What is the Greek word behind the English word 'church' in the New Testament?
The Greek word behind the English word 'church' in the New Testament is Ekklesia. It literally means a 'called out assembly' and does not always refer to the Body of Christ. The King James translators sometimes rendered it 'assembly,' as with the mob in Ephesus.
Les explains that the word translated 'church' in the New Testament is the Greek word Ekklesia, which can be spelled with a K or C. Its true meaning is a 'called out assembly.' He notes that people often wrongly assume 'church' always means the Body of Christ. For example, Stephen referred to the 'church in the wilderness' in Acts 7, which was Israel called out of Egypt—an Ekklesia. The Jewish believers in Jerusalem were also a called out assembly, an Ekklesia, yet not yet the Body of Christ. In Ephesus, the rioting mob was also called an Ekklesia, but the King James translators used 'assembly' there. Les prefers 'assembly' for these instances because that is what it was. So the term Ekklesia can refer to various called out groups, not exclusively the Church which is His Body.