The Collaborative International Dictionary
Ecclesiology \Ec*cle`si*ol"o*gy\, n. [Ecclesia + -logy.] The science or theory of church building and decoration.
Wiktionary
n. The branch of theology concerned with the doctrines, role etc. of a church.
WordNet
n. the branch of theology concerned with the nature and the constitution and the functions of a church
Wikipedia
Ecclesiology usually now refers to the theological study of the Christian Church. The word was an English neologism of the later 1830s, however; and, within a few years, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of church buildings; it may still be used in this sense.
In its theological sense ecclesiology deals with the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its destiny, and its leadership. Since different ecclesiologies give shape to very different institutions, the word may also refer to a particular church or denomination’s character, self-described or otherwise – hence phrases such as Roman Catholic ecclesiology, Lutheran ecclesiology, and ecumenical ecclesiology.
Usage examples of "ecclesiology".
Yonge himself, that the enterprise was on too large a scale for his partial knowledge, and moreover, much progress had been made during these nine years in ecclesiology, so that architects who had made it their study were to be found.
Fremont, I had just begun doing some riveting research into ancient Greek Orthodox ecclesiology at the library.
But probably none of the Weagles gave five minutes thought a year to theology or ecclesiology, except for Ora, who occasionally stirred up a lot of interesting family irritation by announcing that he was going to become a Catholic, an Episcopalian, a Buddhist, or a Seventh Day Adventist.