From Sunday Service to Monday Mission
"Where do you go to church?"
It's such a common question in Christian circles. And honestly? It's the wrong question.
The question itself reveals how we've completely misunderstood what Jesus was building. We've turned ekklesia—the dynamic, world-transforming assembly of the King—into a location we visit once a week.
But here's the truth: we cannot move from church to ekklesia and then still keep it locked up at the church building. The King cannot remain in the building. Elvis has got to leave the building.
The Problem with "Where Do You Go to Church?"
When people ask where you "go to church," the question assumes that church is:
A place you go to (rather than something you are)
A weekly event (rather than a lifestyle)
Separate from your regular life (rather than integrated with everything)
I've even had people respond to this by saying, "Well, I am the church!" And I appreciate what they're trying to say—they're rejecting the building-centered model. But here's the problem: you can't be an assembly by yourself.
You are part of the church, yes. But you can't be a group alone. You can't deliberate with yourself unless you're schizophrenic—and that's neither healthy nor whole.
The ekklesia requires at least two. "Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20, NIV). That's the minimum.
Understanding Your Metron
The reason Sunday gatherings exist—the reason we teach about ekklesia in corporate settings—isn't to keep it contained there. It's to train everyone to function as ekklesia within their sphere of influence.
The Bible uses the word metron to describe this—your assigned area of influence, your realm, your sphere. It's where you have authority and responsibility.
Gregory and I might teach about ekklesia principles in a Sunday service, but that's not the goal. The goal is to release you to become ekklesia in your metron:
In your home with your spouse
In your workplace with coworkers
In your neighborhood with neighbors
In your city where God positions you
Think about it like this: a senator only has authority when the Senate convenes. If a senator walked into your house right now and said, "I don't like what you're doing here. Shut it down," they'd have no authority. It's not their jurisdiction.
But when the Senate convenes and legislates, that authority goes back out with each senator into their sphere of responsibility. They don't leave their authority at the Capitol building—they carry it back to implement what was decided.
That's exactly how ekklesia should work.
Fluid Leadership Based on Gifts, Not Position
In traditional church structures, leadership is based on position and often on gender. The pastor is in charge because that's his role. Men lead because they're men. Authority flows downward in a fixed hierarchy.
But in God's Kingdom, leadership is fluid and based on gifting, wisdom, and context.
In healthy families and Kingdom communities, leadership flows naturally based on:
Who has relevant expertise in different situations (my husband Gregory leads when we need wisdom about serving the poor; I lead when we need financial or real estate guidance)
Who has more bandwidth at different life stages (sometimes one spouse needs to lead more while the other focuses elsewhere)
Whose gifts are most needed for particular challenges (the person with prophetic insight leads in one moment; the person with practical wisdom leads in another)
This doesn't create chaos—it creates resilience. When both partners (or all members of a community) can lead when necessary and follow when appropriate, you're far stronger than any rigid hierarchy could make you.
From Congregation to Assembly
There's an important distinction to understand: the congregation is all the people—like saying "all Americans." But the assembly is when the people convene to do business—like Congress.
In Israel's history, the word synagogue often meant "all the people"—the entire congregation. But when they gathered for specific purposes, that was ekklesia—the assembly convened to seek God and make decisions.
When we gather on Sunday (or whenever your community meets), we're not just the congregation hanging out. We should be the assembly convening to:
Seek God's presence (priestly)
Hear His heart and deliberate together (prophetic)
Receive keys and commissioning (kingly)
And then we take that into our individual metrons to implement what was decided in the council.
What Happens When Ekklesia Stays in the Building
I remember when I was a kid, people would leave their Bibles at church. You'd have your Bible sitting in the songbook rack on the back of the pew, right there in your assigned seat.
That's what we've done with our faith. We've left it at the building.
We go "visit Jesus" on the weekend—like visiting Grandpa—and then we go on with life as if it changed nothing. And most of the time, it does change nothing.
When ekklesia stays locked in the building:
We become spectators instead of participants. We watch the professionals "do church" while we sit passively.
We miss our assignments. We never discover the keys God wants to give us for our specific metron.
We leave the world unchanged. Our communities see no transformation because we're not releasing Kingdom authority where we live, work, and play.
