In your opinion, what is the PRIMARY purpose of church?

[carmen]

Recent threads have gotten me to wondering about what people view as the primary purpose of church.

Sometimes I don't get a lot out of the sermon or even Sunday school (or bible study, whichever is the preferred term :D:), as far as learning. I have been in church a long time and it is rare that a passage is taught that I haven't been taught on before (not bragging by any means--perhaps this speaks to the lack of depth that is about all that can be achieved in a group setting). Most of my actual learning about the word takes place at home or on my own. I do enjoy discussion about the word in Sunday school, exchanging thoughts and experiences about our spiritual walk, and I love worshipping in a group setting with my brothers and sisters :nod

However, as I've grown older, I've come to see church less and less as a place to learn or be served myself, and more and more as a place to serve others. The bible calls us to serve and love each other. I do not know of a place more well suited for the general run of us to go where we can serve each other than the local body. Certainly there are ways and places other than church to accomplish the goal of serving our family in Christ, but being my typical lazy self, the church gives me convenience and regularity in my service.

So that's the primary purpose of church for me....what about you all? :):

[Kem]

For me it is first to honor God by corporate worship. Next to further learn. Though I've read the Bible through at least a dozen times and heard Bible teaching since about age 6 or 7 there are always more aspects to scripture that I need to learn or about which I need to be reminded. Service to others is also a very important part of church.

[roses4ruth]

We are here to glorify God. We do that by worship, obedience and service. (All of which we fail at miserably, but He still loves us!)

[BHiles]

Recent threads have gotten me to wondering about what people view as the primary purpose of church.

Sometimes I don't get a lot out of the sermon or even Sunday school (or bible study, whichever is the preferred term :D:), as far as learning. I have been in church a long time and it is rare that a passage is taught that I haven't been taught on before (not bragging by any means--perhaps this speaks to the lack of depth that is about all that can be achieved in a group setting). Most of my actual learning about the word takes place at home or on my own. I do enjoy discussion about the word in Sunday school, exchanging thoughts and experiences about our spiritual walk, and I love worshipping in a group setting with my brothers and sisters :nod

However, as I've grown older, I've come to see church less and less as a place to learn or be served myself, and more and more as a place to serve others. The bible calls us to serve and love each other. I do not know of a place more well suited for the general run of us to go where we can serve each other than the local body. Certainly there are ways and places other than church to accomplish the goal of serving our family in Christ, but being my typical lazy self, the church gives me convenience and regularity in my service.

So that's the primary purpose of church for me....what about you all? :):

It depends where you are in your journey.

Clearly the elders of the church are given the role to instruct the younger and utilizing our gifts in perfecting of the saints is a primary purpose. There are many ways to serve others but the church has been given with the special mission and special blessing that it is very important that we come under its authority for organized actions.

It is not lazy to be under the authority of the church to do the work that we are called to do. It is actually an act of self discipline to follow the God ordained authority.

I have found that most of my understanding of my spiritual walk at this stage of my life does not come form the pulpit. It comes form teaching others and seeing God's work in their lives. The pulpit still should encourage us and excite a thought in our minds to explore in our own study later. I rearely listen to a sermon in which before hearing it I do not ask the Holy spirit to speak to me while the pastor is preaching on what He wants me to understand or learn. And ultimately I get something totally different out of the sermon than someone else might. In fact I usually get an idea that I take to study and the Holy Spirit will teach me the truth that He wants me to learn.

But to answer your core question, The church is designed as a calling out of beleivers from the world to allow them to use their gifts and Holy Spirit fruit to equip the body for God's service and their own personal perfecting. Paramount would be for the believers to win souls throughout the week and bring those sheeves with them to church to begin their journey, baptizing them and teaching all things of the word of God.


