LESSON 4:

MODELS OF THE
CHURCH
 The church is a mystery therefore it requires
models or images to enlighten us with the
church's actual nature and qualities
the models/images used are drawn from
human environment, situations and
experiences
models/images are the picture language of
the church
the church is too rich a reality to be
adequately represented by a single image
 EX. Body of Christ St.Paul talked about in his
letter to the corinthians
-st paul used the physical body as an analogy
of the body of Christ
PERFECT IMAGE FOR MYSTERY OF
COMMUNION

FIVE BASIC DOMINANT MODELS OF THE

CHURCH
must be taken together
1. CHURCH AS AN INSTITUTION
 Church is identified with the
1. CHURCH AS AN INSTITUTION institutional
model of the Church
Views church as a VISIBLE,
HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE with
strong emphasis on the AUTHORITY,
RIGHTS and POWER OF ITS OFFICERS
(teaching, sanctifying, governing)
Church as a HIERARCHICALLY-
STRUCTURED SOCIETY
 All1.power
CHURCH originates from the pope
AS AN INSTITUTION
passed down to bishops and priests
stresses its structures of governance
and authority to impose doctrine
with spiritual sanctions *leadership*
Tends to identify the church with the
kingdom of God on earth
2. THE CHURCH AS COMMUNION
 Heart of the early communities
Describes church as an INFORMAL or
INTERPERSONAL community of
mutual interpersonal relationship of
CONCERN and ASSISTANCE
Church as a COMMUNITY which is the
fellowship of men with god and with
one another
 harmonizes 3 images of the church:
BODY OF CHRIST, THE PEOPLE OF
GOD AND THE COMMUNITY OF
DISCIPLES;
these are 3 INTERPERSONAL
MODELS OF THE CHURCH AS
COMMUNION
A. The Church as the People of God
 With people of God as the Basic image of the
Church, no one can claim to have special
rights to lord it over the others.
The People of God as the basic image of the
Church is a Pauline concept.
The People of God is a biblical concept
having deep roots in the Old Testament
People of God is the principal image of the
Church in the New Testament.
 The Election of Israel To be called to
participate more actively in Gods plan of
salvation meant for the whole of creation
The Election of God Does not say that
the people involved are better than others
nor should it give them a sense of
superiority
Christians are the elect because they have
been called by God through an act of
infinite love and mercy.
 The Church in a universal sense is the people
of God, The People of God is the most
comprehensive metaphor for the church,
But all its faithful are in communion with one
another in spirit,
The image of people of God preserves the
communal dimension of Christian life.
 Vatican II describes the Church as the
new people of God, On a pilgrimage in
history, On the road towards its final
goal.
The church does not seek her fulfillment
in this present time,
But expects and prepares for it until the
day when the lord will come again.
 All Christians, even if they are not in
unity with the pope, Have been united
to Christ through baptism, Those who
have not accepted the Gospel are also
joined to the people of god in different
ways.
The Church as the Body of Christ
 In the Holy Scriptures, the Church is
repeatedly called the Body of Christ.
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors
and teachers, says he, are given by
Christ
At the same time, bread and wine are
made into the Body and Blood of Christ
during the Divine Liturgy, and the
faithful partake thereof.
 We believe that the Holy Mysteries which keep
the form of bread and wine are the very Body and
the very Blood of Christ
Christ was a true man, in all respects like man,
except sin, and at the same time remaining true
God
The Divine nature was neither diminished nor
changed in the Son of God in this incarnation
likewise the human nature was not changed at this
incarnation, but retained in full all human
qualities
 Godhead and manhood were united
in the One Person of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Church is unity in Christ, the
closest union with Christ of all who
rightly believe on Him and love
Him, and all their union is through
Christ.
Now the Church consists of both her
earthly and heavenly parts, for the
Son of God came to earth and
became man that He might lead man
into heaven and make him once
again a citizen of paradise, returning
to him his original condition of
sinlessness and wholeness and
uniting him unto Himself.
The Church as Community of
Disciples
 The Church as Community of Disciples
is a variant of the communion model
Jesus formed a community of disciples to
continue Gods mission in and for the
world.
Twelve of his disciples were given the
name Apostles.
The Apostles became leaders of early
Church communities.
 The mission was to announce the Gospel (Good
News) of Jesus life, death and resurrection
to invite people into relationship with God in and
through Jesus Christ.
we follow Christ not as separate individuals.
There is no such thing as an isolated disciple.
This common discipleship binds us together in
equal dignity and in common mission as a Christian
community
Mary, Model of Discipleship
 The Church venerates in Mary the purest realization
of faith. Mary called herself as the
Servant of the Lord.
She was always ready to submit to the will of God.
When she agreed to be the Mother of the Messiah,
she also consented to serve for the redemption of
mankind
the Pope's puts it, as "the woman who was docile to
the voice of the Spirit
 This is Mary, the Model Disciple of Christ, servant
for the redemption, unity and the transformation of
the world. Let us follow her footsteps and make her
steps our steps
A.) The church as a sacrament
 the church refers to her human and visible
structures.
God is a Spirit, therefore He communicates to
people through signs and symbol.
The Church is the living symbol of God because it
serves as the communicative line between man
and God.
Through the Church, man can experience the
Divine.
B.) the church as sacrament of christ
 The church is understood as the visible
manifestation of the grace of Christ in human
community.
The church therefore is a kind of sacrament that
has intimate union with God and the union of
community.
The Church must in its visible aspects be a sign of
continuing vitality of the promise of God and the
salvation He promises.
The church must also signify the image of Jesus
Christ, uphold His doctrines to the people.
Ultimately, the church serves as an inner union of
humankind to God.
C.) the church as the universal
sacrament of salvation
 The salvation brought by Jesus Christ
reaches mankind through the Church
The Church continues to enact the
mission of Jesus Christ-to unite
humankind with God and with one
another.
The Church's mission is to collaborate
people of good will.
The Church as Prophet
 It sees the Church as the congregation gathered
together by the Word and formed by the Word of
God
It Stresses the renewal of the Church
It is permanently charged with the responsibility
of spreading the Good News of the Gospel, of
healing and consolidating the human community
This model is Kerygmatic for it looks upon the
Church as a herald
 It sees the task of the Church primarily
in terms of proclamation
It emphasizes faith over interpersonal
relations and mystical communion
In this model, the Church tackles on an
authoritarian role, proclaiming the
Gospel as a divine message which the
world must humbly listen to
5.) The Church as Servant
 The Church as servant focuses on the service of
the Church to the world
the Church's mission is to be of help to all men,
wherever they are.
This model has made us conscious in our time of
the Church's responsibility to assist the welfare of
man on earth
This model has increased the Catholic sense of
solidarity with the whole human race in its
struggles for peace, justice, and prosperity.
The Church of the Poor
 A Church not only for the poor but also of the poor
"is one that is willing to follow Christ through
poverty and oppression in order to carry out the
work of salvation" (PCP II, 135).
The material poverty and deprivation of more than
half of our people is a contradiction to the will of
God.
The "Church of the Poor" is a Church that
embraces and practices the spirit of poverty.
 This model teaches us live a simple life;
To take only what is enough so that
others can have enough to sustain a
healthy and dignified life.
Mother Theresa - lived and died serving
the poor of Calcutta and elsewhere
through her congregation.