Sandra Arenas is a Roman Catholic theologian. She obtained the Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium) in 2013. Thereafter, she was appointed professor at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Santiago-Chile (2013-2019). During the academic year of 2018-2019 she was Visiting Scholar at the faculty of Thelogy and Religious Studies of the Catholic University of Leuven. In January of 2020 she became the Dean of the Faculty of Religious Sciences and Philosphy of the Catholic University of Temuco, where she currently develops her academic career. Her areas of scientific development are: Ecclesiolgy, Vatican II Studies and Ecumenical Dialogue. Address: Work address:
Manuel Montt 56, of. 501 Faculty of Religious Sciences and Philosophy Campus San Francisco Catholic University of Temuco Temuco Chile
El mundo globalizado actualmente ofrece innumerables beneficios para la humanidad, debido al desa... more El mundo globalizado actualmente ofrece innumerables beneficios para la humanidad, debido al desarrollo tecnológico, la comunicación, el intercambio entre economías, culturas y credos, la reducción de distancias, entre otros factores. Pero no existe un acceso real de todas las personas a los recursos de este mundo, ni un reconocimiento del valor de la otredad. Tensiones, conflictos y guerras marcan la actual era de globalización, excluyendo a gran parte de la humanidad del derecho de vivir en libertad, igualdad y dignidad. Este artículo analiza cómo la encíclica Fratelli tutti propone la hospitalidad, la ciudadanía y la fraternidad como fundamentales para superar ambigüedades y contradicciones en un mundo globalizado. A partir del método de análisis cualitativo, exploramos los conceptos de hospitalidad, ciudadanía y fraternidad en la encíclica social, en conversación con otra literatura. La conclusión es que sólo en el horizonte de la fraternidad se superan aquellas ambigüedades y contradicciones para lo cual urge la práctica de la hospitalidad y la ciudadanía, proveiendo a todas las personas del derecho a habitar este mundo. Hospitalidad y ciudadanía, entonces, son esenciales para la globalización de la solidaridad y para la construcción de un mundo de fratelli tutti.
Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writi... more Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writings is his appreciation for the importance of social integration in Latin America. For the pope, humanity must gradually move toward greater and better forms of encounter, integration, and inclusion—that is, toward the “Great Homeland.” His experiences in South America have led him to a contextually situated conviction about the importance of concrete encounter and inclusion that has transferred to his universal teaching and, in this sense, forged his pontifical teaching from the margins. Turning to a specific corpus of papal texts written for Latin American people, we will analyze the methodological assumptions of this whole program of integration thought for the global community.
The Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network gathered in San Juan, Puerto Ri... more The Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network gathered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June 2022 to discuss the issue of “decolonizing churches” from ecumenical, intercultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives. And, although the place was chosen for a number of reasons, one of the main ones was that the Caribbean context and especially the island of Puerto Rico contributed to further problematize the colonize-decolonize binomial within ecclesial and theological coordinates. This article captures the main insights gained throughout the whole academic meeting as well as the stumbling blocks for decolonizing churches and the challenges that ecumenical theology faces.
Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writi... more Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writings is his appreciation for the importance of social integration in Latin America. For the pope, humanity must gradually move toward greater and better forms of encounter, integration, and inclusion—that is, toward the “Great Homeland.” His experiences in South America have led him to a contextually situated conviction about the importance of concrete encounter and inclusion that has transferred to his universal teaching and, in this sense, forged his pontifical teaching from the margins. Turning to a specific corpus of papal texts written for Latin American people, we will analyze the methodological assumptions of this whole program of integration thought for the global community.
The Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network gathered in San Juan, Puerto Ri... more The Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network gathered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June 2022 to discuss the issue of “decolonizing churches” from ecumenical, intercultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives. And, although the place was chosen for a number of reasons, one of the main ones was that the Caribbean context and especially the island of Puerto Rico contributed to further problematize the colonize-decolonize binomial within ecclesial and theological coordinates. This article captures the main insights gained throughout the whole academic meeting as well as the stumbling blocks for decolonizing churches and the challenges that ecumenical theology faces.
