Mother Church

Some Christian traditions have always associated the Church with a mother image. Although not an actual scriptural term, the Bible does however call her the “Bride of Christ” (Rev.21:9). Without stretching the analogy, we can learn a lot about what a church should be like by considering motherhood.

The first is the birth of new disciples. The Church’s Great Commission (Mk.16:15) echoes the first biblical commandment to Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen.1:28). Evangelism will not be fruitful because of programs devised by man, but as a (super)natural outcome of the attractiveness of the deep love between the Church and her ‘bridegroom’, Jesus the Christ.

And having born new disciples into her family, the Church’s other function is the love and nurture of her members, with special attention to the ‘new-born’. There are both spiritual and physical needs to be met. There is feeding and teaching and cleaning up after ‘accidents’. Nursing of injuries (both spiritual and physical), comfort for the lonely, wisdom and guidance in ‘growing up’ - these are all the calling of “mother Church”. And in the midst of caring for her family, she will always find time to be hospitable and caring to strangers.

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