Ecclesial Belonging as Salvific Praxis: Toward a Concrete Methodist Ecclesiology

Abstract If the church may be described as an ‘actual communal expression of salvation,’ how do ordinary Methodists experience and articulate the significance of belonging? This paper explores the salvific dimension of belonging through a case study of a Methodist church in Cornwall, UK. Drawing on a practical theological reading of Philippians and in dialogue with Tom Greggs’ Dogmatic Ecclesiology , I argue that belonging is a concrete ecclesiological concept which serves as a vital locus of salvation in the world today.