Summary of the ecclesiology of Miroslav Volf as expounded in his book After Our Likeness: The Church in the Image of the Trinity, (as summarised by Jeff Pugh in his 2006 PhD thesis "Symbols of Dysfunction, Strategies for Renewal.")

A church based on a proper understanding of the triunity of God will exhibit, says Volf, the following criteria:

(i) Poly-centricity: freedom granted for decentralised yet interdependent centres of action and participative consensual decision-making (Acts 15.2, 22,). This derives from the reality of the persons of the Trinity as centres of action behind their relations (contra Ratzinger and Zizioulas whose "pure relations" virtually lose any notion of personhood).

(ii) Unity: concern shown for the same will and purpose to fulfil God's mission (John 17.21, 1Corinthians 13.8-13, 1Tim. 1.7,8). The gifts are distributed for the benefit of all the members (1Cor.12.7, 13.1-8a, Eph. 4.3-6).

(iii) Multiplicity: the church celebrates the diversity of gifts and assignments within it, including the gift of leadership (1 Cor. 12.7, Eph. 4.7,10).

(iv) Fluidity: Structures and institutions are not a rigid heritage but a response to the need of the moment and the direction of Christ (1 Cor. 12.11).

(v) Reciprocity: and retroactivity of the leadership where this gift is not viewed as in some way different in kind to the charismata of the rest of the members but all are open to receive from the other (1 Cor. 12.20-22). Authority is not derived from position but from the mutual subordination of all and obedience freely given as a respect for their individual charismata. An influential teaching gift is not to be neglected (1 Tim. 3.1, 4.14.) and the saint may aspire to leadership if that is their talent (1Tim. 3.1).

(vi) Generativity: Leadership is but one gift rather than an office that stands over against the membership. It serves the maturation and coordinates the whole service of the individual ministers (Ephesians 4.8-12) fanning their gifts, services or 'assignments' into life.

(vii) Interpenetration: Analagous to the divine commingling and interpenetration, the level of mutual recognition and honour of one another (John 17.4,5) supplants structures of hierarchy and delegation. The gift of the same Spirit is active in all the Gifts and thereby the same Son and Father (1Cor. 12.4-6, Eph. 4.4-6).

(viii) Witness: The words and deeds of the church and individual members profess Christ before each other and the wider world (1Cor. 12.3, 14.26, 1 Peter 2.9,10). A godly church tests every manifestation of the Spirit as to its correspondence to the person and work of Christ (1Thess.5.21, 1Cor. 12.1,2, 14.29, 2 Tim. 4.1-5).

(ix) Collegiality: Office does not exist apart from service to others. Official roles are borne on behalf of the body by the active practice of service and marked by fellowship between all members as equals in priestly status (Phil.1.1, 1Thes. 5.12, Rom. 12.8). Volf believes in ordination to office provided it is by election of the whole body based upon charismata and that it is not irrevocable(250)

(x) Freedom: Regulations are kept to a minimum and are justified only as a reflection of the ideal of loving community and must bear relationship to the eschatological goal of the church. Volf does defend the idea of the church as an institution (234-8), including the election of office-bearers but rules and structures are always provisional, maintaining the distinctiveness of a God-formed community in a sinful world.

As Jeffrey Pugh has pointed out in a study of church health, these criteria coincide with definitions of healthy community provided by sociology, systems theory, and psychology. Perhaps one should expect this if Christian community is based upon the nature of the Creator.

(Forwarded by Geoff Leslie).