The English word ‘Church’ (Bangla word is ‘Mondoli’) refers to people. It is a group of people who believe in Jesus Christ and as such are called to follow his and his teaching. The word translates the New Testament Greek word ‘Ekklesia’, which is made with the two words—Ek, meaning ‘out’ and Kalew, meaning called). Together these two words make the word ‘ekklesia, meaning the people who are called out of the world as those who believe and follow Jesus Christ. The study of the Christian Church is known as ‘Ecclesiology’. This may also be used to mean ‘assembly’ or ‘congregation’ of people following their Lord Christ. The Church is not the Kingdom of God. But it is a sign of the kingdom.

Church essentially means ‘people’, not a building or house, though sometimes people may use or use the word ‘Church-building’ or church-house to mean a Church. But Church refers to a living organism of people, men and women who have definite beliefs and creed about God, who supremely revealed himself in the person of Christ. But what is the Mission and what are her functions or activities in the world?

The Gospels in the New Testament clearly teach that Christ came to the world to proclaim and inaugurate the ‘Kingdom of God’ in human lives. This is not to mean any ‘territorial’ entity, but it means ‘rule of God’ in human heart, in human life to be manifested in a transformation or a radical change of the total mind-set of people for genuine love, devotion and respect for God and people and his creation at large. The idea of the Church is not found right at the beginning of Christ’s teaching. This came up later on. Saint Mark wrote: “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come, he said, the Kingdom of God is near, repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:14-15). Saint Luke wrote: Jesus saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus’ was an integral mission for people. He cared for total salvation of man: spiritual, physical and mental. His was the good news of God’s love for mankind in the bondage of sin manifested in physical, mental and spiritual poverty. The mission and the work of those who follow him are expected to his footsteps for the total wellbeing of man. God created Man upright. But who we call the Devil or Satan led man astray from God’s way. What Saint Paul prophesied two millennia ago have always been true. He wrote that godlessness in man will take multiple forms in the world. “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). The Church is called by her Lord Christ to keep her faith in Christ live in the midst of all such conditions and fulfill her calling as people of God for the transformation of lives.

The following can be identified as the cardinal functions of the Church: Worship God, preach and proclaim Christ, fellowship with believers, serve others for the alleviation of miseries, teach God’s truth, and witnessing to Christ even to the point of martyrdom. These are the functions of the church. The situation of the human civilization as described above calls for the church to be really faithful to her Lord Christ and prayerfully trust in him. Day by day hard times for believes come. How the churches function will be determined by what they really believe about godly truths.

The Church should witness to Christ in all possible way proclaiming and preaching Christ, praising and honoring God, serving the needy in Christian love and compassion, caring for the needy and the sinned-against and advocating for the rights of the poor and deprived ones. Church’s work of advocacy for the needy people has always been a priority in its long history.  And the transformative importance of this particular role remains. The power of the evil and devil is no myth. It control more of the human minds than not.

God has always an option for the poor and the oppressed. God works with people. People are God’s method! They are God’s co-workers. If we believe in a God who is Just and Loving we cannot but work for the cause of justice in the society. We can do great work for the transformation of society for thwarting the designs of the unjust and power-hungry,

We need godly unity and love for the good cause of promotion of just-peace and progress. God is distressed any of human distresses. God came to this sin-sick world in the person of Christ to save mankind from the consequences of sin. We who claim to believe in and work for God for humanity we need to share the distress of God. To conclude, let me quote Dr. Robert Pierce, the founder of World Vision: “Let my heart be broken with things that break the heart of God.”

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The writer is a Christian Theology teacher and Church leader