Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen provides an up-to-date survey and analysis of the major ecclesiological traditions, the most important theologians, and a number of contextual approaches to both the unity and the diversity of ecclesiastic understandings and practices.

What is the church? In this thoroughly revised and updated text, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen provides a wide-ranging survey of ecclesiology in the midst of rapid developments and new horizons. This unique primer not only orients readers to biblical, historical, and contemporary ecclesiologies but also highlights contextual and global perspectives.

Pascal D. Bazzell brings the marginal ecclesiology of a Filipino ecclesial community facing homelessness (FECH) into contemporary ecclesiological conversation in order to deepen the ecumenical understanding of today's ecclesial reality. He contributes relevant data to support a theory of an ecclesial-oriented paradigm that fosters ecclesial communities within homeless populations. There is an extensive dialogue occurring between ecclesiologies, church planting theories or urban missions and the urban poor. Yet the situation with the homeless population is almost entirely overlooked. The majority of urban mission textbooks do not acknowledge an ecclesial-oriented state of being and suggest that the street-level environment is a place where no discipleship can occur and no church should exist. By presenting the FECH's case study Bazzell emphasizes that it is possible to live on the streets and to grow in the faith of God as an ecclesial community. To be able to describe the FECH's ecclesial narrative, Bazzell develops a local ecclesiological methodology that aims to bridge the gap between more traditional systematic and theoretical (ideal) ecclesiology and practical oriented ecclesiology (e.g. congregational studies) in order to hold together theological and social understandings of the church in its local reality. He articulates a theological framework for the FECH to reflect on who they are (the essence of identity studies), who they are in relationship to God (the essence of theological studies), and what that means for believers in that community as they relate to God and to each other in ways that are true to who they are and to who God intends them to be (the essence of ecclesial studies). The research provides a seldom-heard empirical tour into the FECH's social world and communal identity. The theological findings from the FECH's hermeneutical work on the Gospel of Mark reveal an understanding of church being developed as gathering around Jesus that creates a space for God's presence to be embodied in their ordinary relationships and activities and to invite others to participate in that gathering. Moreover, it addresses ecclesial issues of the supernatural world; honor/shame values; and further develop the neglected image of the familia Dei in classical ecclesiology that encapsulates well the FECH's nature, mission and place.

This book explores how Seventh-day Adventists, like other Christians, can benefit from generating their own version of communio ecclesiology. It starts by offering a critical analysis of the status quo of the existing Adventist portrayal of church as remnant, and suggests potential ways of moving this tradition forward. To articulate a more rounded and comprehensive vision of the church’s rich and multifaceted relational nature, this book draws on the mainstream Christian koinonia-based framework. Consequently, it provides possible solutions to some of the most divisive ecclesial issues that Christian communities face today regarding church structure, ministry, mission, communal interpretation, and reform. As it sets on a new footing the conversation between Adventism and other mainstream Christian traditions, the methodology of this book serves as a pathway for any Christian community to use when revisiting and enhancing its own current theologies of the church.

The field of ecclesiology is rapidly expanding as new material, theories, methods, and approaches are being explored. This raises important and challenging questions concerning ecclesiology as an academic discipline. This book takes the reader into the trenches of ecclesiological research where the actual work of reading, writing, interpreting, and analyzing is being done. The authors reflect on fundamental questions concerning theory and method in ecclesiology in relation to concrete and actual research projects. Ecclesiology is dealt with as a systematic, empirical, historical, and liturgical discipline. Essays explore theology in South Africa as shaped by apartheid, liturgical theology, the diaconate in an ecumenical context, Free Church preachership, suburban ecclesial identity, medieval church practices, liturgical texts, church floor plans, and ecclesiology as a gendered discipline. Ecclesiology in the Trenches is a book for anyone who is interested and involved in ecclesiological research. It is also an example of a reflective approach to academic work. The book can be read as an overall argument for ecclesiology as a theological discipline with great potential for studying the church as a theologically defined empirical phenomenon.

