What does the word Ekklesia mean in the Bible?

Understanding Matthew 16:18

Ekklesia (ἐκκλησία) is arguably one of the most important words in the New Testament, yet its meaning has been obscured by centuries of institutional tradition. Understanding what ekklesia actually meant — in its original Greek context and in how Jesus and the apostles used it — transforms our understanding of what the 'church' was intended to be.

The Word Itself

Ekklesia comes from two Greek roots: ek ('out of') and kaleo ('to call'). Literally, it means 'the called-out ones' or 'those summoned forth.' But the word's meaning is determined more by its usage than its etymology.

In classical Greek — centuries before the New Testament — ekklesia was a political term. It referred to the assembly of citizens in a Greek city-state (polis) who were summoned by a herald to gather for public deliberation and decision-making. It was not a religious term at all. In Athens, the ekklesia was the democratic assembly where free citizens debated policy, voted on laws, elected officials, and decided matters of war and peace.

This is the word Jesus chose to describe His community.

Ekklesia in the Septuagint

The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament used widely in the first century) used ekklesia to translate the Hebrew word qahal — the assembly of Israel gathered before God. Key occurrences include the assembly at Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:10; 9:10; 18:16), Solomon's dedication of the Temple (1 Kings 8:14, 22, 55), and the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 8:2, 17).

When Greek-speaking Jews and early Christians heard ekklesia, they would have heard both resonances — the Greek political assembly and the Old Testament covenant assembly. Jesus' use of the word deliberately connected His community to Israel's heritage while giving it a new identity and mission.

Jesus' Use of Ekklesia

Jesus used the word ekklesia only twice in the Gospels — both in Matthew:

'And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my ekklesia, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it' (Matthew 16:18). 'If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the ekklesia; and if they refuse to listen even to the ekklesia, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector' (Matthew 18:17).

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus declared that He — not any human institution — would build the ekklesia. It belongs to Him ('my ekklesia'). And the gates of Hades (the realm of the dead, representing the ultimate enemy) would not prevail against it. This is not a defensive posture — gates are defensive structures. Jesus was saying His ekklesia would storm the gates of death itself and win.

In Matthew 18:17, ekklesia refers to a local gathering with authority to address relational and ethical matters among believers — a functioning community with real accountability.

Ekklesia in Acts and the Epistles

The word explodes in frequency after Pentecost. It appears 114 times in the New Testament, with the vast majority in Acts and Paul's letters.

In Acts, ekklesia refers to the concrete, local gatherings of believers: 'the ekklesia in Jerusalem' (Acts 8:1), 'the ekklesia at Antioch' (Acts 13:1), and 'the ekklesia of God in Corinth' (1 Corinthians 1:2). These were not buildings — they were people who gathered in homes (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2).

Paul also used ekklesia in a universal sense: 'Christ loved the ekklesia and gave himself up for her' (Ephesians 5:25). 'God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the ekklesia, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way' (Ephesians 1:22-23).

This creates a dual meaning that has persisted throughout church history: ekklesia is both the local gathering of believers in a specific place and the universal body of all believers across time and space.

What Ekklesia Is NOT

Understanding ekklesia requires clarifying what it was never intended to mean:

It is not a building. The word 'church' in English comes from the Germanic kuriakon ('belonging to the Lord'), which was later applied to buildings. But ekklesia never referred to a physical structure in the New Testament. Early Christians met in homes, courtyards, rented halls, and open spaces. The identification of 'church' with a building did not become common until the third and fourth centuries.

It is not a hierarchy. Ekklesia was an assembly — a gathering of participants, not spectators. The Greek political ekklesia was participatory democracy; every citizen had a voice. While the New Testament establishes leadership roles (elders, deacons, apostles), the fundamental nature of the ekklesia is communal, not institutional.

It is not a denomination. Paul never spoke of 'the Baptist ekklesia' or 'the Presbyterian ekklesia.' The ekklesia was defined by its relationship to Christ and its location, not by doctrinal distinctives or organizational allegiance.

The Theological Implications

Identity: called out. The ekklesia is composed of people called out of the world's systems, values, and allegiances to belong to Christ. This does not mean withdrawal from the world but a fundamentally different orientation within it.

Agency: assembled for purpose. Just as the Athenian ekklesia gathered to make decisions and take action, the Christian ekklesia is not passive. It gathers for worship, discernment, mutual encouragement, and mission. 'Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together' (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Authority: Christ is the head. 'He is the head of the body, the ekklesia' (Colossians 1:18). The ekklesia derives its authority, identity, and purpose from Christ alone. Human leaders serve the ekklesia; they do not own it.

Unity in diversity. Paul's body metaphor (1 Corinthians 12) describes the ekklesia as a living organism with many different members performing different functions but unified in one Spirit. 'There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all' (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Why This Matters

Recovering the original meaning of ekklesia challenges comfortable assumptions. If the church is not primarily a building, then mission is not about getting people into a building but about the people of God going into the world. If the church is not primarily an institution, then its health is measured by the vitality of its relationships and mission, not the size of its budget or attendance. If the church is the called-out assembly of Christ, then every believer is an active participant, not a passive consumer.

Jesus said He would build His ekklesia. He did not say He would build a religion, an institution, or a denomination. He said He would build a people — called out, gathered together, empowered by His Spirit, and unstoppable even by death itself.