En los Sínodos celebrados en Chile luego del Concilio Vaticano II hay una gran riqueza de vida ec... more En los Sínodos celebrados en Chile luego del Concilio Vaticano II hay una gran riqueza de vida eclesial y discernimiento pastoral. Reconocemos una voluntad de comunión y participación prometedora de un nuevo estilo de ser Iglesia. No existen trabajos que aborden la actividad sinodal de estas últimas seis décadas. Este artículo socializa los primeros hallazgos en el estudio de un corpus de textos diocesanos que, en su mayoría, no han sido publicados; como un primer esfuerzo de contextualización de esa actividad sinodal.
En los Sínodos celebrados en Chile luego del Concilio Vaticano II hay una gran riqueza de vida ec... more En los Sínodos celebrados en Chile luego del Concilio Vaticano II hay una gran riqueza de vida eclesial y discernimiento pastoral. Reconocemos una voluntad de comunión y participación prometedora de un nuevo estilo de ser Iglesia. No existen trabajos que aborden la actividad sinodal de estas últimas seis décadas. Este artículo socializa los primeros hallazgos en el estudio de un corpus de textos diocesanos que, en su mayoría, no han sido publicados; como un primer esfuerzo de contextualización de esa actividad sinodal.
The crisis of abuses and cover-ups in an ecclesial context has undermined a certain form of insti... more The crisis of abuses and cover-ups in an ecclesial context has undermined a certain form of institutionality. At the social level, a parallel development that was going on for several years led to what has been called the "Awakening of Chile," with massive social mobilizations as of October 18, 2019. In this paper we discuss the current state of Chile and the Chilean church, the notion of "common demand" as it was present in social and ecclesial discourse, and the possibilities that this notion offers for societal organization and a fortiori, for pastoral dynamics and ecclesial structures.
El mundo globalizado actualmente ofrece innumerables beneficios para la humanidad, debido al desa... more El mundo globalizado actualmente ofrece innumerables beneficios para la humanidad, debido al desarrollo tecnológico, la comunicación, el intercambio entre economías, culturas y credos, la reducción de distancias, entre otros factores. Pero no existe un acceso real de todas las personas a los recursos de este mundo, ni un reconocimiento del valor de la otredad. Tensiones, conflictos y guerras marcan la actual era de globalización, excluyendo a gran parte de la humanidad del derecho de vivir en libertad, igualdad y dignidad. Este artículo analiza cómo la encíclica Fratelli tutti propone la hospitalidad, la ciudadanía y la fraternidad como fundamentales para superar ambigüedades y contradicciones en un mundo globalizado. A partir del método de análisis cualitativo, exploramos los conceptos de hospitalidad, ciudadanía y fraternidad en la encíclica social, en conversación con otra literatura. La conclusión es que sólo en el horizonte de la fraternidad se superan aquellas ambigüedades y contradicciones para lo cual urge la práctica de la hospitalidad y la ciudadanía, proveiendo a todas las personas del derecho a habitar este mundo. Hospitalidad y ciudadanía, entonces, son esenciales para la globalización de la solidaridad y para la construcción de un mundo de fratelli tutti.
Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writi... more Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writings is his appreciation for the importance of social integration in Latin America. For the pope, humanity must gradually move toward greater and better forms of encounter, integration, and inclusion—that is, toward the “Great Homeland.” His experiences in South America have led him to a contextually situated conviction about the importance of concrete encounter and inclusion that has transferred to his universal teaching and, in this sense, forged his pontifical teaching from the margins. Turning to a specific corpus of papal texts written for Latin American people, we will analyze the methodological assumptions of this whole program of integration thought for the global community.
The Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network gathered in San Juan, Puerto Ri... more The Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network gathered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June 2022 to discuss the issue of “decolonizing churches” from ecumenical, intercultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives. And, although the place was chosen for a number of reasons, one of the main ones was that the Caribbean context and especially the island of Puerto Rico contributed to further problematize the colonize-decolonize binomial within ecclesial and theological coordinates. This article captures the main insights gained throughout the whole academic meeting as well as the stumbling blocks for decolonizing churches and the challenges that ecumenical theology faces.
Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writi... more Over the past ten years of Francis’s pontificate, a transversal axis cutting across all his writings is his appreciation for the importance of social integration in Latin America. For the pope, humanity must gradually move toward greater and better forms of encounter, integration, and inclusion—that is, toward the “Great Homeland.” His experiences in South America have led him to a contextually situated conviction about the importance of concrete encounter and inclusion that has transferred to his universal teaching and, in this sense, forged his pontifical teaching from the margins. Turning to a specific corpus of papal texts written for Latin American people, we will analyze the methodological assumptions of this whole program of integration thought for the global community.
The Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network gathered in San Juan, Puerto Ri... more The Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network gathered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June 2022 to discuss the issue of “decolonizing churches” from ecumenical, intercultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives. And, although the place was chosen for a number of reasons, one of the main ones was that the Caribbean context and especially the island of Puerto Rico contributed to further problematize the colonize-decolonize binomial within ecclesial and theological coordinates. This article captures the main insights gained throughout the whole academic meeting as well as the stumbling blocks for decolonizing churches and the challenges that ecumenical theology faces.
En los Sínodos celebrados en Chile luego del Concilio Vaticano II hay una gran riqueza de vida ec... more En los Sínodos celebrados en Chile luego del Concilio Vaticano II hay una gran riqueza de vida eclesial y discernimiento pastoral. Reconocemos una voluntad de comunión y participación prometedora de un nuevo estilo de ser Iglesia. No existen trabajos que aborden la actividad sinodal de estas últimas seis décadas. Este artículo socializa los primeros hallazgos en el estudio de un corpus de textos diocesanos que, en su mayoría, no han sido publicados; como un primer esfuerzo de contextualización de esa actividad sinodal.
En los Sínodos celebrados en Chile luego del Concilio Vaticano II hay una gran riqueza de vida ec... more En los Sínodos celebrados en Chile luego del Concilio Vaticano II hay una gran riqueza de vida eclesial y discernimiento pastoral. Reconocemos una voluntad de comunión y participación prometedora de un nuevo estilo de ser Iglesia. No existen trabajos que aborden la actividad sinodal de estas últimas seis décadas. Este artículo socializa los primeros hallazgos en el estudio de un corpus de textos diocesanos que, en su mayoría, no han sido publicados; como un primer esfuerzo de contextualización de esa actividad sinodal.
The crisis of abuses and cover-ups in an ecclesial context has undermined a certain form of insti... more The crisis of abuses and cover-ups in an ecclesial context has undermined a certain form of institutionality. At the social level, a parallel development that was going on for several years led to what has been called the "Awakening of Chile," with massive social mobilizations as of October 18, 2019. In this paper we discuss the current state of Chile and the Chilean church, the notion of "common demand" as it was present in social and ecclesial discourse, and the possibilities that this notion offers for societal organization and a fortiori, for pastoral dynamics and ecclesial structures.
Doing Synodality: Empirical and Intercultural Perspectives on the German Synodal Way, 2024
In recent years, the image of a Catholic Church needing renewal has deepened in the German public... more In recent years, the image of a Catholic Church needing renewal has deepened in the German public arena. The Synodal Path identified structural aspects underlying the ecclesial crisis and proposed solutions debating issues such as clerical power, sexuality, participation, and the role of women. Considering the importance of these deliberations for the universal Church and their controversial international discussion, the need for intercultural dialogue became increasingly clear. The empirical project "Synodal Way – Global Church Perspectives" aimed to weave the polyphony of Global-Church perspectives into the debate. This volume presents the research's results and their analysis by academics from different world regions, fills a gap in intercultural mediation, and offers an inspiring contribution to the ongoing synodal dialogue.
