God's Design for the ChurchSample

The Nature of the Church and Its Head

The church in Africa is rapidly advancing – and there simply aren’t enough leaders to steer and manage that expansion. (What a wonderful problem to have!) It’s vital for Christians to be trained and equipped to lead a growing number of communities. Thankfully, the Bible clearly defines what the church is, what it should be like, and who should be its head.

The Greek word for church is ecclesia, which means assembly or called-out ones – because we’re called out of sin and into righteousness to spread God’s Kingdom on Earth. Ecclesia, then, refers to a spiritual gathering of people, more than a physical congregation, and we can’t assume everyone attending church on a Sunday is part of the ecclesia of Jesus.

We read in Acts that when Peter preached a message of repentance, 3000 people accepted God’s Word and were baptised. These believers then devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread (sharing the Lord’s Supper or communion), and prayer. Note that when these individuals became part of the church, their belief came before their changed behavior. The same is true for us today. Once we’ve repented and surrendered to Jesus, our lives will begin to be characterized by activities like preaching or listening to sermons, spending time with fellow Christians, sharing meals and praying with other believers.

The church is referred to in scripture as the body of Christ. He’s the head, and we are all the other body parts, working together to fulfill our different responsibilities by using our different gifts. We’d do well to build churches full of contributors, not consumers, where each person can use their gifts in church life. The church is also called the bride of Christ, because Jesus paid a high price – His life – to make the church what it is.

Jesus is thus clearly exalted as the indisputable head of the church. We are the body and the bride, following, honouring, and taking instruction from Him. As church leaders, we should therefore never think of ourselves as founders or owners of a church. The church only ever belongs to Jesus. When human leaders exalt themselves above Jesus as the head of the church, the church loses its witness in the world and her people are inevitably hurt. Let’s ensure we’re not more concerned with our prestige, agenda, or the running of Sunday services, than we are with the people attending them.

Take a moment to thank Jesus that He is building His church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Thank Him, too, that as part of His body you get to be His hands and feet in the world. May your eyes be opened to more and more opportunities to use your gifts to bless and build up the church: those souls who have turned to Jesus in repentance and given their lives to follow Him.