Scriptures for our understanding of the church, there is also much value in becoming familiar with historical teachings on the church and learning how the church has taken shape in other contexts (see chapter 6 on the shape of the church and contextualization).2 We must begin by understanding the essential nature of the church. A summary of various understandings of the essence of the church is found in table 1.1. First and foremost, the church is a spiritual entity, conceived by the Father (Eph.