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CHURCH
There is much confusion as to what the "church" is, who it is, why it is, its definition, its purpose, its function, its organization, etc. There are MANY groups, organizations, etc. which use "church" in their name, and so it is absolutely imperative that we understand what each one means by that so as to not be deceived. Ultimately our views on "church" MUST come from the Bible if they are to be correct views as to what is a biblical-based Christian "church". Just to (hopefully) make the point very obvious, there is a "church" which is "the church of Satan". If you are a Christian, you will stay far away from that "church". There are many other "churches", which would like to be known as "Christian", which are not. One of the many examples of this is the "Church of Jesus Christ - Latter Day Saints", which is not in fact a biblical Christian church, even though that's what there name states. (Note: you can read more about this "church" HERE). In Japan, there is a "Perfect Liberty Church", which is nothing other than a Buddhist sect. There are still many other "churches" which say they hold to Biblical Christian doctrine, but do not do so in practice, and/or have strayed from those doctrines altogether. 
DEFINITION:
How is all this possible? Well, the Greek word translated into English as "church" is ecclesia, which in its simplest form means an "assembly" and does not in and of itself mean, or even imply, anything Christian. So, just to be fair, it is not really "wrong" for the groups mentioned above to refer to their "assembly" using the word "church". It is only when we have already associated that word with a Christian meaning that we get quickly upset with how others use that word. So, if ANY assembly of any kind has the "right" to use the word "church", it would hopefully be VERY evident that great discernment is needed in determining what each "church" truly believes, practices, etc. A "church" CAN be a Christian church, but it can also mean any number of other kind of assembly. So, just for the record, for a Christian, a "true church" is a biblically based assembly, or to put it another way, it is an assembly of those people who have repented of their sin, trusted Christ for His substitutionary payment of sin's death penalty and who seek to live for God in the manner HE chooses for them.  
PURPOSE:
It has been said that even the "true church" has an identity crisis. A USA Today poll sometime in the early 1990's found that of the 56 percent of Americans who attended "church", 45 percent did so because "it's good for you", while 26 percent cited "peace of mind and spiritual well-being". Specific doctrines did not seem important. Interestingly, these reasons ignore what is truly the PRIMARY reason for an assembly - to WORSHIP God! (But if this "church service" is the focus of our "worship", I believe we are mistaken. See our related link on worship HERE.) It's really NOT all about US, it's all about HIM! For many, their "church" experience follows along with their consumer mentality and it's all about what pleases us, what makes us happy, and more and more we see that people are looking more for a social club where relationships with people are the focal point, rather than being influenced as to how they live and what they believe. There is a fair number of books and articles on this consumer mentality, which you can certainly do an internet search to find, but one we found helpful is "The Consumer-Driven Church" by Bruce Shelley and Marshall Shelley. "Spiritual consumers are interested not in what the church stands for but in the fulfillment it can deliver", when what really matters is Biblical fidelity.


While far from complete, and not purposing to offend, we have put together some information regarding various "Christian" churches (denominations, if you will) to help you to sort out some of the differences, distinctions, etc. of various "Christian churches". Please understand that churches today are becoming more and more "fluid", by which we mean prone to change rapidly, so that even the information presented on the link below may be outdated by the time you read it. You can link to that study by clicking HERE.
