The ChurchSample

What is the Church?

Question: What is the Church?

Answer: The Church is the family of believers who are united in Christ, in all times and all places, and expressed in many different local congregations.

What do you think about when you think about church? Do you think of family and friends? Do you think of traditions: Easter or Christmas? Do you think of sermons or Sunday School? Do you think of programs or your favorite church building? What do you think about?

Or maybe you’ve spent some time thinking about this and you know that the Church isn’t any of those things. You know that the Church is the people of God who are about the mission of God in the world. But don’t we all still tend to think of our own church, in our own city, in our own state and country?

We have to remember that the Church is the people of God spread across thousands of years and spread across the whole world, all united by a central belief and confession. We have brothers and sisters not just across town, but across the country and the world. We have brothers and sisters in places we’ve never been. And we have brothers and sisters from time periods in which we didn’t even live.

Spend some time today and read this summary of what the Church believes, which is called the Apostles’ Creed (the word “catholic” means “universal” in the Apostles’ Creed):

“We believe in God the Father almighty

Maker of heaven and earth;

and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of God

the Father almighty;

from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic (universal) church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.”