Church (Christian)

A church is an association of people with a common set of religious beliefs, respectively their place of worship. It derives from an old greek word and is generally used to refer to Christian meanings, though the term is sometimes popularly applied to other religions and / or buildings.

Origins

Etymologic origins

The English language word "church" developed from Old English cirice, from West Germanic kirika, from Greek kyriake (oikia) "Lord's (house)", from kyrios "ruler, lord." The Greek word kyriakon (an adjective meaning "of the Lord") was used of houses of Christian worship since c.300, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ekklesia or basilike. An abbreviation of ekklesia kyriake used in the septuagint to mean congregation of the lord.

Theologic origins

The Christian concept of a "Church" is used for the Greek (ecclesia,church,ekklesia), ref. [Strong's Concordance] 1577, Bauer's, Thayer's, and Moulton's and is introduced by Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament. Of the 114 occurrences of the term in the New Testament, three are found in the Gospel of Matthew: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my ekklesia, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Mt 16:18); and "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the ekklesia; and if he refuses to listen even to the ekklesia, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax-collector" (Mt 18:17).

The Greek term 'ekklesia', which literally means a "gathering" or "selection" or "called out assembly", was a governmental and political term, used to denote a national assembly.

This concept in Christian terms has its direct antecedent in the Koine Greek translation of the Old Testament (see also Septuagint), where the noun ekklesia has been employed 96 times to denote the congregation of the Children of Israel, which Christians regard as a Type of the "Body of Christ", as they also call the Christian Church of Jesus Christ.

Christian churches

The church referred to by Jesus, is not just an organization to whom he gives heavenly and earthly authority (Matt 16:18-20) but is an organism to which Paul calls it in 1 Corinthians 12 "the body of Christ"

This group shares two primary traits:

• Acceptance of Salvation by the blood of Jesus through the confession of their mouths, not through works. (Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 10:9)
• By emulating the works (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for orphans and widows) and miracles (healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk) of Christ

Where the term is taken to mean a denomination-type group the largest church may be the global Roman Catholic Church, with adherents of a particular creed or believers of a particular tradition. Various Christian churches are distinguished by their different ecclesiastical hierarchies, their creeds, and their Bibles and other sacred texts. Several Christian churches consider themselves to be the true church established by Christ (see Great Commission), including the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Restorationist churches. The Christian Church is sometimes also understood to mean the totality of believers across the various Christian churches. For example, Roman Catholics consider the Eastern Orthodox to be members of the Body of Christ, even though they are not Catholic.

Each church recognizes all, more or fewer of its fellow Christian churches as legitimate. Mainstream denominations are generally compatible enough that members do not have to be rebaptized when they switch from one denomination to another. Still, even mainstream denominations can be far apart ecumenically. The commonality is that they all believe and follow Jesus Christ as saviour. They all follow his teachings.

Attributes

Spiritual authority

It is a wideley held belief among Christians that the Christian church is guided by the Holy Spirit and given spiritual authority by Christ.

According to Christian tradition, the "authority" of Jesus Christ to preach, to teach, and to do all the things that He had done while on Earth came from the Father God above. Before Jesus Christ had ascended to Heaven, He had given His apostles and disciples an authority too, first to preach (that may include teaching, exhorting, rebuking, correcting), and second, to baptize. And this "authority" was relayed to by the apostles to the disciples, from disciples to the next disciples, to the next disciples to the following next disciples, until His second coming. And the relaying of this authority or "passing of" this authority had been conducted solely by the church. This passing of authority was sometimes called, the anointing or appointing of pastors or leaders of a respective churches.

(Membership in the Christian church has traditionally been defined by baptism. The church administers Christianity's sacred acts: baptism, the Lord's supper, worship, etc.)

Visible and invisible churches

Many believe the Church, as described in the Bible, has a twofold character that can be described as the visible and invisible church. As the Church invisible, the church consists of all those from every time and place, who are vitally united to Christ through regeneration and salvation and who will be eternally united to Jesus Christ in eternal life. The Church visible consists of all those who visibly join themselves to a profession of faith and gathering together to know and serve the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ. The visible church exists globally in all who identify themselves as Christians and locally in particular places where believers gather for the worship of God. The visible church may also refer to an association of particular churches from multiple locations who unite themselves under a common charter and set of governmental principles. The church in the visible sense is often governed by office-bearers carrying titles such as minister, pastor, teacher, elder, and deacon.

Others make the claim that no reference to the church is ever made in the Bible that is not referring to a local visible body, such as the church in someone's house or the church as Ephesis. Those that make this claim believe that the term is sometimes used in an institutional sense in which the term refers to all of a certain type, meaning all of the local visible churches.

Universal church

Church is taken by some to refer to a single, universal community, although others contend that the doctrine of the universal church was established until later. The doctrine of the universal, visible church was made explicit in the Apostles' Creed, while the less common Protestant notion of the universal, invisible church is not laid out explicitly until the Reformation. The universal church traditions generally espouse that the Church includes all who are baptized into her common faith, including the doctrines of the trinity, forgiveness of sins through the sacrificial action of Christ, and the resurrection of the body. These teachings are expressed in liturgy with the celebration of sacraments, visible signs of grace. They are passed down as the deposit of faith.

Church government

Major forms of church government include hierarchical (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodoxy), presbyterian (rule by elders), and independent (Baptist, charismatic, other forms of independency). Prior to the Protestant Reformation, clergy were understood to gain their authority through apostolic succession, an understanding still affirmed in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic churches and Anglican churches. Sergio, All are a group of believers that follow Jesus Christ's teachings.

Metaphors

Christian scriptures use a wide range of metaphors to describe the church. These include:

• Family of God the Father (Ephesians 3:14–15,2 Corinthians 6:18)
• Brothers and sisters with each other in God's family (Matthew 12:49–50)
• Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:31–32)
• Branches on a vine (John 15:5)
• Olive tree (Romans 11:17–24)
• Field of crops (1 Corinthians 3:6–9)
• Building (1 Corinthians 3:9)
• Harvest (Matthew 13:1–30,John 4:35)
• New temple and new priesthood with a new cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4–8)
• God's house (Hebrews 3:3–6)
• Pillar and foundation the truth (1 Timothy 3:15)
• Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–27)
• Temple of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 6:16)
• House of Prayer (John 2:16)

See also

• Body of Christ
• Bride of Christ
• Christian Church
• Ecclesia (Church)
• Ecclesiology
• Evangelism
• History of Christianity (Church History)
• House Church
• Kirk
• Mosque
• List of largest churches in the world
• Synagogue
• Temple
• MyChurch

References

• Anderson, Robert A., Church of God? or the Temples of Satan: A reference book of Spiritual understanding and Gnosis, TGS Publishers, Texas, 2006. ISBN 0-9786249-6-3.
• Bannerman, James, The Church of Christ: A treatise on the nature, powers, ordinances, discipline and government of the Christian Church, Still Waters Revival Books, Edmonton, Reprint Edition May 1991, First Edition 1869.
• Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England, 1994. See particularly Part 6: The Doctrine of the Church
• Kuiper, R.B., The Glorious Body of Christ, The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1967
• Mannion, Gerard and Mudge, Lewis (eds.), The Routledge Companion to the Christian Church, 2007
• Bishop Aaron Girling, Droitwich, England
• Vicar Andy Hodgkiss, Worcester, England