ecclesiology
Study of churches
Ecclesiology is the branch of theology concerned with the nature, structure, and mission of the Christian church.
It addresses questions about church authority, governance, sacraments, and the relationship between different Christian traditions: The debate over papal authority is fundamentally an ecclesiological one.
The term also refers to the study of church architecture and decoration.
Sacred ritual conveying grace
- EucharistSacramental bread and wine
- baptismRitual water purification ceremony
- liturgyFormal worship structure
- creedStatement of belief
dogma · catholicity · holiness · unity · marks · transubstantiation · ordination · confession
Ranked authority structure
- episcopateBishops as a body
- papacyPope's office and authority
- synodChurch governing assembly
- dioceseBishop's territorial jurisdiction
bishopric · parish · curia · ordination · presbytery · consistory · pontiff · archbishop
Mutual goodwill among companions
- laityNon-ordained church members
- clergyOrdained religious officials collectively
- parishionersMembers of local congregation
- worshipersThose who show reverence
flock · assembly · believers · discipleship · body · faithful · membership · communion
Bishop's principal church
- basilicaColonnaded church with apse
- chapelSmall worship room
- naveChurch's main interior
- altarSacred ritual table
pulpit · steeple · chancel · sanctuary · vestry · sacristy · pew · narthex
Study of interpretation methods
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- canonAccepted authoritative works
- systematicFollowing ordered procedures
- dogmaticsStudy of church doctrine
Papal Christian denomination
- ProtestantismReformation-era Christian movement
- AnglicanismEnglish Protestant denomination
- LutheranismProtestant tradition emphasizing grace
- MethodismWesley's Protestant movement
Calvinism · Presbyterianism · Pentecostalism · Baptists · Adventism · Mormonism · Reformation · ecumenism
sacrament
Sacred ritual conveying grace
- EucharistSacramental bread and wine
- baptismRitual water purification ceremony
- liturgyFormal worship structure
creed · dogma · catholicity · holiness · unity · marks · transubstantiation · ordination · confession · tradition
hierarchy
Ranked authority structure
- episcopateBishops as a body
- papacyPope's office and authority
- synodChurch governing assembly
diocese · bishopric · parish · curia · ordination · presbytery · consistory · pontiff · archbishop · metropolitan
fellowship
Mutual goodwill among companions
- laityNon-ordained church members
- clergyOrdained religious officials collectively
- parishionersMembers of local congregation
worshipers · flock · assembly · believers · discipleship · body · faithful · membership · communion · gathering
cathedral
Bishop's principal church
altar · pulpit · steeple · chancel · sanctuary · vestry · sacristy · pew · narthex · apse
hermeneutics
Study of interpretation methods
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- canonAccepted authoritative works
- systematicFollowing ordered procedures
Catholicism
Papal Christian denomination
- ProtestantismReformation-era Christian movement
- AnglicanismEnglish Protestant denomination
- LutheranismProtestant tradition emphasizing grace
Methodism · Calvinism · Presbyterianism · Pentecostalism · Baptists · Adventism · Mormonism · Reformation · ecumenism · schism
ecclesiologymysticism
Pursuit of divine union
private devotion · contemplative prayer · asceticism · interior life · personal faith
churches, churchgoing, churchly, ecclesiastical, ecclesiastic, ecclesiastics, ecclesia, ecclesiastically