When we look at the church of Ephesus we find their warning in Revelation 2 because they had gotten caught up in the administration instead of what they were called to do. They had left their first love. God threatened to remove their charter as a church. Now many will stop there and say well then we need to get back to our first love and that is Jesus and we should be praising Him more and loving on Him more but that is not what scripture says. Scripture says 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;. Notice it does not say your first works but the first works. The first works of the church were found in Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

The first works were the preaching of the gospel to the unsaved by the believer. This was to be the emphasis of the beleivers and the church was to equip the saints in doing so. Notice that the first love, to love Christ is to love those whom He loved. He showed us this in Mt 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Everything within the local body of beleivers that is done must have at its heart beat the equiping of the saints to do Christ's emphasis from His own lips Lu 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

[Timothy]

I think that the Apostle Paul summed it up best to Timothy:

II Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

To teach. It is to teach, so someone is self-sufficient enough to teach another, etc.

Through teaching, the end result is that someone becomes, rooted, built up, and what Paul repeatedly call "stablished in the faith."

Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Col 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

[Rainbo2]

I agree with the other posters that it's primary goal is to teach, but I think it has 2 other primary goals. One which it help us learn about God and how he wants us to live. Two is so that we may come together to worship Him.

I think it has other goals to fulfill as well. I think it's there so that we may fellowship with other believers. It's there so that we can be held accountable to other believers, and also to help other believers.

[twelvesmaster]

Ephesians 2 seems to indicate that the church, the whole body of believers, together forms the "habitation" of God.

Eph. 2:19-22 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

[laurent]

The Churches primary purpose is to tell everyone about Gods saving Grace through Jesus Christ...

[Paidfor]

Recent threads have gotten me to wondering about what people view as the primary purpose of church.

Sometimes I don't get a lot out of the sermon or even Sunday school (or bible study, whichever is the preferred term :D:), as far as learning. I have been in church a long time and it is rare that a passage is taught that I haven't been taught on before (not bragging by any means--perhaps this speaks to the lack of depth that is about all that can be achieved in a group setting). Most of my actual learning about the word takes place at home or on my own. I do enjoy discussion about the word in Sunday school, exchanging thoughts and experiences about our spiritual walk, and I love worshipping in a group setting with my brothers and sisters :nod

However, as I've grown older, I've come to see church less and less as a place to learn or be served myself, and more and more as a place to serve others. The bible calls us to serve and love each other. I do not know of a place more well suited for the general run of us to go where we can serve each other than the local body. Certainly there are ways and places other than church to accomplish the goal of serving our family in Christ, but being my typical lazy self, the church gives me convenience and regularity in my service.

So that's the primary purpose of church for me....what about you all? :):

My experience is almost identical to yours. I do not remember starting to go to church. I was just always in church. Yet, I found that I learned very little from the sermon or Sunday school. Most of the lessons and sermons are always topical studies about how to live a godly life. There seems to be very little focus on the why. What I always go back to is that I was in my mid twenties before I understood that salvation was by grace. I suspect that I was taught that, but it was never stressed. Sunday school for kids up through the teenage years always seems to be more about exhorting them to behave in a godly manner than about good doctrine. A 12 or 13 year old kid is capable of being taught the basics of Christian doctrine and get away from bible history and law based teachings. I also think that you just can't spend enough time in church to really learn the Bible. I do almost all my study at home. I view sermons more as exhortations than a true learning opportunity.

I have been teaching a small group off and on since last fall and I have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of that. I truly enjoy preparing the studies. I feel like I have finally submitted to the calling that the Lord prepared for me, and it feels great. So service to the Lord and to the brethren (and sistren that ought to be a real word) is the main reason to go to church.

Fellowship is a biggy. God has made it known to me in His own way that He expects me to go to church. Neglecting fellowship is something that I am always tempted to do. I am just not a people person. I understand the reasons for the fellowship of the kindred mind, but it just doesn't come easily to me. Part of my fallen nature i guess.

[suzugos]

The single purpose of the Church is to be the Testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth.

All of the things elucidated in those posts above this one are but part of this one purpose. If we preach the gospel we are His testimony. If we do an act of Christian charity we are His testimony. If we edify a fellow believer we are His testimony. If we jointly enjoy sweet communion with Him we are His testimony. If you are in Christ, there is no escaping also being His testimony.

The question is, how good a testimony are we?