Hard Sayings Left Behind by Vatican II Stumbling Blocks for Ecumenism, Interfaith Dialogue and Church-World Relations, 2023
This chapter offers a study of the reception of the notion “elements of the church” (elementa ecc... more This chapter offers a study of the reception of the notion “elements of the church” (elementa ecclesiae) within Catholic theology and the ecumenical movements, and the conciliar documents Lumen Gentium and Unitatis Redintegratio. From its Calvinist roots, the elements of the church trace the continuity of the Church of Christ within the ecclesiastical institutional developments. This theology impacts the drafting history of LG 8 including the notorious clause subsistit in and the redefinition of the Catholic Church’s attitude regarding the presence of the Church of Christ within other Churches and ecclesial communities. Hence, the conciliar reception of this notion implied the recognition of the existence of ecclesiality outside the boundaries of the Roman Catholic Church. The reception at the level of the Roman magisterium has been complicated. It remains a duty for this church to further investigate how the other Christian communities are intending to be the Church of Christ. Only in this manner can the real effort of all Christian communities, including the Catholic Church, concretize the Church of Christ in salvation history.
Vatican II After Sixty Years Developments and Expectations Prior to the Council, 2023
Vatican II After Sixty Years. Developments and Expectations Prior to the Council focuses on the e... more Vatican II After Sixty Years. Developments and Expectations Prior to the Council focuses on the expectations about the upcoming Council in different parts of the world, such as Australia and Latin America. It also focuses on the debates in the preparatory commissions with regard to issues such as Scripture and tradition, ecclesiology, ecumenenism, education. It does so on the basis of sources only recently being available in Vatican II-research. The book thus offers new and renewing insights on Vatican II in its preparatory phase.
Este manual de ecumenismo muestra el deseo y el camino de las Iglesias cristianas para recobrar l... more Este manual de ecumenismo muestra el deseo y el camino de las Iglesias cristianas para recobrar la unidad, troceada sucesivamente a lo largo de los dos mil años de cristianismo. Se ha buscado en la elaboración del manual un equilibrio entre las descripciones históricas, necesarias para situar cada tema en su contexto y los contenidos sociales y teológicos, de manera que el pasado y el presente enmarquen logros y fallos.
Editores de esta publicación: Antoni MATABOSCH, Fernando RODRÍGUEZ GARRAPUCHO, Andrés VALENCIA y Rafael VÁZQUEZ JIMÉNEZ.
Op Weg Naar Een Luisterende Kerk. Synodale ervaringen in verleden en heden, 2022
https://halewijn.info/catalogus/luisterende_kerk
Edited by Moons, Jos, Mulder, Sjoerd, Schelkens... more https://halewijn.info/catalogus/luisterende_kerk Edited by Moons, Jos, Mulder, Sjoerd, Schelkens, Karim ISBN: 9789085286714
Pope Francis is pushing for a style of being Church that emphasizes that believers journey together. That is still quite a search, because how can believers learn to speak up better and bishops learn to listen better? How do religious traditions deal with differences of opinion?
This book presents the surprising wealth of existing experiences with synodality, for example within religious orders such as the Benedictines, Dominicans and Jesuits. Traditionally, the Anglican, Protestant and Orthodox world have also known forms of dialogic decision-making. Furthermore, recent experiments such as the Synodal Way in Germany are discussed, in addition to experiences from Latin America and the African palaver culture.
Synodality actually already exists, more than you might think. With contributions from: Sandra Arenas, Michael Bakker, Eugene Duffy, Stefan Gärtner, Christopher Hill, Austen Ivereigh, Arnaud Join-Lambert, Leo Koffeman, Thieu Lamberigts, Jan Loffeld & Hendrik Roos, Stefan Mangnus, Jos Moons, Cassien Mulindahabi, Peter Nissen, Mark Rotsaert, Herman Teule, Paul van Geest, Geert van Oyen, Michel Van Parys, Piet Verhagen, Peter-Ben Smit, Hildegard Warnink, Rebekka Willekes.
