Calvin and “Communion Ecclesiology”: An Ecumenical Conversation

Abstract

This essay evaluates John Calvin's ecclesiology—especially his emphasis on plural ministries—as a model for articulating a contemporary ecumenical ecclesiology in conversation with post—Vatican II “communion ecclesiology.” Particular attention is given to the contributions of Latin American and U.S. Hispanic theologians whose liberating vision of church seeks to embody the very qualities Calvin affirmed in his doctrine of the church: a rejection of rigid hierarchical governance and an emphasis on God's grace as the very foundation of human community.