Evangelical Ecclesiology...

...Reality or Illusion?

This is the title to a recent collection of essays that I have read. A very interesting topic, especially in light of the overwhelming birth of so many 'non-denominational' churches around the world and, I cringe when I think about it, on the internet. I am fascinated with the idea that anyone can just go and build a church out of nothing with no authority, structure, order, overseer, or supporter. And now, we have seen (I believe this was a topic for a blog on here at one time) the initiation of 'multi-site' churches, where the 'mother/founding' church has spawned 'daughter/satellite' churches all over the world. It seems to be just another attempt at denominationalism, without calling it that.

So the question is this. For these churches, who I would dare say all call themselves 'evangelical', do they have an ecclesiology, or is it just an illusion? Or could it be a 'liquid church' that has no need for ecclesiology, unless the circumstance calls for it? For example, is it ok for Christians to drop ecclesial order for soteriological goals, or should evangelism and ecclesiology live in communion with one another? If the former, enough said, but if the latter, how? In light of the fact that the Church of the Nazarene allies itself with the 'National Association of Evangelicals (Possibly another blog topic), we need to ask the quesiton, ' How does evangelism and ecclesiology live in communion with one another?'

Peace,
Joseph