Recent Examples on the Web
The church’s ham giveaway event is now in its third year.
—
Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2023
Commemorating Palm Sunday with palm branches goes back to the early Christian church.
—Greg Garrison | , al, 2 Apr. 2023
This was a private Catholic school, or excuse me Christian School attached to a church.
—CBS News, 2 Apr. 2023
The church’s leaders have said that the behavior of individual priests does not reflect its overall position.
—Yurii Shyvala, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2023
Locally, the Catholic Church abuse scandal originated not from the widespread abuse of children by priests, but rather from the church’s efforts to cover it up.
—James Pindell, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2023
For other of the church’s food distribution locations, visit sdrock.com/provisions.
—Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2023
In vivid geometries and colors, the windows celebrate the church’s commitment to connections between biblical and African American heritages.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 28 Mar. 2023
Coleman paid the man using donations people gave to the church.
—Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2023
Jenny journeyed to a questionable mega-church compound that seemed extremely cult-like, only to discover Cody never made it there.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Dec. 2020
Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don’t practice the beliefs.
—Felicia Fonseca, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022
Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don’t practice the beliefs.
—Felicia Fonseca, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022
Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don’t practice the beliefs.
—Felicia Fonseca, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022
To be coarse about the main difference is that there are relatively few religious liberals within the working class, and proportionally fewer orthodox non-church-goers among the middle class.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2012
Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don’t practice the beliefs.
—Felicia Fonseca, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022
Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don’t practice the beliefs.
—Felicia Fonseca, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022
Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don’t practice the beliefs.
—Felicia Fonseca, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022
Two years of having cookouts with family, going to church on Sundays and dreaming of staying free for the rest of his life.
—Angela M. Hill, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023
Allen would take Thomas to church with him.
—Jon Blau, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Nov. 2020
Oertel and Riser started going to church together.
—Adam Rogan, Star Tribune, 10 Aug. 2020
Lizzo was ready to take attendees at the 65th annual Grammy Awards to church on Sunday (Feb. 5).
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 5 Feb. 2023
With the capacity of some species to transovarially transmit disease to their offspring, a single tick can church out thousands of disease vectors.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2011
Could church leaders somehow sense the divine feminine reawakening?
—Cassady Rosenblum, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2022
Could church leaders do a better job of helping people feel more comfortable in their bodies?
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 June 2022
In addition, his friend, John Vino, takes him to church several times a week and out to lunch.
—Deirdre Reilly, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘church.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
What does the word “church” mean? What is the biblical definition of the church?
What “Church” Means?
Jesus once said to His disciples that “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18) so it is not our church or nay body of believer’s church. It is Jesus’ church and He built it and not even the gates of hell can stop it. The word Jesus used for church was the Greek word “ekklēsia” and is the same word used for when a gathering of citizens are called out from their homes into some public place for an assembly so it’s an assembly of God’s children who have been called out and adopted into the family of God (Eph 1:4-5, 11). We might think we sought after God but the children of God were not born of their own will or of the will of any man but of the will of God (John 1:13) so the church is a group or assembly of believer’s who have been purchased by God through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and adopted into the family of God.
What Church is Not
What the church is not is a manmade gathering of people who decided for themselves to build a church to meet together and sing worship songs to God. The church is not a building; the church is composed of many members who have repented and trusted in Christ and it’s not just that they need a building to meet in since a home is not large enough for all the different members and to do the work that Jesus commands us to do (Matt 25). The church is a body of believers who have trusted in Christ and now seek to glorify Christ and to reach the lost for Christ. In other words, it’s all about Jesus Christ. If a church never teaches the need for repentance and faith, they are ignoring the very gospel that Jesus Christ introduced (Mark 1:15) and as such, they are nothing more than a manmade social club that gathers together to simply meet their own needs. They don’t understand that it’s not their church; it is the church of Jesus Christ that He built, using blood-mixed mortar from His own body. Therefore Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone.
What Church is
I barely touched on this in the previous paragraph but I want to expand on the fact that this is not our church but it is Jesus Christ’s church “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1st Cor 3:11) and we “are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 19-21). God has laid the cornerstone in Christ by which the whole building is aligned with but He has also built the foundation (already!) with the prophets and apostles, and it is “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph 2:22). The church is not a building. The church is not a social club. The church is a body of believers who have turned from their sins and forsaken then (repented) and the turned to Christ and placed their trust in Him. There is never any panic about whether the church will survive or not. Jesus said it will survive, no matter what (Matt 16:18)!
Jesus the Builder
God is seeking those today who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) and He will not accept worship that doesn’t have both necessary components but the Bible also teaches that “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). It doesn’t matter what you think about the church or what the church is because Jesus says and He declares as plain as day, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16) and again, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil” (John 6:70), meaning Judas.
Conclusion
The church is a gathering or assembly of believers who have repented and trusted in Christ, a body of believer’s called out by God, a gathering of the saints to take the gospel into all the world in the hopes of making other disciples, teaching them what Jesus taught His own disciples (Matt 28:19-20), and we, being many members, are all fit together into one building that will strive to live in holiness, have the desire to rescue the perishing, and to glorify God in all that we do. That’s what the church is and what the word “church” means.