  

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  • Home
    • Topics >
      • Abortion
      • Alpha Course
      • Arminianism
      • Communion
      • Assurance
      • Baptism >
        • Baptism - Lexicon Info
        • Baptismal Salvation
        • Infant Baptism
        • Baptism as an Ordinance of the church
      • Body of Christ
      • Calvinism
      • Covenant Theology
      • Denominations >
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        • Assembly of God
        • Baptist >
          • American Baptist Churches USA
          • Baptist Bible Fellowships
          • Baptist General Conference
          • Conservative Baptist Fellowship
          • Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
          • Free Will Baptists
          • General Six Principle Baptists
          • Independent Baptists
          • Landmark Baptists
          • Missionary Baptists
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          • Primitive Baptists
          • Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC)
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          • Southern Baptists
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          • Church of God - Anderson
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          • Church of God of Prophecy
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        • International Pentecostal Holiness Church
        • Lutheran Church >
          • Evangelical Lutheran
          • Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
        • Mennonites >
          • Amish Mennonites
          • Beachy Amish Mennonites
          • Conservative Mennonite Conference
          • General Conference Mennonites
          • Hutterites
          • Mennonite Church USA
          • Old Order Mennonites
          • Old Order Amish Mennonites
          • Reformed Mennonite Church
        • Methodists >
          • Free Methodists
          • United Methodists
        • Nazarenes
        • Presbyterian Church >
          • Bible Presbyterian Church
          • Orthodox Presbyterians
          • Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
          • Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA)
        • Quakers
        • Reformed Churches >
          • Christian Reformed Church
          • Unitarian Universalists
          • Reformed Church in America
        • Roman Catholic Church
        • Wesleyans
      • Canaan
      • Charismatic Movement
      • Church
      • Creation
      • Cults >
        • Christadelphians
        • Church of Christ, Scientist
        • Free Masons
        • Jehovah's Witnesses
        • Mormons
        • Seventh Day Adventists
        • Scientology
        • Unity Church
      • Deacons
      • Discipleship
      • Dispensationalism
      • Doctrines of Grace
      • Easter
      • Easy Believism
      • Ecumenicism
      • Election >
        • Who are the Elect and Why?
      • Emergent/Emerging Church/Movement
      • Evolution
      • Foot washing
      • Foreknowledge
      • Gospel
      • Halloween
      • Hermeneutics
      • Holiness Movement
      • Homosexuality
      • House Churches
      • House of God
      • Humanism
      • Inerrancy (of the Bible)
      • Islam
      • Justification
      • Knowing God
      • Lord's Supper / Lord's Table
      • Lordship Salvation
      • Original Sin
      • Pentecostal Movement
      • Positive Confession Movement
      • Predestination
      • Prophecy
      • Prosperity Gospel Movement
      • Reformed Theology
      • Repentance
      • Replacement Theology
      • Roman Catholicism
      • Sabbath / Lord's Day / Sunday
      • Sacramentalism
      • Salvation
      • Sanctification >
        • Entire Sanctification
      • Sovereignty of God
      • Spiritual Gifts
      • Substitution
      • Tithing
      • Tongues
      • Tradition
      • Unity
      • Vineyard Movement
      • The Christian "Walk"
      • Will of God
      • Wine
      • Worship
  • About Us
  • Blogs
    • Blood of Christ
    • Christianity Lite ?
    • Christmas Expectancy
    • Chronicle of Defeat
    • Easy Faith ?
    • Eulogy
    • God's Name
    • Grow
    • Hiking
    • Hope
    • Identification With Christ
    • Jesus the tekton
    • Natural Disasters
    • Non-resistance
    • One Day
    • Perseverance
    • Pragmatism (Success)
    • Prayer
    • "Preach the Gospel - Use Words if Necessary"
    • Que sera, sera ?
    • Quotables
    • Resolutions
    • Seeing Jesus
    • Songs (Hymns) >
      • Site Theme Song
      • Songs - Recommended
      • Songs With Issues >
        • And Can It Be
        • I Know Whom I Have Believed
      • Songs Better Left Unsung >
        • Come, Thou Almighty King
        • Create in Me a Clean Heart
        • Faith of Our Fathers
        • Just a Little Talk with Jesus
        • The Old Rugged Cross
        • Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior
        • Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart
    • Spiritual Authority
    • Spiritual "Lettuce"
    • Spiritual Strength
    • Substitution
    • The Fig Tree
    • The Four "Transes"
    • The Tongue
    • Thought Life - How is Yours?
    • Times Such as These
    • Do You Know What Time It Is?
  • Critical Questions
    • Is there really a God?
    • Who is God?
