Why Doesn’t My Pastor Teach This?

biblicalekklesia.com  ·  Deep Questions Series  ·  Article 1

Many believers today sense a gap between the New Testament’s vision for God’s people and common church practice. This often stems from three key issues: the handling of ekklesia, the “one another” commands, and unbiblical titles or structures. Let's take a look and let Scripture interpret Scripture.

The Meaning of Ekklesia

The Greek word ekklesia (ἐκκλησία), appearing over 100 times in the New Testament, means a “called-out assembly” or gathering of people. In its original context, it described citizens summoned for public affairs or, in the Septuagint, the assembly of Israel (qahal). Jesus declared, “I will build my ekklesia” (Matthew 16:18). Paul wrote to “the ekklesia of God that is in Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2)—the living community of believers, not a building or institution.

English translations often use “church,” influenced by terms like kyriakon (“belonging to the Lord”). The King James Version translators followed rules mandating traditional ecclesiastical words: “the word Church not to be translated Congregation.” This reinforced institutional over relational understandings.

Scripture portrays the ekklesia as the body of Christ where every member functions (1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Ephesians 4:15–16). The New Testament pattern shows believers gathering in homes, often around shared meals (Acts 2:46; 1 Corinthians 11:20–34; Philemon 1:2; Colossians 4:15). These smaller, relational settings naturally facilitated the intimate, participatory life Christ intended for His assembly.

The Consumer Church Culture: Traditional church structures often cater to consumers, offering professional music and highly polished speeches. This creates passive spectators rather than active participants. Because this model is familiar and brings in numbers and funding, leadership is highly incentivized to keep it running, even if it dilutes the radical lifestyle that originally attracted people to Jesus.

The early church was not structured around large dedicated buildings, professional staffs, or elaborate programs, models that would have seemed foreign and contrary to the sacrificial generosity modeled in the New Testament.

The Neglected “One Anothers”

Scripture issues approximately 59 “one another” (allelon) commands describing how believers relate in the ekklesia. These are practical expressions of Christ’s new commandment: “Love one another: just as I have loved you” (John 13:34–35).

Examples include:

• Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

• Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another (James 5:16).

• Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21).

• Encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

• Serve one another (Galatians 5:13).

These commands thrive in smaller, face-to-face gatherings, especially homes centered on meals, where vulnerability, accountability, and mutual care are feasible. Large, attractional services make them difficult to practice consistently.

Comfort vs. Sacrifice: A sacrificial, interconnected lifestyle is deeply counter-cultural and uncomfortable. It requires giving up personal autonomy, sharing resources, and enduring interpersonal conflict.

The early pattern supported organic community without the financial overhead of modern institutions. Generosity in the New Testament funded needs among the saints, support for traveling ministers, and care for the poor, not buildings, salaries, or production budgets (Acts 4:32–35; 2 Corinthians 8–9). Early Christians would likely view heavy investment in physical infrastructure and professional operations as a misappropriation of resources meant for people.

Titles, Credentials, and Leadership Structures

The New Testament describes leadership with functional terms. The primary office—elder/overseer/pastor (presbyteros, episkopos, poimen)—refers to the same plural group of qualified men who shepherd, teach, and oversee (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5–9; 1 Timothy 3:1–7; 1 Peter 5:1–4).

Jesus rejected title-seeking: “You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. … The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:8–11). Kingdom leadership differs from worldly hierarchy: “It shall not be so among you” (Matthew 20:25–26).

Information vs. Transformation: Academic environments inherently reward the accumulation of knowledge. However, scripture warns that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1). It is entirely possible to get a doctorate studying the historical context of Christian community without ever personally living in one.

Academic credentials equip for study but do not guarantee the character or relational capacity for biblical eldership. Modern single “senior pastor” or CEO models, with their associated institutional demands, often diverge from the New Testament pattern of plural, servant oversight in local assemblies.

Returning to Scripture’s Pattern

The New Testament ekklesia was never designed to evolve into today’s resource-intensive institutional forms. Jesus confronted traditions that nullified God’s commands (Mark 7:6–13). Institutional comfort, consumer preferences, and attractional models can sideline the relational discipleship that defined the early church. A commitment to sola Scriptura and awareness of the ekklesia’s distinct calling call us back to assemblies—often simple, home-based, and meal-centered—where the Word governs, “one anothers” are practiced, and leaders serve humbly under Christ’s headship (Ephesians 4:11–16).

Examine the text yourself. Are we functioning as the called-out people Christ builds? Are we obeying the relational commands? Do our structures align with New Testament humility, plurality, and generosity? The path forward is reformation toward authentic, sacrificial community reflecting our Lord.

biblicalekklesia.com  ·  Deep Questions Series  ·  Article 1