Article by Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Look up Church or church in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Church may refer to:
Religion[edit]
- Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
- Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
- Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
- Christian denomination, a Christian organization with distinct doctrine and practice
- Christian Church, either the collective body of all Christian believers, or early Christianity
Places[edit]
United Kingdom[edit]
- Church (Liverpool ward), a Liverpool City Council ward
- Church (Reading ward), a Reading Borough Council ward
- Church (Sefton ward), a Metropolitan Borough of Sefton ward
- Church, Lancashire, England
United States[edit]
- Church, Iowa, an unincorporated community
- Church Lake, a lake in Minnesota
Arts, entertainment, and media[edit]
- Church magazine, a pastoral theology magazine published by the National Pastoral Life Center
Fictional entities[edit]
- Church (Red vs. Blue), a fictional character in the video web series Red vs. Blue
- Church, a cat in Stephen King’s novel Pet Sematary
- Church, a meeting of SOA members in the FX television series Sons of Anarchy
Films[edit]
- The Church (1989 film), an Italian horror film directed by Michele Soavi
- The Church (2018 film), an American horror film directed by Dom Franklin
Music[edit]
Groups[edit]
- Chvrches, an electropop trio from Glasgow, Scotland
- The Church (band), an Australian psychedelic rock band formed in Sydney in 1980
Albums[edit]
- Church (album), a 2020 album by Swedish electronic dance music duo Galantis
- The Church (Mr. Oizo album), a 2014 album by French electronic musician Mr. Oizo
- The Church (The Church album), originally released in 1981 as Of Skins and Heart
- Churches (album), a 2021 album by American singer-songwriter LP
Songs[edit]
- «Church» (Alison Wonderland song)
- «Church» (Coldplay song)
- «Church» (T-Pain song)
- «Church», a song by Aly & AJ from Sanctuary
- «Church», a song by Galactic from Coolin’ Off
- «Church», a song by Fall Out Boy from Mania
- «Church», a song by OutKast from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
- «Church», a 2021 song from Tina Arena
- «The Church», a song by Hawkwind from Church of Hawkwind
Other uses[edit]
- Church (programming language), a LISP-like probabilistic programming language
- Church (surname), including a list of people
- Church Line, San Francisco, California
See also[edit]
- Church station (disambiguation)
- Church’s (disambiguation)
- Churching (disambiguation)
What is Origin of the Word Church?
It is probably derived from Old English “cirice,” which in turn came from the German “kirika,” which likely came from the Greek “kuriake,” which means “of the Lord.” Some scholars dispute this, saying that our English word derives from the Anglo-Saxon “kirke,” which in turn comes from the Latin “circus” (meaning “ …
What is the ancient Greek word for church?
Latin ecclesia, from Greek ekklesia, where the word is a compound of two segments: “ek”, a preposition meaning “out of”, and a verb, “kaleo”, signifying “to call” – together, literally, “to call out”. That usage soon disappeared and was replaced with “assembly, congregation, council”, or “convocation”.
What is the origin of the word church and what does the origin imply?
The English language word “church” is from the Old English word cirice, derived from West Germanic *kirika, which in turn comes from the Greek κυριακή kuriakē, meaning “of the Lord” (possessive form of κύριος kurios “ruler” or “lord”).
Is church a pagan word?
So as you can see by the etymology of the word “Church”, it is clearly of Pagan origin, and has nothing to do with the Most High nor his people, but has everything to do with those who worship the Sun as god on Sun-day, in their Roman Pantheon known as a Church.
What does the word Church mean in the Bible?
A group of Christians (see also Christian); church is a biblical word for “assembly.” It can mean any of the following: (1) All Christians, living and dead. (See saints.) (2) All Christians living in the world. (4) An individual congregation of Christians meeting in one building; also the building itself.
What does the word church actually mean?
1 : a building for public and especially Christian worship. 2 : the clergy or officialdom of a religious body the word church …
What are the three meanings of church?
Three meanings of the word church are, local community or diocese, community of God’s people gathered around the world, and community of the church.
What’s another word for church?
other words for church
- chapel.
- mosque.
- parish.
- sanctuary.
- shrine.
- synagogue.
- temple.
- oratory.
What is the legal definition of a church?
A charitable association of persons organized for the advancement of religion and for the conduct of religious worship, services or rites, and that is permanently established. Also may refer to the actual place of worship, the building housing a religious society. …
Can one person start a church?
The Internal Revenue Service makes rules about churches and religious organizations intentionally vague to respect the religious liberties outlined in the Constitution. But that can allow for some. Turns out, it’s actually fairly easy to start your own religious organization.
Can one person be a church?
It is defined not as the physical gathering of people in a particular location, but as the spiritual gathering by God of all believers into Jesus Christ (See the discussion here). So, it seems possible for a person to be the church all by himself.
Can someone own a church?
