Contemporary studies in ecclesiology cover a range of issues and contexts. Studies in ordinary theology also deal with a diversity of doctrines. There is, however, no substantial study of ordinary ecclesiology, that is, the understanding of church by ordinary members individually and by local churches congregationally. My personal and professional context is that of an ordained Anglican. In the light of this the study addresses this gap in knowledge by exploring the ordinary ecclesiology of a Church of England congregation. It is an example of an ordinary ecclesiology contributing a thick description (Geertz 1973) of a particular congregation to studies of church. The focus on ecclesiology is driven by issues raised in the literature review which demonstrate that the mainstream denominations in Britain face particular challenges such as numerical and influential decline. The study is based on a two year ethnographic study of a commuter village church in a united benefice of four churches. The ethnographic study, based on participation in and observation of the church on a weekly basis, includes interviews, conversations, a focus group and an examination of the written data generated in the church (web-site; publicity; church newsletters; magazines; documentation). This qualitative data is analysed using a form of interpretive dualism (Soja 1996) which emerged as an appropriate method during the research. Three binary pairings describing ways of thinking about church are used: instrumental – ontological; temporal – transcendent; patron – subscriber. The research demonstrates how this local church goes about theological thinking on the idea of church and reveals the content of that thinking. The study concludes that ordinary theology is present in the local church but that it is largely unacknowledged as such and is mainly a personal or individual enterprise. The implications of this are discussed. That discussion concludes that ordinary theology needs to be seen as the task of the whole λαός of God rather than the task of the laity and that in order to do this the local church needs to be re-imagined as a theological community where theological thinking is encouraged and resourced. This discussion centres on the importance of ecclesiology as a key doctrine in the Church of England’s contemporary context. The study therefore makes a contribution to knowledge by identifying and articulating what the ecclesiology of a local church looks like. It contributes to and challenges current practice by proposing rethinking the nature and purpose of the local church.

This thesis analyses St Basil’s understanding of the Church with a focus on his Trinitarian approach to its life. Although the role of God the Trinity in the life of the Church occupies a considerable place in St Basil’s thought this subject has not been previously addressed by scholars. Based on research of primary texts of St Basil the thesis explores the ideas of the Church that are found in his works, how these ideas shape his ecclesiology, and in what sense there is a Trinitarian approach. The research shows that St Basil perceives the Church in a consistently Trinitarian fashion where all Persons of the Trinity are involved in the life of the community. Moreover, the eschatological perspective from which St Basil sees the divine and human actions reveals the connections between God’s plan at the creation of the world, the existence of the Church and the destiny of humanity, which is Christlikeness and life eternal in the heavenly Ekklesia with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The thesis also brings to light St Basil’s perception of the Church as a two-dimensional mystical reality with a strong bond between both parts (heavenly and earthly). This view has also not received much scholarly attention to date. The analysis of the life of the Church that is grounded in Trinitarian philanthropy provides further insights into St Basil’s understanding of this worldwide fellowship of believers. The thesis shows that the Church is depicted by St Basil as a new social entity where God assembles His children providing for them the proper environment for their growth and development. The study of Basil’s use of metaphors elucidates and enriches the overall picture of the Church that is portrayed in his works as the Mother of believers, the Daughter of the King, the Bride and the Body of Christ. This reveals the relation between the Church and her Trinitarian Creator who is always present with her. Dealing with the mysteries of the Church, its liturgy and penitential discipline, the thesis discloses the inward life of the Church which is closely connected with Trinitarian confession as “saving confession” in Basil’s thought. The same underlying concern for proper Trinitarian teaching is also discussed in relation to the unity of the Church. Special attention is paid to the role of Christian leaders and councils, which should serve as a means of keeping unity and peace inside the local congregations as well as between them. The thesis also explores how St Basil perceives God’s plan for the world and the role of Christians as good servants of the Triune God whose philanthropy they are supposed to reveal through their ministry both to the poor and to the rich. Proceeding with the analysis of the practical achievements, the last chapter demonstrates to what extend St Basil, motivated by his beliefs, was able to apply his ideas about the Church and her relation to God the Trinity in a particular socio-historical context in the life of his monastic communities.

