John Calvin's Ecclesiology as a Mother of All Believers (Eng)

John Calvin who is embraced with welcome and respect by many evangelicals and Reformed Christians is often criticized for his doctrine of predestination and by other Christians who prioritize human freedom over God’s sovereignty in the discussion of soteriology. They may see Calvin as a cold and callous theologian. However, his metaphor of the church as a mother of all believers at least shows God’s warm and merciful heart toward the church and provides a needed perspective for the contemporary church.

Calvin’s idea of the church is rooted in his belief that the church is not just an institution or organization, but a living organism that nurtures and guides its members like a mother does her children. Throughout his writings, Calvin wrote the importance of belonging to a community of believers and being under the care and guidance of spiritual leaders who act as “nurses” for the souls, stressing therefore both its nurturing role and its authority over its members. In the following, we will delve deeper into Calvin’s understanding of these concepts and their implications for our own understanding of what it means to be part of a faith community.

Calvin’s life and journey to becoming a Protestant reformer began in 1509 when he was born in Noyon, France. He initially studied law but eventually turned to theology after experiencing a religious conversion. The impact of the Reformation on his theology is evident as he sought to reform the church according to biblical principles. The development of Calvin’s doctrine of the church can be traced through his writings and sermons, most notably in his magnum opus, Institutes of the Christian Religion.

He developed his idea of the Church as a mother of all believers in response to the tumultuous religious and political climate of 16th century Europe. At this time, many individuals were seeking spiritual guidance outside of traditional Catholicism and turning to alternative forms of Christianity such as Lutheranism or Anabaptism. In contrast to some other reformers who often rejected many doctrinal concepts associated with Catholics, Calvin maintained that certain elements from Catholic tradition were valuable for Christian worship and practice and viewed the Church not simply as an institution but also as a nurturing mother figure that provided her children with spiritual sustenance through sacraments such as baptism and communion. This emphasis on communal worship within a loving community served not only to bring comfort to those seeking refuge during turbulent times.

The view of the Church as the mother of all believers originated from the early church. The Apostle Paul interpreted Jerusalem as a spiritual mother in the Book of Galatians: “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother” (4:26). After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., this concept was further explored by the church fathers starting from Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose, and Augustine, and fully developed as an identity of the Catholic Church. After that, Catholic theology took the unbiblical position that salvation from the Father can only be obtained through the Catholic Church (Mother). Clearly, the Catholic Church becomes another mediator between Jesus, the first Mediator, and human beings who needed the Catholic Church to receive the benefit of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Calvin’s view of the Church, although it is part of the tradition of the Catholic Church, is a teaching based on the Word of God. He believed it to have value in Christian worship and practice and rejected the Catholic’s view of the authority of the Pope and of soteriology. Instead, he proclaimed that Jesus is the only Mediator between the Father and sinners and can reconcile their broken relationships and sought to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church, which had been corrupted by prioritizing the traditions of the Catholic Church over the everlasting truths of the Bible. Therefore, within the framework of the Reformation, he explained the Church as the mother of all believers.

Now, let’s explore Calvin’s central understanding of the Church. In Institutes of the Christian Religion, he explains the idea of the Church as a mother in this way:

I will begin with the Church, into whose bosom God is pleased to collect his children, not only that by her aid and ministry they may be nourished so long as they are babes and children, but may also be guided by her maternal care until they grow up to manhood, and, finally, attain to the perfection of faith. What God has thus joined, let not man put asunder (Mark 10:9): to those to whom he is a Father, the Church must also be a mother (Book IV, 4.1).

Calvin argues that the process of a mother caring for a child should be used as an example of the church’s role of taking her members. He writes,

[L]et us learn, from her single title of Mother, how useful, nay, how necessary the knowledge of her is, since there is no other means of entering into life unless she conceive us in the womb and give us birth, unless she nourish us at her breasts, and, in short, keep us under her charge and government, until, divested of mortal flesh, we become like the angels (Mt. 22:30). For our weakness does not permit us to leave the school until we have spent our whole lives as scholars” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book IV, 4.4).

Just as a mother nurtures and cares for her children from birth until they reach maturity, so too does the Church guide and support its members throughout their spiritual journey.

For Calving, the Church as mother can nurture her children in these ways. First, Calvin stresses the role of the church as offering the sacrament to its members for their spiritual journey. Individuals are reborn in a spiritual family through baptism and are nourished in spirits by eating spiritual food through the Lord’s Supper. He believed in being a partaker of the sacraments, one participates in all blessings and privileges. Second, Calvin also emphasized that it was essential for Christians to remain connected to the church—the body of Christ—if they wanted to grow spiritually. He saw this connection as vital because it allowed believers to receive nourishment from God’s word through preaching and teaching within the context of community worship. Third, Calvin viewed the membership in the church as crucial for maintaining fellowship with other believers. This fellowship provided accountability, encouragement, correction when needed, prayer support during difficult times and even shared resources where necessary.