Background: Church Ownership, Generally Ownership of church real property varies widely, depending on faith tradition and ecclesiology. Independent churches generally hold title to their real property, or title may be held in trust or a property holding company exclusively for the benefit of the church.
Who owns the church property?
For churches begun in this country, such as Baptist and Pentecostal, local church property usually is owned by the congregation itself. Occasionally, congregations or portions of congregations of a church of the first type break with the denomination but claim ownership of the property.
How many followers do you need to start a religion?
You need at least 3 people to be considered a religion. One person is a thought, two is a discussion, three is a belief. How old do I have to be to apply for legal status and start a religion?
How do you get recognized as a church?
They include:
- Distinct legal existence.
- Recognized creed and form of worship.
- Definite and distinct ecclesiastical government.
- Formal code of doctrine and discipline.
- Distinct religious history.
- Membership not associated with any other church or denomination.
- Organization of ordained ministers.
What is the difference between a church and a religious organization?
Religious organizations are not churches but can still qualify for 501(c) (3) tax-exempt status. Religious organizations include nondenominational ministries, interdenominational and ecumenical organizations, and organizations whose main purpose is to study or advance religion.
Why Churches Should Not Be 501c3?
Since churches already have a mandatory exemption to filling tax returns, it is completely unnecessary for a church to seek the state ‘favor’ of the 501c3 status. Churches are NOT required to be 501c3 non-profits. Most churches erroneously think that they must be a 501c3 organization to operate and to be tax exempt.
Can a church sell products?
For CA, “Unless all of your sales are exempt from tax, religious organizations and churches that make sales of goods or merchandise must hold a seller’s permit… and file sales and use tax returns.” Doesn’t get any more plain than that.
What is ubit for a church?
In 1954, Congress enacted what is known today as the unrelated business income tax, or UBIT for short. A church owes income taxes if it has income that is (1) from a trade or business (2) regularly conducted that is (3) not substantially related to their exempt purpose.
Can you run a business out of a church?
Your church most likely is a tax exempt organization under Internal Revenue Service regulations. Its purpose, however to have tax exempt status under federal guidelines is for charitable purposes. As such, your church can rent out space in its facility to generate income.
Who is tax exempt in California?
A “tax-exempt” entity is a corporation, unincorporated association, or trust that has applied for and received a determination letter from the Franchise Tax Board stating it is exempt from California franchise and income tax (California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 23701).
How do I become tax exempt in California?
There are 2 ways to get tax-exempt status in California:
- Exemption Application (Form 3500) Download the form. Determine your exemption type , complete, print, and mail your application.
- Submission of Exemption Request (Form 3500A) If you have a federal determination letter:
At what age do you stop paying property taxes in California?
age 62 or older
Are California schools tax exempt?
Property used exclusively for public schools, community colleges, state colleges, and state universities is exempt from property taxation (article XIII, section 3, subd. (d) of the California Constitution, Revenue and Taxation Code section 202, subd.
Are churches exempt from paying sales tax in California?
Although many nonprofit and religious organizations are exempt from federal and state income tax, there is no similar broad exemption from California sales and use tax. Generally, a nonprofit’s sales and purchases are taxable. Other organizations may be responsible for tax just like other California sellers.
Do California school districts pay sales tax?
Posted by: The District is not tax-exempt. We are required by law to pay the applicable sales tax. If the item you purchased is taxable and the vendor does not charge sales tax, then the District is obligated to pay the applicable sales tax to the California State Board of Equalization.
Do schools in California pay tax?
Most of the funding for K–12 education comes from the state. In 2018–19, California public schools received a total of $97.2 billion in funding from three sources: the state (58%), property taxes and other local sources (32%), and the federal government (9%). These shares vary across school districts.
How much do California schools get paid per student?
Education Spending by State
| Rank | State | Spending Per Pupil |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | California | $12,498 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $12,491 |
| 23 | Michigan | $12,345 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $12,285 |
Why are California schools underfunded?
Because of California’s Higher Cost of Living, Schools and Districts in the State Can Afford Fewer Teachers, Staff, and Services Given Available Resources. This translates into larger class sizes and fewer pupil support personnel.
How much does public school cost in California?
For academic year 2020-2021, the average tuition & fees for Public Colleges in California is $3,749 for in-state and $12,122 for out-of-state. The amount is lower than national average. The 2021 national average is $6,540 for in-state students and $17,871 for out-of-state students.
Britannica Dictionary definition of CHURCH
1
a
[count]
:
a building that is used for Christian religious services
-
This is the oldest church in town.
-
They would like to be married in a church.
— often used before another noun
-
church bells/weddings/services
b
[noncount]
:
religious services held in a church
-
They go to church [=attend church services] every Sunday.
-
I didn’t see you at/in church last Sunday.
2
[count]
or
Church
:
a particular Christian group
-
He is a member of the Catholic/Baptist/Anglican Church.
-
What church do you belong to?
3
[noncount]
:
the Christian religion seen as an organization
:
the institution of the Christian religion
-
the church’s attitude toward divorce
-
the separation of church and state