This thesis explores the Church of England report Mission-Shaped Church (MSC) and its subsequent secondary and synodical legislation. It traces the missiology, ecclesiology and sociology of the initial report and their subsequently developed over the last seven years. The thesis ascertains how well this missiology and ecclesiology reflects or adapts traditional and contemporary Anglican missiology and ecclesiology represented in official reports of the Church of England over the last two hundred years as well as in its missionary work in England. Chapter one will survey the report itself and all subsequent secondary literature and legislation, identifying their sources and tracing the contours of their theology and sociology. Chapter two places these findings into historic relief, ascertaining that they are novel in the life of the Church of England; that MSC deduces its own sources; and is alien in its methodology and recommendations compared to the existing theological corpus of the church. Chapter three examines the work of William Temple as a counter ecclesiology and missiology to MSC. The ‘Temple method’ of bringing any, and all, social issues into dialogue with the existing Anglican tradition, and his emphasis on the sacramental and catholic life of the church, are representative of historic Anglican approaches to missiology and ecclesiology. Chapter four will use the sociology of Zygmunt Bauman as an experimental basis to help the Church of England understand its contemporary context. His work illustrates that the ideology of consumerism is the major missiological challenge the church faces today, one that MSC failed to critically engage with, and actually succumbed to, in its missiological method, which results in a deficient and under-resources ecclesiology. The conclusion will correct these failings and shortcomings by bringing the ecclesiology presented in the third chapter into critical dialogue with the sociology of chapter four. We will argue that a comprehensive ecclesiology and missiology, that has a sacramental and catholic focus – represented by Temple, and other numerous official reports – when brought to bear on the social reality of Bauman’s ‘liquid modernity’, yields a much richer understanding of the impetus of the gospel in contemporary England. Such a theology combats the anthropology of consumption through its emphasis on sacramental participation, and critiques the exclusion of the stranger and the strange by emphasising a catholic vision of inclusion and mutuality.

Thesis (DTh (Ecclesiology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The central theme of this thesis is the historic unfolding of the concept of freedom of religion and its manifestation according to the canonical law of the Dutch Reformed Church since 1962. Two issues were considered, the first being the historic development of freedom of religion while the second issue concerns the status and understanding of freedom of religion since 1962 and the canonical implication for the Dutch Reformed Church between 1962 and 2007. The historic research into the origin of freedom of religion starts with the biblical view of the concept and gives a synopsis of the development until it reaches worldwide recognition as a fundamental constitutional right. Prior to the final understanding of the concept of freedom of religion, different forms and meanings were given to the concept. At first freedom of religion was historically developed and understood as a God-given right of every man. Later on, to protect the society from infringement of human and religious rights, it became necessary to establish freedom of religion worldwide as a recognized constitutional right. It is argued that freedom of religion is in fact the most fundamental right of all the human rights. The research shows the development of religious freedom in the Dutch Reformed Church between 1962 and 2007. From as far as 1652 the Christian religion was a privileged religion in South Africa. The privileged situation of the Dutch Reformed Church in its relation to the state made it unnecessary for them to discuss or define the concept of freedom of religion. Consequently the church gave silent consent to the state’s limited application of religious freedom. In and outside the church there was an ongoing debate that helped the church to formulate its role in religious freedom, which resulted in the document “Church and Society” (1986–1990). With the new Constitution of South Africa in 1996, a new situation developed for the Dutch Reformed Church as well as other churches. The church realized that it must define and take up its own legal position on religious freedom, which is guaranteed in the Constitution of South Africa. The church has the right to express their religious identity in a plural society. The relationship between church and state is expressed in matters such as conditions of employment, church property; matrimony, education, ordinances, religious organisation, etc. These are all issues of religious freedom that are guaranteed in the Constitution. The conclusion of this research will be helpful for churches and religious communities in their capacity of canonical as well as civil law. Religious communities must make optimum use of the provision made by the Constitution for freedom of religion.

