The material which was originally found on this page has become the seed of one chapter of a soon-to-be-released book:
Stephens, Lauston and Ian Johnson, Our Oneness in Christ (PublishAmerica, 2007).
NOTICE: Our Oneness in Christ is now in its first printing, as of December 26, 2006, and is scheduled for formal release on February 26, 2007. Click on the image below for a summary of the book and publication details!
Summary of the essay that appeared on this page (now included in the book):Mr. Stephens' original essay developed the distinction between the "essential church"—the manifestation of the Body of Christ that exists wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus' name—and the "ordered church" consisting of church organizations. He forcefully argues that the inherent oneness of the essential church can, does, and often must, exist even where there is no organized church, and even where the believers who are gathered are members of different parts of the ordered church.