Page 77 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

K O I N O N I A : T H E H E A R T O F T H E C H U R C H
Such a vision excludes every form of individualism. The
Church is not a gathering of isolated believers, but a living
fabric of relationships. Her very being is communion.
At the same time, the Church is inseparable from Christ
and His saving work in history. She is not an abstract reflec-
tion of divine communion, but the concrete Body of Christ,
the people of God moving toward the Kingdom. Her com-
munion is therefore not static, but eschatological. It is a gift
that comes from the future—the life of the Kingdom—and is
already given, though not yet fully realized.
For this reason, the Church must constantly struggle to
embody this communion in history. Any complacency, any
settling into division or fragmentation, betrays her very iden-
tity. Communion is not simply given; it must be lived, pro-
tected, and renewed.
The Structure of the Church as Communion. If the Church
is communion, then her structure must also be relational. This
applies both to the local and to the universal dimensions of
ecclesial life.
On the local level, the Church exists as a concrete commu-
nity. There is no Christianity apart from this lived commu-
nion. As the ancient saying expresses it: one Christian is no
Christian. The path to God always passes through the other—
the brother, the sister, the neighbor within the Body.
The structure of the Church must hold together two in-
separable realities: unity and diversity.
Unity means that no member of the Church can exist in
isolation or independence. As the Apostle teaches, no one can
say to another, “I have no need of you” (1 Cor. 12). Each mem-
ber belongs to all, and all belong to each.
Yet this unity is not uniformity. It is precisely within unity
that diversity finds its place. Each member brings a unique
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