Church and Church Models

The Church is defined primarily in terms of its visible structures, especially the rights and powers of its hierarchy.

The Church consists of people of faith who are united by their common participation in God's Spirit through Christ.

The model emphasizes faith and proclamation over interpersonal relations and mystical communion.

The servant model shows that the Church is part of the total human family, sharing the same concerns as the rest of mankind

a sign and transmitter of God's grace in the world.

We can only begin to understand the Church as mystery through analogy or these: ____________

No matter what model—or combination of models—we choose, our models will do this.

Church government is not democratic or representative, but ___________________.

the authority of the Church leadership is understood as _________________, and should be accepted by the faithful wholeheartedly.

The institutional model must not be ____________. The institution must serve other ends besides its own preservation.

The Mystical Body / Communion model emphasizes _________________.

The strength of the Herald model lies in its emphasis on the message of the _________________.

The Servant model is based on the ministry of _____________.

The strength of the Sacrament model is that the Church is truly a sign and an _________________ of grace to its members and to the world.

Just as God is united in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so also is the Church united.