Abstract:
Building up the local church is driven by different motives. More often than not, these motives concern the survival of a specific church and/or denomination. Even church growth may be considered to be a motive of maintenance. It happens that, while churches grow in a given area,
christianity declines in that same area. The purpose of building up the local church has everything to do with the understanding of the church, with ecclesiology. On the other hand any preoccupation with ecclesiology may be a sign of decline in itself (Hoekendijk). The objective of this article is to focus or refocus the current discussions on ecclesiology and on building up the local church on the purpose of this ministry as such. My contention is that this purpose is to be understood as missiological in essence.