Fraternidad Abierta 2.0. reflexiones sobre la amistad social en un mundo fragmentado, 2022
Fratelli Tutti conduce la reflexión hacia las consecuencias concretas que tiene el enfoque de glo... more Fratelli Tutti conduce la reflexión hacia las consecuencias concretas que tiene el enfoque de glocalidades en la arena eclesial y en la pública, conservando la unidad desde una seria consideración de los pluriterritorios. Las desigualdades son también territoriales, FT demuestra reconocer la importancia de balancear una autonomía territorial con las interdependencias regionales y globales. Sólo desde el ejercicio de esta autonomía, desde una propia y firme identidad particular, el deseo de unidad global podrá canalizarse por vías insospechadas, porque Dios derrama belleza dentro y también fuera de los límites de cualquier localidad (cf. FT 142). La conversación para vivir la amistad social y la fraternidad se hace desde mecanismos de subsidiareidad que se cultivan en los territorios (cf. FT 142). Se trata de dos polos eclesiales y sociales coesenciales que requieren amor a la propia cultura, sin narcisismos localistas (cf. FT 146), mirando s un horizonte mayor, donde “lo universal no debe ser el imperio homogéneo, uniforme y estandarizado de una única forma cultural dominante” (cf. FT 144).
Francisco advierte que la realidad será posible auscultarla e interpretarla adecuadamente sólo superando ambos riesgos, el de un narcisismo localista y el de una tendencia a homogeneizarlo todo cf. FT 147). Y auscultar la realidad e interpretarla a la luz del Evangelio es la tarea eclesial mayor, desde donde puede advertir el paso de Dios por la historia y obrar en consecuencia. Para discernir la historia, entonces, FT llama a saborear lo local y los movimientos populares que lo nutren, manteniendo la tensión con un genuino deseo católico de unidad, ya no desde la uniformidad, sino en y a partir de las diferencias.
Changing the Church Transformations of Christian Belief, Practice, and Life, 2020
Slowly and gradually the Roman Catholic Church is taking responsibility for what is appropriately... more Slowly and gradually the Roman Catholic Church is taking responsibility for what is appropriately called an institutional failure . A failure that urges it to move from its own axis outward, in a process of significant extroversion. A failure that has pushed to the edge the trust and credibility of its internal structures, especially of its ministries and, thus, touches not only the legal, but also the sacramental, liturgical, and more genuinely spiritual. Taking responsibility for it places the church in a broad plan of necessary reforms.
To undertake this plan, it is essential to look at the reasons that make reform necessary. Our emphasis will be on the progressive loss of trust and credibility, which, although is due to several causes - analyzable from multiple angles – all seem to converge. For the purpose of this work, the angle of analysis will be the vital context of its author, namely a Catholic and Chilean lay theologian. This peculiar place will provide local indicators, with key theological reflections in the context of ecclesial reform. The epistemological assumption is that local churches inform the global church in institutional design as well as in its charismatic vitality.
El artículo expone la historia del movimiento ecuménico en Chile con énfasis particular en la rec... more El artículo expone la historia del movimiento ecuménico en Chile con énfasis particular en la recepción de la apertura ecuménica del Concilio. Muestra el panorama bibliográfico que se ha desarrollado sobre la materia desde los 50’ en adelante. Se describe la emergencia de la respuesta ecuménica desde organizaciones eclesiales de diverso tipo y se analizan las respuestas institucionales de tipo académico, eclesial y gubernamental en materias de ecumenismo. Se ofrece, finalmente, un panorama general de los desafíos pendientes en los diversos ámbitos para el desarrollo del ecumenismo.
