Mention the word “church” and most people picture an institution – a religion, a building, a denomination. Often the picture isn’t a flattering one. Throughout history, the visible church has done great good and great harm.
But is the visible church we see today anything like the church described in the Bible? To answer that, we need to go back to what Scripture actually says.
The Greek word for church, ekklesia, and its Hebrew equivalent, qahal, both describe the same thing: a group of people gathered for a shared purpose. Jesus used this word himself:
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18 NIV)
The church, then, is something Jesus predicted and promised to build. It will be persecuted, but never destroyed. The true Church will remain until it is taken up in the rapture.
Why does the Church exist?
At the end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gives the Church its purpose – the Great Commission:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)
A disciple is simply a follower. The Church exists to make followers of Jesus, but that following must be freely chosen, never forced.
Jesus also linked the Church’s mission to the end times. One sign of the end is the completion of a global task:
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 NIV)
Once the gospel has been proclaimed to the whole world, the Church’s earthly work is done. It will then be raptured to meet the Lord.
Can the true Church be defined?
Scripture describes the Church in several ways. Here, it’s the body of Christ:
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:22-23 NIV)
Elsewhere, it’s the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:24-27, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 19:7-9). Both descriptions are true – the Church is both body and bride.
Entry into this Church comes through spiritual rebirth:
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3 NIV)
Put simply: the true Church is everyone who has been born again and has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s the whole definition.
This Church is the earthly representation of Christ until he returns. It isn’t necessarily visible – it’s a supernatural entity, sustained by the Holy Spirit, known fully only to God. We can never be entirely certain who around us is truly saved. The true Church is made up only of those who genuinely are, and it’s this group that will be raptured to meet Christ in the air, at a time known only to the Father.
A common misconception
Many people equate church with a building or a denomination. But Paul, closing his letter to the Romans, refers to the church that meets inside a house:
Greet also the church that meets at their house… (Romans 16:5a NIV)
The church wasn’t the building. It was the people inside it.
God doesn’t identify us by movement or denomination. The Bible gives no instructions on the size or location of a church, he looks at the heart of each person. We’re either saved through Christ, or we’re not, and we can never know that for certain about someone else.
Heaven will hold plenty of surprises, because only God knows who is truly his. We suspect genuinely saved believers exist in almost every Christian denomination, even where teaching, ritual, or tradition strays from Scripture. God plants believers everywhere for his purposes – even, as strange as it sounds, in the most unlikely places, possibly even within Muslim communities where believers must practise their faith in secret to survive.
At its simplest, a church is a small gathering of believers. If you and a friend meet to worship the Lord, that’s church.
Warnings throughout the Bible
The Bible is full of warnings to the first-century churches. Nearly every New Testament letter warns that false doctrine and poor practice would mark the Church, especially as the end draws near. The clearest example is Revelation 2 and 3 – Jesus’s personal message to seven churches in Asia.
Those churches existed only one generation after Christ, yet many were sharply rebuked for embracing false doctrine and bad practice. If that was true then, the modern church, two thousand years further removed, is even more exposed to deception. We’re told to judge any church against the standard of Scripture:
You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1 NIV)
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16 NIV)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NIV)
Scripture should be the only standard a church submits to. Too often, it’s the other way round, the Bible is made to fit the church, with tragic results. Some churches offer little Bible teaching, or none at all. Others promote rituals and traditions with no basis in Scripture. Many treat their congregations as an audience to entertain, prioritising emotional experience over biblical substance.
So where should I go to Church?
Scripture is clear: we can worship God wherever and whenever we like, provided it’s consistent with the Bible. Structured worship matters, but it doesn’t require a building, a specific format, or a particular denomination.
Let the Bible be your guide. The early Christians met in homes. There’s no reason we can’t do the same, especially if no church nearby takes Scripture seriously.
Acts 2:42 gives us a template:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42 NIV)
Four elements stand out:
The apostles’ teaching. This comes only from Scripture, accurately preached. Does your church treat the Bible as the highest authority? Do its teachers believe it means what it says? This is essential.
Fellowship. Genuine worship of the Lord, paired with real relationships within the church. Is it a warm, loving place with urgency for Christ? Is the music true worship, aimed at pleasing God, or manufactured hype designed to entertain?
The breaking of bread. This is communion, which Jesus instructed the apostles to continue as an act of remembrance. It carries no superstitious power, it doesn’t remove sin. It simply focuses us on what Christ achieved through his death and resurrection.
Prayer. The church should be a prayerful community, in services and beyond. Prayer is the Christian’s greatest weapon, a direct line to the Creator of the universe through Jesus Christ. Does your church value clear, orderly prayer aligned with God’s will? Repetition and liturgy rarely produce heartfelt intercession.
Scripture describes many other marks of a healthy church, but these four are essential.
You don’t need an ordained minister to hold a service. The New Testament says nothing about ordination. An ordained leader may be an excellent one, but ordination itself isn’t required, and nor is a theology degree; many Bible colleges have grown liberal and no longer treat Scripture seriously. A formal qualification can be valuable, but it’s better to trust Scripture and the Holy Spirit than academic credentials alone. What matters more is character – see 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 2:1-8 for what the Bible actually asks of a leader.
Congregations should also test what they’re taught, following the example of the Bereans:
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11 NIV, emphasis added)
Worship should always be directed to God alone, for his honour and glory. We’re not there to be entertained, though genuine worship of our Creator will naturally be stimulating and joyful.
If you attend a church, ask yourself: Is the Bible preached faithfully, with the gospel stated clearly and without compromise? Is repentance stressed as the way to approach Jesus? Is coming judgement addressed openly? Is Christ’s return used to inspire a godly life? Does your experience of church draw you closer to Jesus?
If you can’t find a church faithful to Scripture, consider gathering to worship with a few friends or family in your own home instead.
Good churches do exist, and we’re confident true believers remain even within churches that have drifted. If you’re a new Christian, find a wise, mature believer you trust and lean on them. If you have concerns about a church, talk it through with someone you respect, and always measure any church against the standard set by Scripture.
Contact us if you have any questions this article hasn’t answered.