Some Baptists (e.g., Landmark Baptists) insist that the only ekklesia in the New Testament is a local church. Every usage, according to them, refers to the local church, individually or collectively. However, this view runs up against serious problems.
For instance, it cannot successfully interpret each usage of ekklesia, such as Ephesians 3:21: “To Him be the glory in the church … forever and ever.” Since there will be no local church life in any meaningful biblical sense in heaven, it is difficult to see how this usage can refer to the local church.
Rolland McCune, A Systematic Theology of Biblical Christianity, Vol. 3, p. 210