Calvin's view of the Church as the Mother of all believers finds its support in various biblical passages that emphasize the nurturing and guiding role of the Church. The Prophet Isaiah uses the imagery of a mother’s comfort and care to describe Jerusalem, portraying the Church’s role in providing solace and guidance to believers (Isa. 66:10-13). Paul in Galatians 4:26 writes: “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.” In this passage, he refers to the heavenly Jerusalem as the mother of believers, also viewing the Church’s role in nurturing and guiding the faithful. The Church’s role in equipping believers for ministry and building up the body of Christ for unity and maturity is matched with the nurturing role aligns with Calvin’s concept of the Church as the Mother (Eph. 4:11-16). Peter encourages believers to seek spiritual nourishment from the Church, reflecting the nurturing aspect of the Church as the Mother: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). These passages highlight the Church’s responsibility in nurturing and guiding believers, as well as fostering unity, maturity, and spiritual growth.

Calvin's theological contribution to the Reformation and its aftermath was to remind us of the essential role of the church in the Christian life. Calvin argues that the church is not simply an optional gathering or institution, but a divine means by which believers initiate and nurtured in faith, showing how the church plays an important role in nurturing our souls by providing guidelines for the life Christians should follow. The church is an institution that provides spiritual nourishment to its members, and it must guide, support, and educate its members just as a mother feeds and raises her children.

This concept of the church as a nurturing and caring entity had significant implications for church leaders then and continues to have relevance today. How can the concept be applied to individuals, churches, and leaders of our days?

For individuals, it means that they should view themselves not only as members of a community but also as part of a larger family with common beliefs and values. This perspective encourages church members to prioritize the needs of the community over individual desires. Furthermore, this idea places an emphasis on nurturing relationships within the church. Individuals are called to support one another in times of need and share in each other's joys and sorrows. By doing so, they can strengthen their sense of belonging and create a deeper sense of unity within the church.

For churches, Calvin's view highlights the importance of creating a welcoming environment where members feel valued and supported. This involves promoting mutual respect between the members of the church regardless of their social status, church position, disability, age, gender, and race and providing opportunities for fellowship, service projects, and spiritual growth. Additionally, churches should strive to cultivate an atmosphere that is inclusive and open-minded while still maintaining fidelity to core Christian doctrinal beliefs. This understanding emphasizes the importance of church membership and participation, as it is through these means that Christians are nurtured, taught, and cared for by their spiritual family.

For church leaders, this view underscores their responsibility to teach, guide, and care for their congregations. It includes the proper administration of sacraments and the cultivation of a supportive faith community. This analysis aims to explore the expectations and duties that Calvin’s Mother Church analogy imposes on pastors, elders, and other church officials, while also addressing the potential pitfalls and areas for growth in contemporary ecclesiastical leadership. The church is not merely a gathering place for believers but a divinely appointed institution through which God’s people are formed and shaped into Christlikeness. Thus, leaders must prioritize nurturing their congregations through sound teaching, discipleship, and pastoral care.

Lastly, I will present a way that can strengthen criticism of some of Calvin's claims about church discipline and the authority of leaders. Church leaders should love their members with mother’s love of conceiving children and giving birth pain. A mother’s love must be the foundation and method for the practice of spiritual authority and the discipline of the church. Leadership practiced without love cannot move the hearts of church members and becomes the leadership of the Catholic Church, a symbol of authoritarianism. They must pray for the church members with the prayer of mother. A mother's prayer is a prayer of love, an earnest and sorrowful prayer, and a prayer of sacrifice. As the church has grown and supported by the power of prayer since its humble beginning, she needs to check whether the tears of prayer have dried up.

While some may criticize Calvin’s strict discipline within religious institutions and arguments on the eternal election and predestination, his ideas have undoubtedly had a profound impact on Christian theology and practice. Calvin's concept that “the church is mother” is an important foundation for understanding its role and meaning within the church community. By viewing the church as a nurturing institution that provides spiritual guidance and support to its members, Calvin emphasized not only the importance of individual salvation but also the communal nature of faith. The concept of the church as a mother remains relevant today in discussions about community building, spiritual growth, and religious leadership. I pray that the Church will take on the role of embracing the entire generation and nurturing mature Christians through motherly leadership.