What does "Church" mean to you?

[otseng]

The other night, I was talking with some friends on "what is Church?"

What do you think Church is? What should it be like in today's culture?

(Be reminded that only Christians are to respond in this subforum. Also, this is for discussion only, not to debate.)

[rapture101]

Church to me is a place where you can seek comfort and encouragement.(joy 2)Its a place where you can come togather and worship christ and study his word.Its God house here on earth.\

Thats what I think~!

[Desert_Rose2]

we are God's house (for God does not dwell in temples/houses built by human hand - paraphrase).

The Church is the people, (worldwide), and we are church where 2 or 3 gather in His Name (in His character, in His 'Person,' in Him).
So we can never leave the Church if we are in Jesus and He in us.

[officer2002]

Some times I use the word church to mean the building.
Usually I mean an organization. My church has a Bishop who is under the direction of a Stake President who is under the direction of an Area President who is under the General Authorities for the whole earth. My parents live in California and I live in New Jersey and we are members of the same church because their Bishops(they are divorced and live in different congregations now) and my Bishop are under the direction of the same General Authorities.
I think it is inaccurate to describe all of Christianity as a church. The different branches of Christianity are too different and disconnected to call it a church. I am willing to call a immensely large number of people fellow "Christians" but only call 13 million people members of the same Church.

[Tommy63]

The other night, I was talking with some friends on "what is Church?"

What do you think Church is? What should it be like in today's culture?

(Be reminded that only Christians are to respond in this subforum. Also, this is for discussion only, not to debate.)

Growing up it was the place to go and learn about God and Jesus. Older now I see church as my refuge. A place to go and be surrounded by love. A place where your status in the world doesn't matter to anyone. I think in todays world it should not be any different than the church that was built upon the rock by Jesus. If God's word is still true to this day, then we should not be doing anything different than what the bible has told us from the begining.

[EduChris]

The other night, I was talking with some friends on "what is Church?"

What do you think Church is? What should it be like in today's culture?

(Be reminded that only Christians are to respond in this subforum. Also, this is for discussion only, not to debate.)

One way to get a new perspective on "Church" is to visit countries in the former Soviet Union where the church was persecuted for decades. Nearly all of the (evangelical) church leaders were imprisoned or killed, and only the untrained lay people were left to keep Christians connected to one another on a regular basis. They don't have fancy buildings, but they are very faithful in gathering together for worship, exhortation, and fellowship. Whatever they lack in terms of seminary education and resources, they make up for with sincerity and care for others.

[Joshua Patrick]

Let me put my opinion of the church through a Catholic perspective.

The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13, CCC 813–822)

The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8, CCC 823–829)

The Church Is Catholic(Universal) (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10, CCC 830–856)

The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20, CCC 857–865)

The Church is One,Holy,Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Catholic Church




The church is also the Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth , He guided the Israelites on their escape from Egypt by giving them a pillar of fire to light their way across the dark wilderness (Exod. 13:21). Today he guides us through his Catholic Church.

The Bible, sacred Tradition, and the writings of the earliest Christians testify that the Church teaches with Jesus’ authority. In this age of countless competing religions, each clamoring for attention, one voice rises above the din: the Catholic Church, which the Bible calls "the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).

Jesus assured the apostles and their successors, the popes and the bishops, "He who listens to you listens to me, and he who rejects you rejects me" (Luke 10:16). Jesus promised to guide his Church into all truth (John 16:12–13). We can have confidence that his Church teaches only the truth.


So the church is the Catholic Church to me, not some mystical union of all Christians who debate against each other, that would make Christ's body(The Catholic Church) in schism. He asked us to be one, that is what we are.


A full detailed explantion of the church is fount here; http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

[Joshua Patrick]

Jesus said his Church would be "the light of the world." He then noted that "a city set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:14)




He then noted that "a city set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:14) VATICAN CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jokes