This dissertation demonstrates the function of the church in war in Revelation. Chapter 1 tracks the development of publications that address this subject and also illustrates the need for another academic contribution to it. Furthermore, it explains this dissertation's particular narratological approach. Chapter 2 examines the plot of Revelation. Borrowing the tools from narrative plot criticism, this chapter shows the priority of the warfare motif to the structure and development of Revelation's plot. Chapter 3 analyses Revelation's characters. Like Chapter 2, it proves the significance of the warfare motif to the author's process of characterization. Although minor characters are given a brief discussion, more attention is given to the way in which the main characters contribute to the concept of war. Chapter 4 illustrates the relevance of war to the author's point of view (POV). This chapter presents an analysis of passages wherein the author's POV is manifest in order to test the import of the war motif for the author's perspective. Chapter 5 identifies specific images in Revelation that contribute to Revelation's theology of the ecclesia. Provided is an exegetical defense for understanding the seven churches (1:4-3:22), the 144,000 and the multitude (7:1-17), the temple (11:1-2), the two witnesses (11:3-13), the 144,000 male virgins (14:1-5), and the judgment army (19;11-21) ecclesiologically. From those images, this chapter also renders a working definition of the essence of the church. Chapter 6 considers how each of the passages and images discussed in chapter 5 describe the function of the church in warfare in Revelation. All the preceding chapters warrant and support the concluding findings. Thus, this work hopes to fill a gap in ecclesiological and narratival studies in Revelation. The aim of this work is not simply to perform a specific kind of narrative critique upon Revelation, but to show how narrative criticism informs Revelation's theology of the church. Specifically, the Apocalypse mandates the ecclesia to do much more than obey; the narrative calls the church to engage her enemies in the cosmic war with specific acts of obedience until Christ's final, consummative victory.

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Thesis advisor: Mary Ann Hinsdale / The thesis of this dissertation is that the ecclesial reality of certain Protestant and Anglican communities cannot be adequately evaluated only in reference to the validity or invalidity of its Eucharist and ministry. The question this dissertation will address is whether recognition of some of these communities as "churches" in the theological sense might be possible using a different standard for understanding "church" and ecclesiality. This dissertation will pursue this question through an exploration of how amenable the writings of Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) and Cardinal Walter Kasper are to developing more adequate criteria for recognizing Protestant and Anglican communities as "churches" in the theological sense. The goal of this dissertation is to advance Catholic ecumenical ecclesiology beyond the current impasse over its inability to attribute the term "church" to those communities traditionally understood to possess an invalid Eucharist and ministry. This dissertation will draw on the theological works of both Joseph Ratzinger and Walter Kasper in order to develop a theology of "ecclesial fruitfulness" as a more adequate standard for understanding "church." It will suggest that "ecclesial fruitfulness" is theologically rooted primarily in pneumatology. The Spirit is both the inner fruitfulness of God--God as pure, abundant and overflowing love--and also the condition and possibility of God self-communicating this ecstatic love in history. Creation is therefore the outflow of God's love and a participation in God's being. As the world originates in love, so also then is the world ordered towards fulfillment in love. The mystery of God's salvation for humankind is to be drawn up into the fruitfulness of the trinitarian God through a transformation of sinful individuality into an existence of openness and love. This is made possible in Jesus Christ, who is God's self-communicating love in person, God's loving reign, and the meaning of all reality. In Christ's death and resurrection, he becomes fruitful or "communicable" through giving of himself in the Spirit, and this ability to give of himself through the centuries is itself a fruit of the Paschal Mystery. The church, therefore, is to serve as a sign and icon of the Spirit of the risen Christ, who is the fruitfulness of God in and to the world. The "fruitfulness" of the church is thus the Spirit effectively realizing the mystery of God's salvation given in Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Word, the celebration of the sacraments (particularly the Eucharist), and through fostering communion among all local churches and ecclesial communities. This dissertation will suggest that a Christian community that is "ecclesially fruitful" in the sense described here is theologically a "church." / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: John R. Sachs SJ / This dissertation explains how divine grace, that is, God's self-communication to humanity, is a communitarian reality specifically in its participative, dialogical, and prophetic core as well as its manifestations, characteristics, and consequences. It draws from two main sources: Karl Rahner's understanding of grace and the pastoral statements and reflections of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference (FABC) from 1974 to 2010. Religious and cultural pluralism and the abiding poverty in Asian communities are the realities that frame the discussion both of the FABC documents and the main theme of this dissertation. The FABC believes that in order to respond to God's call for the Asian Church to be "a communion of communities", the Asian Church--hierarchy, religious, and laity--must reckon with these permanent realities through which God reveals divine self and will. They must therefore figure significantly upon the Church's ways of evangelizing, theologizing, and living in community. For this reason, the FABC understands being a communion of communities as God's call for the Church to be more participative, dialogical, and prophetic in evangelization and attitude with and towards other communities. The life-giving relationship in the experience of grace does not remain restricted to God and individual persons. God gives Godself gratuitously not simply to individuals but to the whole human community. Divine self-giving creates loving, self-donating persons in communion with Godself and one another. The community is therefore a privileged place where one experiences grace especially in the shared effort to respond to God's unifying presence and call to greater participation, dialogue, and prophetic action with other communities. As the ground of grace, God's presence and activity in the world is always participative in human realities, dialogical with persons, and prophetic in its thrust for the poor. The response to this grace also takes on communitarian characteristics, that is, participative, dialogical, and prophetic attributes. Self-consciousness and self-forgetfulness form a significant dialectic that takes place in the experience of grace--both on the side of the Giver and of the recipients of the gift. A community that enjoys God's grace is constantly aware of the fact that the grace is due to God's gratuitous, selfless love for all. At the same time, grace empowers a community towards self-forgetfulness as God's self-communication always calls forth shared self-denial and servanthood as witnessed to by the total self-outpouring of Christ to the world. The grace of God therefore becomes clearly manifest in a community whose members willingly participate in fostering well-being, when they strive for deeper harmony through constant and open dialogue, and most of all, when they take care of their poor sisters and brothers. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

America is a nation of immigrants, yet immigration continues to be a troubling issue for the nation as immigrants face a variety of challenges to settling into life in the United States of America. In facing these challenges, immigrants look to the church as they have traditionally done, for relief and support. This study gathers and reflects on the experiences of a group of Ghanaian immigrants and their host congregations to compare their experiences of the church. In particular, it focuses on the experience of Ghanaian immigrants in United Methodist congregations in the Northeast, asking how immigrants experience congregational practices in comparison with the experience of long time members of the same congregations and what ecclesiologies are enacted or embedded within those expectations and practices. The study also asks how these ecclesiologies support or thwart Wesleyan convictions on hospitality and inclusion and how congregational practices can be transformed to become more Wesleyan and more liberative. The study proposes new and expanded ministry practices that position the church to respond to and learn from immigrants first within the church itself, and then within the wider society. While the study focuses on Ghanaian immigrants in particular, it points to implications for the welcome and reception of African immigrants more broadly into communities of faith in America. The results of this study of Ghanaian- influenced congregations may also have implications for the treatment of newer immigrants from across the globe. The question of the treatment of immigrants by the church is approached through a methodology that combines elements from Juan Luis Segundo's "hermeneutic circle" and Don Browning's strategic practical theology, and it utilizes the ethical methodology of Gustavo Gutiérrez, which parallels the reflexive movement of Browning's practical theological method. It describes the crisis that exists in three congregations with large numbers of Ghanaian immigrants, reviews current hospitality, worship and ministry practices, and sources of faith to reveal newer more appropriate practices that address the crisis, resolve the tensions that exist, and point to new ways of living in community.

