What do you think of when you think of church? Be sure to ponder the Bible’s meaning… Were you thinking about a building you go to on Sunday? Or people meeting in a home with others from the neighborhood somewhere in Indonesia or Thailand or Europe? Whatever we think about, we don’t want to miss the richness, relationships, unified witness, and simplicity of what it means to be an Acts 2 fellowship.

Since we are sending out Alongsiders to serve cross-culturally to see Jesus build his ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia or assembly),¹ we want to be sure and understand this well. The word is translated church in Romans 16 and is used five times in that chapter: “Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae” (16:1). Paul gives thanks to “all the churches of the Gentiles” (16:4) and asks them to greet the church that meets in the house of Prisca and Aquila (16:3). He says in v. 16, “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.” Gaius greets “the whole church” (16:23). Yet ἐκκλησία is not the only New Testament (NT) word. The word used in 16:5 οἶκος (house, household) is used several times in the NT in relation to the church.²

It seems clear that at least some of the ways specific local churches operate is not set in stone. As we pray, the Lord of the harvest to thrust out laborers into the cultural context of unreached and frontier people groups, and people turn to Christ for the first time, the church may look different. Churches on the sending and receiving end need to be clear and yet flexible about expectations. Remember, even though there may be a local church near FPGs, they are not from the same culture. By definition, UPGs have no viable church, which complicates the situation. They can be seen as oppressors of any Christians and often view them as following a foreign religion.

Significant research has been done regarding the differences between Sodalities (mission structures) and Modalities (church structures).³ A short summary: Acts 13 points to a mission band sent out (released, loosed) by the Spirit’s miraculous word, to do a different task than the ἐκκλησία in Antioch. That fellowship acknowledged the calling of the Spirit on Paul and Barnabus and released them to God’s work. The advance of the gospel among the unreached requires that we continue to examine the word and the work of the Spirit. I have found it helpful to ponder the fact that in pioneering fields, first establishing a church (what the missionary band does) is fundamentally different than running a church (what the pastor and elders do from then on).

As we send out Alongsiders to labor in his harvest fields, those who come to believe may decide to live out their faith differently—while still holding to biblical truth. That is why we must keep learning from the Word and the context in which we serve.