The Church as Mystical Communion

The purpose of this article is to examine the value of an interdisciplinary approach to dealing with ecclesiological issues of a relational nature and to contribute to the ecclesiological understanding of the church as a mystical communion. By applying role-theoretical, ecclesiological, and liturgical-theological perspectives to three fictional pastoral cases, the study shows that the methodological approach and the ecclesiological dimension (horizontal or vertical) considered are of crucial importance to how relational events of a pastoral nature can be interpreted and understood. The study demonstrates the productivity of bringing together theoretical perspectives from behavioural science and theology and shows that an awareness of the two ecclesiological dimensions (horizontal and vertical) can strengthen the conditions for keeping them together. According to the study, the understanding of the church as “a body” is crucial – not only the social body but also, and especially, the mystical body. In a mystical theological sense, it is in the juxtaposition between the horizontal and the vertical that “healing” occurs and “koinonia” takes place.