    • Can we really know God? >
      • The "Knowing God" Study >
        • God IS
        • GOD IS ABLE
        • God is AWESOME
        • God is COMPASSIONATE
        • God is a CONSUMING FIRE
        • God is My DEFENSE
        • God is My DELIVERER
        • God is FAITHFUL
        • God is FOR you !
        • God is GOOD
        • God is GRACIOUS
        • God is GREAT
        • God is my GUIDE
        • God is My HELPER
        • God is my HIGH TOWER
        • God is HOLY
        • God is JEALOUS
        • God is JUDGE
        • God is KIND
        • God is KING
        • God is LIFE
        • God is LIGHT
        • God is LONGSUFFERING
        • God is LOVE
        • God is MERCIFUL
        • God is MIGHTY
        • God is PERFECT
        • God is PRECIOUS
        • God is PURE
        • God is my REDEEMER
        • God is my REFUGE
        • God is my REWARDER
        • God is RIGHTEOUS
        • God is my ROCK
        • God is SALVATION
        • God is my SHEPHERD
        • God is my SHIELD
        • God is SLOW TO ANGER
        • God is my SONG
        • God is SPIRIT
        • God is my STRENGTH
        • God is a WARRIOR
        • God is WISE
        • God is WITH me
        • Jesus is the BREAD
        • Jesus is the DOOR
        • Jesus is the HEAD
        • Jesus is the LAMB
        • Jesus is the SHEPHERD
        • Jesus is the TRUTH
        • Jesus is the WAY
        • Jesus is WORTHY
        • Holy Spirit is COMFORTER
    • Who is Jesus?
    • What about the Bible?
    • Where did everything come from?
    • Who am I?
    • Why am I here?
    • How should I live?
    • What happens when I die?
  • Bible
    • Genesis
    • Exodus >
      • Exodus - Gleanings >
        • Making Excuses to God
        • Facing Compromise
        • Spared to Serve
        • Bitter Waters
        • Manna Lessons
        • God Uses People to Help Us
    • Leviticus
    • Numbers
    • Deuteronomy
    • Joshua
    • Judges >
      • Judges 6 - Gideon's Doubts; God's Assurances
      • Judges 6-8 Lessons From Gideon
    • Ruth
    • 1 Samuel
    • 2 Samuel
    • 1 Kings
    • 2 Kings >
      • 2 Kings 5
    • 1 Chronicles
    • 2 Chronicles
    • Ezra >
      • Ezra - Gleanings
      • Ezra 7:10
      • Ezra 9
    • Nehemiah
    • Esther
    • Job
    • Psalms
    • Proverbs
    • Ecclesiastes
    • Song of Solomon
    • Isaiah >
      • Isaiah 8:11-22
    • Jeremiah
    • Lamentations
    • Ezekiel
    • Daniel
    • Hosea
    • Joel
    • Amos >
      • Amos - Outline & Study Guide
    • Obadiah
    • Jonah >
      • Jonah 4:11
    • Micah
    • Nahum
    • Habakkuk
    • Zephaniah
    • Haggai
    • Zechariah
    • Malachi
    • Matthew >
      • Matthew 21:18-21
    • Mark
    • Luke
    • John >
      • John 5:21
      • John 6:44,65
      • John 15
    • Acts >
      • Acts - Overview
    • Romans >
      • Romans 3:9-12
    • 1 Corinthians >
      • 1 Corinthians 2:9-10
      • 1 Corinthians 11:17-23
    • 2 Corinthians
    • Galatians
    • Ephesians >
      • Ephesians 2:8
    • Philippians
    • Colossians
    • 1 Thessalonians
    • 2 Thessalonians
    • 1 Timothy
    • 2 Timothy >
      • 2 Timothy 2:15
    • Titus >
      • Titus - Outline and overview
    • Philemon
    • Hebrews >
      • Hebrews 10:25
    • James >
      • James - Overview
      • James 4:14
    • 1 Peter
    • 2 Peter
    • 1 John
    • 2 John
    • 3 John
    • Jude
    • Revelation >
      • Rev. 1:10
  • Contact Us