Some close friends and i have been talking a lot about what it means to be a church. What things are required? What things are optional? Is music required? Is prayer required?
I recently heard a pastor define church in this way: “the local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the great commandment and the great commission as missionaries to the world for God’s glory and their joy.”
Now, conversely I’ve recently heard of an author that defines church using Matthew 18:20 – “Where two or three come together in my name, there i am with them.” – essentially arguing that “two or three” gathered “in His name” is all you need to call it church. It could be in a home, a park, or a bar – the only criteria is two or three in His name.
So which is it? Are both correct? Can both be simultaneously correct? What is required to call something a church? I think this is important as it relates to our identity as the body of Christ. Also, our definition of church impacts how we relate to those that don’t know Christ. To be honest, I had never thought through this until I graduated from college. I had just sort of looked for what seemed like a good solid church – whatever that meant. I mean I know what it meant to me, but who is to say that those were the same things God looked for in a church that He liked? It has occurred to me that if I don’t know what the bible says about church, then my criteria for what makes a good church could be, well, “unbiblical.”
Any thoughts?
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Posted by electrofreez 