An inclusive church: a harmonious coexistence of different life forms

Abstract

Since the time of the early church, through the era of the Roman Empire, the Reformation, including the Second Vatican Council and the present-day lived experience, there has been a concern regarding inclusion (and exclusion) within church communities. Thus, in terms of being a church, how ought the worshipping community respond to the call to worship in a manner which allows every member to experience God in the community? This paper explores a global and perennial concern through the lens of Liturgical Studies. Firstly, the dynamics between the individual and collective were explored. This was followed by describing a call to worship; and exploring how that call is responded to by the congregation(s) as The Body of Christ. This culminated with exploring connectedness exclusively and inclusively and alluded to worship as enacting the “already” and “not yet”. Therefore, the worshipping community as the body of Christ should enact through worship the “not yet” kingdom from every tribe tongue, and nation to cultivate a harmonious coexistence.