Ekklesia is the word that Jesus used to describe the new entity He was about to establish. This word has been widely translated as “church.” Church is a more accurate translation for “gathering.” However, an ekklesia is not a mere gathering. From the two Greek words ek (out of) and kaleo called or convoked), an ekklesia can be literally defined as the “called out ones.” It was a convocation of people who each had something to contribute toward a purpose or objective.

 The contemporary idea of a church as a group of people who gather to be led in uplifting music, to be inspired and motivated to get through life, and to be regularly convinced of the basics of their faith, knowing that their group is somewhat responsible for some charitable activity locally or somewhere on the globe, is not the Scriptural concept of a local ekklesia.

 The best English translation for ekklesia is assembly. An assembly is a convoked gathering. However, even then “assembly” is lacking since an ekklesia was a very specific kind of assembly.

 In some modern societies, secondary schools, and sometimes even universities, might have an assembly, which is a convocation in order to address specific topics. In most societies, non-profit organizations have a General Assembly, which is a governing body that is mostly passive, determining important policy, or at least voting for a board that will determine policy. None of these modern examples are accurate descriptions of what ekklesia meant to the people Jesus was speaking to.

 Jesus used the word ekklesia because it meant something very real to the people in the post-Greek Roman Empire as well as to Israelis who also used ekklesia-type kahals. In both the Greco-Roman and the Israeli context, the ekklesia was a specialized group summoned for a specific objective, usually resulting in action that would benefit the community.

 A local church, then, should be an assembly of people in which each has been saved by faith in the work on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, and given spiritual gifts to glorify God. The local assembly is meant to equip believers for spiritual battle. It is a body of people convoked by the Lord Jesus to fulfill a specific tasks and missions in the local community and beyond. A local assembly of believers who is not constantly equipping the believers and growing the kingdom of God is an oxymoron.

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