Why Do We Do Church This Way? Rethinking Traditions

This week on Cultivate, we continued our deep dive into ecclesiology—the study of what it means to be the church. Charlie and Abigail tackled some big questions: What really defines a local church? How do biblical principles guide our methods and traditions? Pulling from passages like Matthew 28:19–20, Ephesians 4:11–13, and Acts 2:42, we explored how baptism, teaching, fellowship, and serving are central to the church’s mission. The conversation also addressed how different structures and traditions develop, and how we can hold to core biblical truths while staying flexible about non-essential details, like service formats or leadership roles. If you’ve ever wondered why churches do what they do—or wrestled with the difference between core theology and church customs—this episode is for you. We invite you to reflect on how the church’s mission shows up in your own life, and to join us in looking for ways to live out faith in community, wherever you are.