초기 그리스도교에서 교회는 본당이라는 제도 없이 살았다. 시간이 흐르면서 필요에 의해서 본당이라는 제도가 형성되었다. 그리고 그러한 본당을 이해하는 방법은 시간과 장소에 따라 변화되었다. 그렇듯이 제2차 바티칸 공의회에서는 지역을 기준으로 하는 트렌토 공의회의 접근 방식으로부터 그리스도교 공동체가 중심인 접근 방법으로 옮겨졌다. 이러한 본당의 본질적 특성을 다음 세 가지로 말할 수 있다. 첫째, 보편교회를 실현하는 그리스도교 공동체본당은 교구 내에 “고정적으로 설정된 일정한 그리스도교 신자들의 공동체”이다. 따라서 본당은 인간을 위하여 그리고 역사적으로 형성된 인간의 공동체를 위하여 존재하는 보편교회의 구조적인 필요성에 대한 응답이라고 할 수 있다. 이러한 지역교회는 자신들의 언어와 문화, 그리고 자신들만의 고정되어 있는 역사에 연관된 자신들만의 정체성이 있다. 그러나 이러한 특별성은 “가톨릭 교회에 맡겨진 충만한 은총과 진리”안에서 보편교회를 실현한다. 이것은 주교의 직무와 그의 협력자인 사목자의 직무를 포함하고 있으며, 그리고 하느님 백성이 자신이 살고 있는 세상에 복음을 증거하고 세례와 성찬례 안에서 서로 간에 친교를 이룸으로써 시작하는 교회의 직무를 함축적으로 포함하고 있다. 둘째, 본당의 지역적 특성지역적 특성을 지닌 본당이라고 표현하는 것은 사람들이 인간적 조건들을 통하여 교회의 소속감을 지닐 수 있다는 것을 말한다. 사실 인간은 자신이 속한 공동체 없이는 어느 누구도 사회에서 살아갈 수 없다. 이런 사실을 교회는 보여주고 인간사회에서 교회 공동체의 탁월함을 보여준다. 이런 본당의 지리적 차원은 교회를 지역화하는 것을 말하는 것이 아니라 모든 사람이 교회에 속할 수 있다는 가능성을 말하는 것이다. 이렇듯 지역적으로 접합된 본당은 복음이 보편적으로 받아들여질 수 있고 그리스도의 교회에 모든 이가 연관되어 있음을 보여준다. 셋째, 본당의 지역적 책임본당이 자신의 지역에 대한 책임을 지녀야 한다는 것은 어떤 한정적인 지역에 있는 교회의 표징인 그리스도 공동체가 자신이 살아가고 있는 세상의 일부분, 정확히 말하면 지역에 봉사해야 한다는 것을 인식하고 있다는 뜻이다. 이것은 과거에 갖고 있던 지역적으로 한정되어 있는 본당의 정체성을 극복하고 또한 지역이 교회 공동체 활동과 인간 공동체의 활동을 드러내주는 혼합된 장소라는 것을 인식한 것이다. 본당은 과거나 현재에도 인간을 위한 모임의 중심으로 자리잡고 있고 공동체적 감각을 성장시킨다. 오늘날 새롭게 나타나는 요구들과, 사회적 책임감의 성장, 사회 구조의 발전, 새롭게 등장한 능력있는 주체들로 이루어지는 지역 정치에 직면하여 본당은 자신의 진정한 존재, 즉 교회의 표징으로서 자신을 드러낼 수 있는 방법을 찾도록 불리움 받는다. 따라서 본당이 사람들을 창조와 봉사의 삶을 살도록 도와주며, 본당생활이 종종 공적 참여(정치적 참여)를 대체하거나 미리 체험하게 하면서, 지역과의 견고한 연결고리를 만들어내는 구조를 지니고 있다는 사실을 인식할 필요가 있다.