One can assume that this book which is published in the "Tesi Gregoriana" series substantially is... more One can assume that this book which is published in the "Tesi Gregoriana" series substantially is the doctoral thesis of B. Puca, although neither the date of its defense nor its director is mentioned. The book consists of an introduction (5-15) and four chapters. The subtitle indicates what the reader may expect: an analysis of Galatians 1:13-2:21 with due attention to the Greco-Roman rhetorical and literary characteristics of the text. With others Puca claims that the Jew Paul was duly influenced by the Greco-Roman culture and educated in it. Paul writes his letters while using rhetorical argumentation. The first chapter, "Epistolografia e retorica" (17-60), contains a quite readable survey of the way in which the Greek letters were composed and how rhetoric was employed in them. Puca is convinced that Paul's letters show a 'marriage' of epistolographic structure and rhetorical arrangement. In an excursus special attention is given to the definition of the term present in the main title: "periautologia." In the second chapter, "Composizone, contesto e retorica della pericope" (61-107), Paul, after a brief indication of the "dispositio" of the whole letter to the Galatians-1:6-10 is called "un exordium inconsueto"-, discusses the argumentative unity of Gal 1:13-2:21, its delimitation and its structure. He explains and criticizes other recent proposals. His own division of this major section is as follows: 1:13-24 (Paul before and after the meeting with the risen Lord); 2:1-10 (second visit of Jerusalem); 2:11-14 (the incident at Antioch); and 2:15-21 (the "mimesi discorsiva"). Strangely enough, as far as I see, no explanation is provided of what precisely is meant by "mimesi." It should also be noticed that 1:11-12 is considered to be the "propositio" of the section and that Puca, although with a number of qualifications, assumes that 2:14b strictly belongs the incident and, against its direct discourse, does not function as part of this closing discourse. The third chapter, "Analisi e lettura particolareggiata del testo Gal 1:13-2:21" (109-215), is by far the longest. A careful exposition, unit by unit, verse by verse and even word by word, is given of this text. Sometimes the grammatical data which are mentioned are so evident that their treatment seems to be superfluous. But without any doubt Puca here proves to be an excellent exegete, balanced in his opinions and choices. Yet the reader will wonder why "we" in 2:15-17 is not strictly limited to Peter and Paul and why the personal "I" in 2:18-21 is soon taken to be referring to all Christian believers.
Uploads
Papers by Sandra Arenas
Se ha buscado en la elaboración del manual un equilibrio entre las descripciones históricas, necesarias para situar cada tema en su contexto y los contenidos sociales y teológicos, de manera que el pasado y el presente enmarquen logros y fallos.
Editores de esta publicación: Antoni MATABOSCH, Fernando RODRÍGUEZ GARRAPUCHO, Andrés VALENCIA y Rafael VÁZQUEZ JIMÉNEZ.
ISBN: 978-84-8260-386-5
Edited by Moons, Jos, Mulder, Sjoerd, Schelkens, Karim
ISBN: 9789085286714
Pope Francis is pushing for a style of being Church that emphasizes that believers journey together. That is still quite a search, because how can believers learn to speak up better and bishops learn to listen better? How do religious traditions deal with differences of opinion?
This book presents the surprising wealth of existing experiences with synodality, for example within religious orders such as the Benedictines, Dominicans and Jesuits. Traditionally, the Anglican, Protestant and Orthodox world have also known forms of dialogic decision-making. Furthermore, recent experiments such as the Synodal Way in Germany are discussed, in addition to experiences from Latin America and the African palaver culture.
Synodality actually already exists, more than you might think. With contributions from: Sandra Arenas, Michael Bakker, Eugene Duffy, Stefan Gärtner, Christopher Hill, Austen Ivereigh, Arnaud Join-Lambert, Leo Koffeman, Thieu Lamberigts, Jan Loffeld & Hendrik Roos, Stefan Mangnus, Jos Moons, Cassien Mulindahabi, Peter Nissen, Mark Rotsaert, Herman Teule, Paul van Geest, Geert van Oyen, Michel Van Parys, Piet Verhagen, Peter-Ben Smit, Hildegard Warnink, Rebekka Willekes.
Francisco advierte que la realidad será posible auscultarla e interpretarla adecuadamente sólo superando ambos riesgos, el de un narcisismo localista y el de una tendencia a homogeneizarlo todo cf. FT 147). Y auscultar la realidad e interpretarla a la luz del Evangelio es la tarea eclesial mayor, desde donde puede advertir el paso de Dios por la historia y obrar en consecuencia. Para discernir la historia, entonces, FT llama a saborear lo local y los movimientos populares que lo nutren, manteniendo la tensión con un genuino deseo católico de unidad, ya no desde la uniformidad, sino en y a partir de las diferencias.
To undertake this plan, it is essential to look at the reasons that make reform necessary. Our emphasis will be on the progressive loss of trust and credibility, which, although is due to several causes - analyzable from multiple angles – all seem to converge. For the purpose of this work, the angle of analysis will be the vital context of its author, namely a Catholic and Chilean lay theologian. This peculiar place will provide local indicators, with key theological reflections in the context of ecclesial reform. The epistemological assumption is that local churches inform the global church in institutional design as well as in its charismatic vitality.