La thèse cherche à décrire l'ecclésiologie de J. Moltmann, qui présente l'Église du Christ comme « une Église de l'espérance »", à laquelle toutes les confessions chrétiennes sont appelées à prendre part. Mais peut-on encore parler aujourd'hui d'espérance ? La question se pose en philosophie depuis cinquante ans et, en théologie, depuis les années soixante. Cette interrogation est devenue récurrente, pour plusieurs raisons. D'abord parce que, de par sa nature, l'être humain n'est jamais satisfait de ce qu'il possède: il aspire toujours à autre chose. Ensuite, parce qu'avec le concile Vatican II, l'Église catholique a ouvert les portes de l'espérance tant à ses membres qu'au reste du monde, suivie en cela par les communautés protestantes à travers l'action du Conseil oecuménique des Églises. D'autre part, le développement des dialogues interreligieux et œcuméniques est un signe d'espérance, pointant vers l'unité des chrétiens et de l'humanité. On notera d'autre part, que les situations actuelles de violence et de guerre provoquent les religions, l'humanité et chaque individu à agir pour la paix et l'unité. Dans ce contexte, la mondialisation, favorisée par les développements médiatique, technologique et économique, stimulent les peuples à construire un avenir meilleur. Enfin, la conscience de la dégradation de l'environnement incite à chercher des solutions en vue d'assurer la survie de la création. Plus fondamentalement, si la personne humaine se définit non seulement à partir de son passé, mais aussi en fonction de son avenir, il est inconcevable de ne pas espérer l'amélioration du monde. Pour être réellement une Église de l'espérance, une double tâche s'impose aux chrétiens. D'abord puiser à la source première: Jésus Christ, mort sur la croix et, ressuscité, dont on attend le retour définitif. D'autre part, anticiper par des actes l'avenir du Royaume annoncé. C'est dans cette perspective qu'on doit poser la question de la nature et de la mission de l'Église. Concernant sa nature, Moltmann se base sur une vision christocentrique: « Sans Christ, il n'y a pas d'Église ». À propos de la mission, Moltmann propose une perspective théocentrique. Il affirme que l'Église doit se penser et s'intégrer dans l'histoire de la relation de Dieu avec le monde, une histoire qui déborde celle de la seule Église. L'Église appartient au Royaume de Dieu, et tout ce qu'elle réalise doit être fait en vue de l'advenue de ce Royaume. C'est pourquoi l'Église devrait abandonner toute tendance absolutiste ou totalitaire. Il lui faut s'engager activement dans le monde, en travaillant à l'avènement d'un monde plus juste. Quant à la réforme interne de l'Église, Moltmann se réfère à l'Esprit Saint. Ce dernier est unique, mais ses dons sont divers: l'Église devrait donc ouvrir des possibilités à chaque chrétien, pour qu'il soit vraiment missionnaire, en fonction de sa vocation propre et des dons reçus. Les éléments constitutifs de l'Église que sont la hiérarchie et/ou les ministères ordonnés ne devraient pas constituer les données essentielles. Il faut d'abord tenir compte des grâces propres au sacerdoce universel et aux autres ministères, car tous les baptisés se doivent de participer à la mission commune. Dans cette perspective, les ministères ordonnés ne doivent pas être séparés des autres fonctions ecclésiales. J. Moltmann propose une Église eschatologique de l'espérance, en ce qu'elle est fondée sur l'histoire de Jésus et qu'elle vise sa parousie. Elle accomplit sa mission en harmonie avec le plan divin universel du salut. L'Esprit Saint guide l'Église et l'aide à rester fidèle à sa nature profonde et à accomplir sa vocation. L'ecclésiologie de J. Moltmann ne peut être que trinitaire.