In the Primitive Christianity era, the church lived without parish system. Parish system had been established on demands as it got on years and years. And, the way of understanding such parish has been changed at a time and at a place. As might be done, the Vatican Council II was moved into the approach based on Christianity Community from the approach that based on district at the Council of Triento. Such parish system has three essential characteristics like the followings. Firstly, Christianity Community realizing universal church. Parish is "a certain community of christian fixed and established" in a diocese. Hence, the parish is the response of the structural needs of universal church, which exists for human and human community formed historically. Such local church has its own characteristics related with its language, culture, and its own fixed history. However, this specialty realizes universal church in the grace and in the truth entrusted to the Catholic church. This includes the duty of Bishop, the duty of Pastoral as his collaborator, and by implication the duty of the Church, which starts from bearing testimony to the Word of God, as people of God, in this living world, and holding communion with each other through Baptism and Holy Communion. Second, a district characteristic of parish.The expression, parish having a district characteristic, means that people can get an affinity of church through human conditions. To tell the truth, human cannot live alone without a belonged community in the society. The church shows this, and also shows the primacy of community in it. This kind of geographical dimentionl in parish not mentions a regionalizing the church but mentions a possibility that everyone can belong to church. Therefore, the parish, which is built in district, shows the fact that the Word of God can be taken universally, and everyone is related with Christian Church. Third, Parish obligation to the territory.The fact that parish has an obligation to the territory means that Christianity Community, as a sign of Church, recognizes its obligation to a part of the world where it lives, and recognizes the fact that it should serve to, exactly speaking, the district. It also means that the Church has to overcome the stillness of the previous parish defined only in district, and recognizes that a district is a complex place which the activities of church community and human community are exposed in. Parish settles down as a centre of assembly for human being, and grows out a sense of community. Today, facing with new pop-up needs, growth of obligation to the society, development of social structure, and the local politics consists of new entrance of capable main parties, parish is forced to find the way of its exposure as its true self, namely the sign of the Church. Hence, parish needs to recognize that it has a certain structure making a strong link with the territory altogether with helping people to live on creation and serve.

In the Primitive Christianity era, the church lived without parish system. Parish system had been established on demands as it got on years and years. And, the way of understanding such parish has been changed at a time and at a place. As might be done, the Vatican Council II was moved into the approach based on Christianity Community from the approach that based on district at the Council of Triento. Such parish system has three essential characteristics like the followings. Firstly, Christianity Community realizing universal church. Parish is "a certain community of christian fixed and established" in a diocese. Hence, the parish is the response of the structural needs of universal church, which exists for human and human community formed historically. Such local church has its own characteristics related with its language, culture, and its own fixed history. However, this specialty realizes universal church in the grace and in the truth entrusted to the Catholic church. This includes the duty of Bishop, the duty of Pastoral as his collaborator, and by implication the duty of the Church, which starts from bearing testimony to the Word of God, as people of God, in this living world, and holding communion with each other through Baptism and Holy Communion. Second, a district characteristic of parish.The expression, parish having a district characteristic, means that people can get an affinity of church through human conditions. To tell the truth, human cannot live alone without a belonged community in the society. The church shows this, and also shows the primacy of community in it. This kind of geographical dimentionl in parish not mentions a regionalizing the church but mentions a possibility that everyone can belong to church. Therefore, the parish, which is built in district, shows the fact that the Word of God can be taken universally, and everyone is related with Christian Church. Third, Parish obligation to the territory.The fact that parish has an obligation to the territory means that Christianity Community, as a sign of Church, recognizes its obligation to a part of the world where it lives, and recognizes the fact that it should serve to, exactly speaking, the district. It also means that the Church has to overcome the stillness of the previous parish defined only in district, and recognizes that a district is a complex place which the activities of church community and human community are exposed in. Parish settles down as a centre of assembly for human being, and grows out a sense of community. Today, facing with new pop-up needs, growth of obligation to the society, development of social structure, and the local politics consists of new entrance of capable main parties, parish is forced to find the way of its exposure as its true self, namely the sign of the Church. Hence, parish needs to recognize that it has a certain structure making a strong link with the territory altogether with helping people to live on creation and serve.

Parish, Realizing universal church, Christianity Community, District Community, Obligation to territory