The Christian Religion and Its Organizations

In his history of the early days of the Christian Church, Luke offers us a vision of how the early Christians constantly

gathered

:

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

(Acts 2: 1)

All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread from house to house and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.

(Acts 2: 44–47)

This was already an organization. It might not have had a very developed structure, but that would not be long in coming. The opening line of what is probably the oldest document of the New Testament is addressed

to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

(1 Thessalonians 1: 1)

that is, to a religious organization in the Greek city of Thessalonica. By this time there were congregations of Christians in a number of cities around the Mediterranean, which raises the question of terminology.