Wednesday, May 21, 2008

What Do You Mean By Church

People have asked me over time where I go to church. Sometimes I will tell them that I don’t ‘go’ anywhere to church, I am always at church. And they usually look at me with a puzzled look on their face.

I know that they are asking me “which building do I attend on Sunday morning?” But my understanding of the meaning of church runs much deeper than the group people see once a week.

The term used in the New Testament that we translate as church is Ecclesia. To better understand what the New Testament writers meant when they were writing about church, it is helpful to understand what the definition of Ecclesia is.

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesia

Ecclesia (lat) is a term derived from the Greek root ekklesia [εκκλησία], which literally means a "gathering" of citizens, in an ancient Greek city-state, or a "called-out assembly"; usually defined as "gathering of the called-out ones"[1] or “gathering of those summoned”[2]. Theologically it has been equated from the New Testament passages, originally written in Greek language, as the Church (though the origin of the term "Church" is the Greek root kyriakon [from kyriake, kyriakos; kyrios; kyros])[3] and also as the Body of Christ, a view which reflects a deeper Spiritual and invisible dimension into the use of the term Ecclesia.

I know… you are reading this and wondering what all of this means… basically in the early years of the church, they did not refer to specific buildings or denominations but rather a gathering of people who were following Christ. And this gathering could happen at any time or any place… they just needed to meet with each other and talk about Christ. As a Christian, we are all members of the Body of Christ. So where ever we go, that is where the Church is.

So to answer the question “Where do I go to church?” The answer would be “Anywhere I go because I am a Christian.”

Peace,

Lisa Ellwoods

Pastor Jacob’s Well

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Sunday Night Supper in June - Cancelled

Due to scheduling conflicts, Sunday Night Supper for June will be cancelled. Please join us in July for the next Sunday Night Supper.

Peace,
Lisa

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Response to "The Shack" review

I read with interest Pastor Runke's article reviewing the book "The Shack" from this week's edition of the Herald Journal. (Click Herald Journal to read his article)

I have not had the opportunity to read this book although I did read the entire review that Pastor Runke had referenced in his article.

The author of "The Shack" (from what I read) attempts to fictionalize theology that has come out of the Emergent church movement. (for more on the Emergent Church visit http://www.emergentvillage.com/)

I am a pastor of Jacob's Well, a missional house church in Montrose, MN. I find myself sometimes in agreement with the Emergent church and other times I greatly disagree with what is said. Just as I agreed with some of what
Tim Challies had to say about the theology in "The Shack" and I also disagreed with some of what Challies has to say about the theology.

To me, what disturbs me is the potential for division in the church. Pastor Runke spoke of one congregation that he knew that had been torn apart by this book... and I am certain that it isn't the only one. Divisions regarding theology are nothing new to the church. All we have to do is look at the Bible and see that even in the very beginnings of the church in Acts we see differing opinions on how to approach theological issues. It still amazes me that 2000 years later humans still are causing division in the church.

Peace,
Pastor Lisa Ellwoods
Jacob's Well