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Bible Dictionaries
Church
The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia
or The word used in Holy Scripture for Church is ecclesia, from the Greek word ek-kaleo, meaning to call out. An ecclesia, therefore, is a body called out. The Rev. Francis J. Hall has given the following explanation, "The Church is called the ecclesia because her membership consists of those who are called of God, and adopted as His children and heirs of everlasting life. The name teaches that the origin of the church was due, not to any human act of organization, but to Divine operations and a Divine ingathering of the elect. The mark by which the elect are distinguished in Holy Scripture is membership of the Church by Baptism, although ultimate salvation requires further conditions." The use of the term ecclesia came originally from the calling out of Israel from Egypt; "out of Egypt have I called my Son;" this is the first use of the word. The true conception of the Church is a body called out from the world, and set apart to the service of God, as such it is called the Kingdom of God, over which God reigns and in which they who are called serve Him. (See UNITY, CHURCH; KINGDOM OF GOD; CHURCH CATHOLIC; also ANGLICAN CHURCH).
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Miller, William James. Entry for 'Church'. The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/acd/c/church.html. 1901.
