately convey the meaning of ekklesia, the gathering, the assembling together of God's Congregation.

Jesus stated in Matthew 16:18 that he was going to build his "ekklesia", or as the 1898 Young's Literal Translation puts it "...I will build my assembly..." Did you catch it, did you notice that Robert Young did not use "church" to translate ekklesia? This rendering removes all the preconceived images and all the "religious" connotations that the word church has and makes it clear beyond any doubt that Jesus is talking about his people. Another example is found in 1 Timothy 3:15 in the phrase "...the house of God, which is the church of the living God...". In the Greek it reads: "oikos theos hostis esti ekklesia zao theos". In other words, "the house [oikos {oy'-kos}] of God, which is the assembly of the called out people [ekklesia {ek-klay-see'-ah}] of the living God". God dwells within his people individually and collectively, not in buildings called churches. We are the assembly of the called out ones of God that make up a living house of the living God. Let's look at some more of what the scriptures have to say...

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ... you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:5 & 9)

However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: "Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?" (Acts 7:48-50)

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

WE THE PEOPLE
We the people are God's Temple [naos {nah-os'} ie. the Holy place, the Holy of Holies] where the Spirit of God dwells. It is not the physical building of brick and mortar but "living stones" that the living God has assembled for his habitation. We are also the "holy priesthood" that is to "offer up spiritual sacrifices".

Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them". How simple is that? A gathering, a congregation, an assembly of two or more followers of Jesus wherever and whenever they meet with Jesus present every time.

Let's eliminate the confusion as to wether we are talking about the building where Christians gather, or the meeting, or the religious organization that owns the building, or the people. We many never be able to entirely stop using the word "church" but perhaps we can start using terms that better describe ourselves the way Jesus did, as his ekklesia, his called out ones. Words like congregation, assembly, and gathering are closer to Jesus' meaning of ekklesia. Jesus was always more interested in people and not buildings or institutions, so let's seek to have the mind of Christ on this one.

When I am asked "Where do you go to church?" I always say "I gather with some Christians at a friend's home on Tuesday evenings" or "We assemble at 1234 Third Street on Sunday mornings". Of course some will question if I attend a "real" church, or make some comment along the line that it must be a "lite" version of church, but that is the subject of an other article.

I would like to suggest a more descriptive alternative for "church"... "Jesus People Gathering". Now doesn't that more clearly define "church"

I am still searching all this out while I await my friend's next installment to his paper "The Church Christ Built" - I'll give you updates when he sends me more to read.