My 2¢ worth
συζυγος

[FrankDH]

However, as I've grown older, I've come to see church less and less as a place to learn or be served myself, and more and more as a place to serve others. The bible calls us to serve and love each other. I do not know of a place more well suited for the general run of us to go where we can serve each other than the local body. Certainly there are ways and places other than church to accomplish the goal of serving our family in Christ, but being my typical lazy self, the church gives me convenience and regularity in my service.

So that's the primary purpose of church for me....what about you all?


It’s personal. The change you have experienced is the result of maturity. You have grown into a new role. Our gathering together is for worship, offering and receiving comfort and love, strategizing on performance of the great commission, being shepherded, fellowship, etc.

[walkbyfaith]

To exalt our Lord, through worship and glorifying Him; to equip His children through study, accountability, fellowship and caring for one another; and to take that love out into our community sharing the Gospel with the lost. If I had to pick just one of the above, it would be to exalt our Lord. The rest would follow if we truly did that. :nod

Our church's mission statement is based on part of Isaiah 61:


The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Our church is called River Oaks because of these verses. :nod

[coffeehubby]

I see it as being a hospital for broken, sick sinners, a place for nurturing a closer walk with God. In the ideal world a person would feel just as comfortable talking to their pastor as they might their bartender or shrink. We wouldn't feel condemned by the flock because it'd be a safe place. The Word would be more important than programs or fads and men would be just as comfortable there as women.

[GodsElf]

I was raised in a strict Southern Baptist Church where I went to Sunday School every Sunday and Worship Service. I, like someone said above, didn't really grasp what a personal relationship with Jesus Christ meant until my hubby and I became saved back in 1993. Until then I guess you could say I was raised to fear God more than have a personal relationship with Him.

After we became saved, we desperately wanted to learn the Bible, learn how to apply it, and be part of a church family where we felt others would at least share our desires.

Right now I'd like a church with a Sunday School that teaches both the Bible and applications, but also a chance to share experiences. In the Sunday School where we were at and in cell groups, we've found them to be more of a social get together and less a spiritual gathering, but again, that's only about four churches.

I'd like for the worship service to give a message, something that I leave with, ponder over for the week, go to my Bible to dig deeper, to make me think, and make me want to apply it. I guess you could say, we want structure, that same structure I was raised with but that concentrates on the grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I love the social part, if they have it like women's groups or Wednesday night services that are informal or Wednesday night dinners, but those are rare here. The last church we visited is non-denominational and we went on Communion Sunday. The preacher instructed those of us that were saved to come forward and receive, which we did and then everyone just wandered around and ate the bread and drank the juice. Not once was one word said about what it meant. I think that's what bothers me. Those important things are being left out now. This church also doesn't have Sunday School, only cell groups and it's like a contest from the time you walk in as to whose group you join.

I am all for casual churches where clothing wars should not happen, but I think sometimes churches have gone too far to the informal side. I don't know, I'm not trying to slam churches at all, I just miss the structure and accountability that I find lacking. Does that make sense? It's not intended to be nasty, it's just what I miss.

[Praise him]

I see it as the place where Christians can fellowship but first of all worship our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I also believe it is a place where one can be further educated on our Lord and to give us a clearer understanding on living a good Christian life.

[Cricket55]

To worship God.

[AnyDayNow]

...However, as I've grown older, I've come to see church less and less as a place to learn or be served myself, and more and more as a place to serve others. The bible calls us to serve and love each other. I do not know of a place more well suited for the general run of us to go where we can serve each other than the local body. Certainly there are ways and places other than church to accomplish the goal of serving our family in Christ, but being my typical lazy self, the church gives me convenience and regularity in my service.

So that's the primary purpose of church for me....what about you all? :):

Because you are emphasizing the Church as it exists and gathers in local assemblies, everyone will define it in a different way. When my kids were growing up and I served as a deacon and then an Elder in smaller local churches, I came to view things from the leadership perspective, rather than from a "follower" perspective. It caused me to become jaded about the purpose of local assemblies. Every time I entered the church building, there were always problems to confront. I really couldn't enjoy church as church.

