ecclesia

(noun)

The congregation, the group of believers, symbolic body or building.

Related Terms

Examples of ecclesia in the following topics:

  • The Ecclesia

    • Ecclesias are different from churches because they typically must compete with other religious voices in a community.
    • A slight modification of the church type is that of ecclesia.
    • Ecclesias are also typically not the sole religious body in a particular societal space.
    • Because of this, it is considered an ecclesia.
    • In this way, certain ecclesia fail to meet the requirements for a church.

  • The Church-Sect Typology

    • A slight modification of the church type is that of ecclesia.
    • Ecclesias include the above characteristics of churches with the exception that they are generally less successful at garnering absolute adherence among all of the members of the society and are not the sole religious body.

  • Cult

    • Becker created four categories by splitting church into "ecclesia" and "denomination", and sect into "sect" and "cult."