Assignment Submitted To: Rev. Sajesh Mathews Submitted By: D. Mahesh Mangal (B.D. 4 Th Year) ======================================================================= ========= Re-imagining concepts such as ‘Organization,’ ‘Administration,’ ‘Polity,’ ‘Management,’ ‘Constitution,’ and ‘Leadership,’ from the vision of Ekklesia. 1. Introduction: The Church is not merely that modern edifice, an ultra-modern structure, boasting of the ultimate lighting, sound, state-of-the-art setup, but the Church is by the people, of the people, for the people. From the Bishop, the Clergy and most importantly the people which make up the congregation. This congregation which is the backbone of the church, comprises of peoples of different casts, creeds, culture, calibre, language, ethnic identity. 1 Ekklesia was the term that the early Christian communities had chosen to represent their gathering and fellowship of faith. It was a term borrowed from the civic and political practices and institutions of their times. Ekklesia represented the assembly of the citizens, called away from their routine life to gather together and deliberate upon issues pertaining to civic and political life in order to renter the public life with new vision. 2 This paper attempts of re-imagining concepts such as ‘Organization,’ ‘Administration,’ ‘Polity,’ ‘Management,’ ‘Constitution,’ and ‘Leadership,’ from the vision of Ekklesia. 1.1. What’s mean by Ekklesia ? Ekklesia is a term originating from the democratic traditions of the Greco-Roman political order. So, when the Church adopted Ekklesia as its name, it was a theological statement about the self-identity of the Church as a democratic community of equals and disciples. The Church used the name Ekklesia as self-description to present the faith community not only as new creation which practices equality and inclusiveness, but also as a pluriversal community that brings together different voices. 3 1.2. Etymology of Ekklesia : The etymological roots of the English term ‘Church’ is not Ekklesia, as we tend to believe, rather, it derives from the Greek words kuriaakon doma (house of the Lord) and kyriakon (belonging to the Lord/ father/ master). In the New Testament, the Greek word kuriakon appears only in two places, and except in three cases, the word is wrongly translated as Church. 4 2. Organization: No human group can work without proper organisation and the church is one such human group. Organisation arise from human need – the need to maximize effectiveness. It means- Organisation, is therefore, a device to co-ordinate effort for achieving common goals from which the individuals also experience greater effectiveness. 5 Some are definitions given bellow; which are: 2.1. Definitions : 1. “An organisation is the rational co-ordination of the activities of a number of people for the achievement of some common explicit purpose or goal, through division of labour and function, and through a hierarchy of authority and responsibility.” 6 1 Sunil Kumar Singh, Church Management in the Indian context. Delhi: ISPCK, 1998. IX-X. 2 George Zachariah, ‘’Church without Walls: Church Happening in the street.’’ Masihi Sevak, Journal of Christian Ministry. Eds. by Dexter’s Maben. (Bangalore: The United Theological College, 2013). Vol. XXXVIII No.3. April, 2013. 18. 3 George Zachariah, ‘’Church without Walls: Church Happening in the street.’’ Masihi Sevak, Journal of Christian Ministry. 18. 4 George Zachariah. …19. 5 Ezamo Murry, An Introduction to Pastoral Car and Counselling. (Delhi: ISPCK, 2011). 85. 6 Ezamo Murry, An Introduction to Pastoral Car and Counselling. 85. He quoted from, Edgar H. Schein, Organisational Psychology. (New Delhi: Prentice Hall, 1979) 9. 1