Aside from what happens locally, the purpose of the worldwide Church is to reach the world with the Gospel. And the purpose of the local assembly is to "equip" their members to do just that. We can debate and argue the day long about the various methods of accomplishing this, but it doesn't change the purpose of the Church. Our aim should still be the same. :):

[carmen]

There are many things I can do alone--witness, learn, pray, even worship. There are a couple commands none of us can carry out alone: love of and service to one another. I guess to me, that is one (among several, of course) reason I see the local body of believers as so important. Not that we can't do these things sporadically or superficially without gathering together with a local body, but it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to do without the context of relationship. And getting that context of relationship requires time with and knowledge of one another.

Not that I am intending here to disagree with anyone else's thoughts on the topic--that wasn't the purpose of this thread at ALL :laugh--just wanted to expand my view a little :D:

[Doxiemom]

For me "church" was keeping holy the sabbath. You went to church. And going to church was going to Mass.

This is a combination of personal worship, collective worship, bible readings leading up tp the Gosple. Following by a homily(teaching). And then, of course, the euchrsitic part. That to me is the most holy part of "going to church" Remembering the Last Supper". Of coourse The Lord's Prayer is very important. As well as a self-examination of sins and repentnce. We also say a profession of faith. (Nicene creed)Offering peace to one another. Receiving several blessings.

While there are few surprizes when attending Mass, there is also that comfort of the familiarity.
It is the failure of the individual not to allow the warmth of God to wash over you if you want to stay in a catholic tradition. It is not the pope's fault.or, centuries of history's fault. If it means nothing to you and you are just putting in your required "45 minutes" each week, you are not fooling God and you may as well stay home in bed.

"church" is most definatily the Body of Christ. We are a collective oneness. Collectively Christians.= the meaning of the word catholic = universal. While my church believes itself to have the most of the fullnes of truth(which is not necessarly so IMHO) , and thus the Head (of Christ) it draws all chrsitians into one circle of Chrisitianity. Although some are closer to the center(having greater Light,ie, Knowledge), others are mighty close to crosssing over the edge. Those farthest away are non- christian faiths. Jews are a special case, as their closness to God by convenant, placing them near the center of this "circle." Those who seek the dark and reject Light, belong to Satan.

My church has a system of what it calls authority that comes from the top down. While the pope is basically the bishop of Rome, he is also bishop to the world. He is a Priest. A man who has taken holy orders. So the church is also a government.

So, "church', is personal, collective, a building, a government.

It means alot to me.

[CamelPower]

Discounting any denominational ties, no one yet has mentioned the accountability that a local church has with the folks who worship there. Realizing that there are elders at my assembly to whom I'm accountable is a serious matter. I know that our local elders take their roles seriously. They realize that they are accountable to God for those they shepherd.

Such mutual accountability is not really present in family fellowships where it's just the one family, or worshipping alone. We need each other in a larger group setting to share our spiritual gifts.

[John 3:16]

The single purpose of the Church is to be the Testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth.





Yes. A testimony to the unsaved. A beacon of light to the lost. What if we all didn't go?:sad

[BlessedinHim]

Fellowshiping of the body is for worshiping and glorifying God, edifying the body, and the equipping of the saints for every good work.

[Archangelmom]

Yes. A testimony to the unsaved. A beacon of light to the lost. What if we all didn't go?:sad

My pastor just was preaching about this and how even in a small church, there aren't many with a heart for the lost. :sad
There was an alter call given, but I'm not seeing much in going out in our little church to reach others,myself included. That I need to have some prayer time one on one with God about, I'm tired of being shy and afraid when there isn't a need to be about sharing Jesus with others!


There is authority in the family leadership in the Bible also that my pastor talked about today and has for several weeks, CamelPower.

It is about Godly leadership in the family and the role that God has entrusted to Christian men Jesus and faking up the standard to be the leader in following Christ and setting an example for the rest of the family that has been entrusted into his care and to not fail them, but to be the true head of the house under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and living by the Bible, teach and guide and direct his children int he narrow way which is Jesus. By prayer, by willingness to let the Lord guide, not himself leading, but by a ton of prayer and honestly seeking God to the direction for our family.

That same model, Camelpower, can be applied to the church leadership without any question.,
As seriously as elders have the congregation to attend to, the Lord made the same demands on the family to obey His will and His Law about loving each other as Christ loved us.