In Liquid Ecclesiology Pete Ward explores the theological contours of the turn to ethnography in the study of the Christian Church. His approach rests on a theology of culture that holds in tension and paradox the expression of the Church and divine presence. This theological framework is then developed through an extended qualitative empirical case study examining the communicative practices of the contemporary evangelical Church. The case study examines how the evangelical Gospel through expression has become marginalised in the everyday life of communities being replaced by a new more individual and personalised theology seen in worship songs. The final section of the book returns to the debates around ethnographic forms of theology and the question of normativity. This book will be of interest to all those engaged in empirical and theological work, as well as those researching the contemporary Church and evangelicalism

The Oxford Handbook of Ecclesiology is a unique scholarly resource for the study of the Christian Church as we find it in the Bible, in history and today. As the scholarly study of how we understand the Christian Church's identity and mission, ecclesiology is at the centre of today's theological research, reflection, and debate. Ecclesiology is the theological driver of the ecumenical movement. The main focus of the intense ecumenical engagement and dialogue of the past half-century has been ecclesiological and this is the area where the most intractable differences remain to be tackled Ecclesiology investigates the Church's manifold self-understanding in relation to a number of areas: the origins, structures, authority, doctrine, ministry, sacraments, unity, diversity, and mission of the Church, including its relation to the state and to society and culture. The sources of ecclesiological reflection are the Bible (interpreted in the light of scholarly research), Church history and the wealth of the Christian theological tradition, together with the information and insights that emerge from other relevant academic disciplines. This Handbook considers the biblical resources, historical development, and contemporary initiatives in ecclesiology. It offers invaluable and comprehensive guide to understanding the Church.

Divided into 3 parts, this handbook provides a wide-ranging survey and analysis of the Christian Church. The first section addresses the scriptural foundations of ecclesiology; the second section outlines the historical and confessional aspects of the topic; and the final part discusses a variety of contemporary and topical themes in ecclesiology. Compiled and written by leading scholars in the field, the T&T Clark Handbook of Ecclesiology covers a range of key topics in the context of their development and importance in each stream of historic Christianity and the confessional traditions. The contributors cover traditional matters such as creedal notes, but also tackle questions of ordination, orders of ministry, and sacraments. This handbook is extensive enough to provide a true overview of the field, but the essays are also concise enough to be read as reference selections.

Despite the current impressive numerical growth of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity in Africa, there remain some concerns about the extent to which the church is making the desired impact in the public space. As the church grows numerically, the African continent is ironically plagued with many regrettable stories of corruption, bad governance, sexual abuse, gender discrimination and perversion, environmental degradation, robbery, economic crisis (leading to poverty and hunger), wars, and other social vices. This paradoxical increase in vices, alongside the demographic growth of the Christian population on the continent, has caused many to question the social impact of African Christianity. Re-Visioning African Pentecostal-Charismatic Ecclesiology in the Public Sphere is a response to these observations. The contributors to this volume, who are made up of seasoned academics (theological educators and missiologists) and mission practitioners, have engaged the subject from multidisciplinary perspectives, highlighting significant contributions of African Pentecostalism while pointing out critical areas for urgent attention. The volume is intended to stimulate conversations around the church’s mandate of influencing the public sphere as an agent of social transformation.

This reader in Pentecostal ecclesiology, edited by Chris Green, brings together in a single volume a number of critically important previously-published essays written by leading Pentecostal and charismatic scholars addressing the theology of the church, sacraments, and ministry in the Pentecostal/charismatic traditions. Contributors include: Estrelda Alexander, Peter Althouse, Jonathan E. Alvarado, Ken Archer, Daniela Augustine, Simon Chan, Graciela Esparza, Jenny Everts, Chris E. W. Green, Walter Hollenweger, Cheryl Bridges Johns, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Andy Lord, Frank Macchia, Clark Pinnock, Margaret M. Poloma, Lisa Stephenson, Wolfgang Vondey, and Amos Yong.