We breed frustration. We know something's missing, but we can't put our finger on it.
The enemy loves this. He wants us to gather, worship, learn, and go away unchanged—with no impact on our everyday lives or our communities.
Ekklesia in Action: Real Examples
So what does it look like when ekklesia leaves the building?
Marriage: You and your spouse face a major decision. Instead of one person pulling rank or making unilateral choices, you convene. You worship together, creating space for God's presence. You ask Holy Spirit, "What's Your wisdom here?" You deliberate together, honoring each other's insights. You reach consensus and decree together. That's ekklesia.
Crisis: You get a phone call—there's an emergency with a friend or family member. Instead of panicking or just "hoping for the best," you immediately call another believer. Right there, you convene. You don't need a building or a formal service. You enter God's presence, seek His heart, and legislate His will into that situation. That's ekklesia.
Neighborhood: You and some neighbors who follow Jesus notice a specific need in your community—maybe trafficking, or homelessness, or broken families. You start meeting together, not just to complain, but to seek God's strategy. You worship, you listen, you decree, and then you implement. That's ekklesia transforming a community.
Workplace: You and a Christian coworker recognize that your workplace atmosphere is toxic—fear-based, divisive, discouraging. You begin meeting for coffee before work, not just to vent, but to convene as ekklesia. You invite God's presence, discern His heart for that workplace, and begin releasing peace and Kingdom authority there. Atmospheres shift. That's ekklesia.
You're Learning to Grow Up
Here's what I believe is happening: we're learning to grow up into what we were created to do from the beginning.
We were created to take dominion—to take that garden (heaven on earth) and spread it over the face of the planet. Adam and Eve weren't meant to stay in Eden forever. They were meant to expand it until the whole earth reflected heaven's reality.
That's still our assignment.
And ekklesia is how it happens. Not through programs run by professionals in buildings. But through ordinary believers who understand their authority, gather intentionally, seek God's wisdom, and legislate Kingdom reality into every sphere of society.
The Goal Is Multiplication
When we teach about ekklesia in a Sunday gathering, we're not trying to get you more committed to attending church. We're trying to activate you to BE the church—to function as ekklesia wherever God has placed you.
The goal is multiplication:
Sunday's gathering trains Monday through Saturday's assignments
What happens in the large assembly equips what happens in small groups
Corporate worship prepares you for partnering with God in your metron
Public teaching activates private application
If you're only experiencing ekklesia in a Sunday service, you're missing most of what Jesus came to build.
Practical Steps to Take Ekklesia Out of the Building
1. Identify your metron. Where has God given you influence? Your home? Your workplace? Your neighborhood? A specific demographic or need? Start there.
2. Find at least one other person. Remember, you need at least two to convene. Find someone who shares your heart for that sphere and commit to regularly gathering as ekklesia.
3. Practice the order: Priestly, Prophetic, Kingly. Begin with worship to create an atmosphere of God's presence. Move into listening and deliberating together about what Holy Spirit is saying. Finish by decreeing and taking action on what you've discerned.
4. Expect to receive keys. Don't gather just for fellowship (though fellowship is wonderful). Gather expecting that God will give you specific authority and insight for opening gates of death in your sphere—gates of fear, poverty, division, hopelessness, whatever is holding people in bondage.
5. Implement what you receive. Ekklesia isn't complete until you take what was decided in the assembly and implement it in the world. Decree it. Live it. Make it manifest.
The King Must Leave the Building
Jesus didn't come to be contained in religious buildings. He came to fill all things (Ephesians 4:10). He came to see His Kingdom come "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10, NKJV)—not just in church services, but in businesses and governments, in homes and neighborhoods, in every sphere of human activity.
That can only happen when His people—the ekklesia—carry His presence and authority out of the building and into the world.
So yes, gather corporately. Yes, be part of a larger assembly. But don't leave your faith in the songbook rack when you leave.
Take it with you. Live it out. Convene with others in your metron. Seek God's wisdom. Decree His word. Transform your world.
Elvis has to leave the building.
Or more accurately: The King has to fill the earth through you.
Where is your metron? Who could you convene with to function as ekklesia in that sphere? What would change if you stopped leaving your faith at the building and started carrying Kingdom authority everywhere you go?
Blessings,
Susan 😊