What Constitutes a “Church?”
What makes a church a church? Is it any time a group of Christians hang out together? Is it a small group that meets in a home? Can just two or three folks meet and call themselves a church?
A few years ago, I noticed a disturbing new trend. Folks who became disgruntled with their local church would claim that they didn’t need to “go to church.” Referring to Matt 18:20, they claimed that just a couple of guys or gals hanging out to talk about Jesus could be a church. In that verse, Jesus says: For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. However, this in no way means that a gathering of two or three Christians constitute a church. In context, Jesus is speaking about church discipline and what actions need to be taken to expel someone from the church. So no, two or three Christians hanging out together do not constitute a church.
Well then, what does constitute a church? In an earlier article, I wrote about the definition of church and what the early church looked like. But let’s take it a step further and look at the biblical indicators of a church.
First, the church is a group of Christians. Now that may sound obvious, but don’t be so quick to check that block. Many gatherings of what we call “church” comprise a mix of Christians and non-Christians (including some who just think they’re Christians). I don’t want to disparage non-believing visitors who attend a church gathering, but they are exactly that—visitors—and not to be confused with “the church.” Jesus Christ is why the church exists, and His followers make up the church.
Second, the church gathers together regularly (1 Cor 14:26, Heb 10:24-25). The early church typically met in people’s homes (Philem 1-2, 1 Cor 16:19, Col 4:15, Rom 16:5). They didn’t have a building for all the Christians to gather together; instead, they had small group meetings in believers’ houses (an early example of church small groups!). But these small groups were under the umbrella of the local church. In some places, such as the temple courts in Jerusalem (Acts 2:46) and the Hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus (Acts 19:9), the church had a larger area where they could sometimes meet. But whether in small gatherings or large, the church regularly met for discipleship, worship, fellowship, mutual support, and outreach.
Third, the church baptizes believers and participates in the Lord’s Supper (or Communion). Jesus commanded us to baptize new disciples (Matt 28:19) and to remember Him through communion (1 Cor 11:23-26). Yes, these are commands, not suggestions. And they are done as a gathered body of believers. Baptism and communion are designed to clearly separate Christians from the culture at large.
Fourth, the church is led by elders under the lordship of Christ. This can be a touchy subject, but I’ll stick with what the Bible teaches us and leave off the traditions for now. Elders were to lead the congregation (or in biblical terms “shepherd the flock,” 1 Pet 5:1-2) and had to meet certain qualifications (1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9). When the Bible mentions elders, it always identifies them in the plural, not singular. Elders—not an elder—led the church. An important component of this leadership is discipline: a church maintains holiness, deters sin, and seeks restoration through Christ-like discipline (1 Cor 5:12-13, Matt 18:15-20, Heb 13:17).
Finally, the church uses its spiritual gifts. We can debate whether or not some spiritual gifts have ceased, but we know that at least some are still active in the church (1 Cor 12:4-11, 27-31; Rom 12:4-8; Eph 4:11-12). These gifts are for the edification—the “building up”—of the church. All Christians have some gift, differing according to God’s grace, and we are supposed to use our gift(s) to build up the body of believers.
Now we can see how a church is a church, a small group is a small group, and two guys hanging out are just two guys. A church can be small. A church can consist of small groups. But small groups that do not baptize new members, take communion, have their own elders, or exercise the full body of spiritual gifts wouldn’t be considered a church. The same can be said for large congregations.