Nature and Mission of The Church

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY
Center for Religious Education and Mission

Witness to the Word: Society, Social Issues and Social Teachings
The Nature and

Mission of the
Catholic Church
A compilation from various sources by Ms. Theresa L. Jabines

Nature of the Church
The oldest word for church, the word that St. Paul himself
used, is the Greek word “ecclesia,” from which we get the
terms “ecclesial” and “ecclesiastical.”
This Greek term means "to call out", which implies that the
church is a "call out assembly where God meets His people
to minister through the Sacraments and preaching of The
Word.

Nature of the Church
The church is the people where God is present in history, to
bind and loose, to liberate from evil and to engage in ethical
discernment about how to live with God.
The people are the church, everytime they are gathered

around in order to worship and learn about the Word of
God.

One, holy, catholic
and apostolic...
Creeds express and make clear the most
important Christian beliefs, including
about the nature of God. The
congregation often recites them during
acts of worship, usually standing.
In both the Nicene and Apostle's Creed, the church is described as One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic church.

One, holy, catholic
and apostolic...
The words one, holy, catholic and
apostolic are often called the four marks
of the Church.
"This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy,
catholic and apostolic. These four characteristics, inseparably linked with each
other, indicate essential features of the Church and her mission."
- CCC 811 (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
What do these four
characteristics mean?
One
the Church is one. This means that it is a single, united
and global Church which has its basis in Christ Jesus.
Holy
the Church is holy, because it is the Body of Christ with
Jesus as the head. This does not mean that all members
of the Church are sin free. It means that the Church and
her sacraments help to make the faithful holy.

What do these four
characteristics mean?
Catholic
the word catholic literally means ‘universal.’ The role of
the Church is to spread the Word of God universally across
the world.
Apostolic
the origins and beliefs of the Church started out with the
apostles at Pentecost.

Describing the Nature
of the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church is often described in these
ways:
the church as 'Body of Christ'
the church as 'people of God'
the church as 'Temple of the Holy Spirit'
the church as 'Koinonia' or communion

" Christ is like a single body, which has many
Describing the Nature parts; it is still one body, even though it is
of the Catholic Church made up of different parts. In the same way,

all of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether
slaves or free, have been baptized into the
one body by the same Spirit, and we have all
BODY OF CHRIST been given the one Spirit to drink."
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
The description of the Church as the
'Body of Christ' has its basis in the
writings of St Paul. The relationship between the Church and Christ
is the same as the relationship between the body
and the head. Neither can survive without the
other. The Church needs Christ, just as the body
needs the head.
The comparison of the Church with the body
Describing the Nature of casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and
his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she
the Catholic Church is united in him, in his body. Three aspects of the
Church as the Body of Christ are to be more
BODY OF CHRIST specifically noted: the unity of all her members with
each other as a result of their union with Christ;
Christ as head of the Body; and the Church as
bride of Christ.
CCC 789 (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
The Church includes everyone who has faith and has a duty to
evangelise. This means that the Church has a duty to share the word
of God and educate others so that they might convert to the Catholic
faith.

The Church is also described as the ‘people of
God.’
Describing the The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it
clear
Catholic Church that God does not belong to any one person or
group, because God is the one who calls people to
PEOPLE OF GOD
him.
The people of God are those who have been chosen
and called by God to him. An individual can become a
member of the people through the Sacrament of
Baptism.
The people of God also have a duty to follow the commandments

of God and a duty towards fellow human beings. They have a
mission:
to spread the Word of God, hope and salvation to the world
to live as Christ did
While there is no explicit image for this relationship, a
Describing the vivid example is the account of the descent of tongues

of fire upon the disciples gathered in the upper room
Catholic Church on the morning of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-4).
The New Testament imagery that most closely

approximates to this relationship is that of “temple” and
TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT “house”. This is so because the relationship of the Spirit to
the Church is one of indwelling, of giving life from within.
Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets the Church is God’s
household, a holy temple in which the Holy Spirit lives and is active. By the
power of the Holy Spirit believers grow into “a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph
2:21-22), into a “spiritual house” (1 Pet 2:5).
Filled with the Holy Spirit, they witness (cf. Acts 1:8), pray, love, work and
serve in the power of the Spirit, leading a life worthy of their calling, eager to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Eph 4:1-3).
While there is no explicit image for this
relationship, a vivid example is the account of the
Describing the descent of tongues of fire upon the disciples
gathered in the upper room on the morning of
Catholic Church Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-4).
The New Testament imagery that most closely

KOINONIA OR COMMUNION approximates to this relationship is that of “temple” and
“house”. This is so because the relationship of the Spirit to
the Church is one of indwelling, of giving life from within.
The biblical notion of koinonia has become central in the quest

for a common understanding of the nature of the Church and its
visible unity. The term koinonia (communion, participation,
fellowship, sharing) is found not only in the New Testament but
also in later periods, especially in patristic and Reformation
writings which describe the Church.
The church's
mission
Evangelisation
The Catholic Church’s mission is to carry out

and continue the work of Jesus Christ on Earth.
The Church, and those in it, must:
share the Word of God

help those in need
live as examples to all

The church's
mission
Evangelisation
The sharing of the Gospel and the life of Christ

started with the commissioning and sending out of
the 12 apostles.
Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them

my disciples: baptize them in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them
to obey everything I have commanded you
Matthew 28:19-20
The church's
mission
Community of Worship and
fellowship
Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make

them my disciples: baptize them in the name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and
teach them to obey everything I have
commanded you
Matthew 28:19-20

The church's
mission
Faithful witnessing to God's Word
As persons who acknowledge Jesus Christ

as Lord and Saviour, Christians are called to
proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. They
are to address those who have not heard, as
well as those who are no longer living
according to the Gospel, the Good News of
the reign of God. They are called to live its
values and to be a foretaste of that reign in
the world.
Thank you for your patience
and attention. :) mission
Sources
https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/file
s/Document/FO2005_198_en.pdf
https://prezi.com/zrrtuzyt5gnd/nature-and-mission-of-the-
church/?frame=38d18e81d2aa81179b1f10512cf2f3d0bf613cc2
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides
/zcrgh39/revision/7

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HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

Center for Religious Education and Mission

The Nature and

A compilation from various sources by Ms. Theresa L. Jabines

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

The people are the church, everytime they are gathered

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

of the Catholic Church made up of different parts. In the same way,

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

The people of God also have a duty to follow the commandments

Describing the vivid example is the account of the descent of tongues

Catholic Church on the morning of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-4).

The New Testament imagery that most closely

The New Testament imagery that most closely

The biblical notion of koinonia has become central in the quest

The Catholic Church’s mission is to carry out

The Church, and those in it, must:

share the Word of God

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

The sharing of the Gospel and the life of Christ

Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them

Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make

HOLY NAME UNIVERSITY

As persons who acknowledge Jesus Christ

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