What's with the Church!?

Why the Word "Church" Might Not Mean What You Think It Means

What Is the Church, Really?

When you hear the word church, what flashes through your mind? Maybe it's a steepled building, padded pews, and Sunday mornings. Maybe it’s potlucks and preaching. Or maybe—for better or worse—it’s something far more personal: a sense of community, a spiritual heritage, or even a source of pain.

But whatever your experience, one question still matters: What did the word church originally mean—and why does that matter now?

Church Can Be Confusing

Was Peter the Church of Christ? Were there divisions in the Church of God? Did the entire Church send greetings to others? Is there more than one Church? Did Diotrephes cast people out of God’s Church? Is the Church divided?

These kinds of questions don’t exist because Scripture is unclear—they exist because the word church has been translated, stretched, and misunderstood over centuries. What people often assume it means isn't always what the original writers intended. Thankfully, much of the confusion clears up when we return to the original translations, which brings needed clarity.

When One Word Means Too Much

Church might be one of the most misused words in all of biblical language. If not the most, it’s certainly among the most confusing. What makes it even more troubling is that many people don’t realize they’re misusing it—or that they’re using it to mean completely different things.

William Tyndale once observed, “This word church has different significations.” He was right.

People say they go to church, grew up in church, left the church, or serve in church leadership—but rarely do they mean the same thing. That’s because the word church has been stretched to cover an entire spectrum of meanings. Depending on who’s speaking, it might refer to:

• A place of worship (a building)

• A ministry team

• A local gathering of people (a congregation)

• A general association (“We are the church”)

• A denomination (Church of Christ, Brethren, Baptist)

• A religious headquarters (The Roman Catholic Church, The Church of England)

• Or perhaps most biblically—the kingdom of God, the house of God, made up of every true believer in Christ, no matter where they live, gathered under His reign. This is the true Church of God.

  
  

So when someone says, “The church needs to be reformed,” what exactly are they talking about?

To illustrate the confusion, consider the difference between two versions of the same paragraph. The first uses only the word church, while the second substitutes more precise terms:

1. The church met for church last night to discuss church matters. The church ministry explained that the church had made changes to how the church interacts with other churches. While some ministers expressed concern that the church had lost sight of what the church is meant to be, they all agreed that those within the church must stand firm.

Now compare that with a clarified version:

2. The congregation met at their place of worship last night to discuss doctrinal matters. The local ministry explained that the organization had made changes to how the denomination interacts with other groups. While some ministers expressed concern that the fellowship had lost sight of what the true assembly of God is meant to be, they all agreed that those within the spiritual household of God must stand firm.

Depending on how someone defines the word church, that first paragraph could be referencing six very different things. And that kind of vagueness doesn’t just confuse—it can distort doctrine, muddy conversations, lead to unnecessary division, hurt feelings, and even create false confidence in groups that may not actually be part of the Church of God at all.

Ekklesia: Where It All Begins

Much of the confusion around the word church traces back to one Greek word: ekklesia (or ecclesia). In ancient Greek city-states, an ekklesia wasn’t religious at all—it was the city council, a civic assembly of citizens called together to make decisions. It wasn’t a temple. It wasn’t a worship service. It was just a gathering.

And yet, in most English Bibles, ekklesia is translated as “church” nearly every time. That translation choice has created a ripple effect: modern readers often assume every mention of “church” refers to the same spiritual idea, regardless of context. Throw Old Testament symbolism into the mix, and things get even murkier.

The word ekklesia simply means: “A gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.” It could be religious or secular, formal or casual, literal or metaphorical.

So is “church” a wrong translation? Not necessarily. But it’s far too vague. And when we’re handling the Word of God, vague isn’t good enough. We need terms that carry the intent of the original authors, and ekklesia deserves better treatment than a catch-all word that masks its meaning.

God’s House, Not Ours

In the New Testament, ekklesia often takes on a deeply spiritual meaning. Paul, writing to Timothy, uses it this way: “the house of God, which is the congregation of the living God” (oikos theos, [which is] ekklesia – MBMS, 1 Timothy 3:15).

That verse opens a clear window into Paul’s understanding. Ekklesia, in his usage, wasn’t just any gathering—it was God’s household. A spiritual family. A people called out of their private lives and into a shared, communal life under God’s reign.

Tyndale understood the danger of misusing this word. So did John Rogers and Miles Coverdale. That’s why, in the Matthew Bible, the word church appears only once (Acts 14:13), and its plural form just three times. Contrast that with the King James Version, where various forms of church show up a staggering 117 times.

Their restraint wasn’t about style—it was about clarity. They wanted the reader to grasp the true shape of God’s people, not confuse it with buildings, institutions, or traditions.

Tyndale Knew the Difference

Tyndale knew exactly what he was doing when he avoided the word church.

He wrote:

“The circumstance does ever tell what congregation is meant. Wheresoever I may say a congregation, there may I say a church also; as the church of the devil, the church of Satan, the church of wretches, the church of wicked men, the church of liars, and a church of Turks. Church is as common as ecclesia... Ecclesia is a Greek word and was in use before the time of the apostles, and taken for a congregation among the heathen, where was no congregation of God or of Christ.”

That first line—“The circumstance does ever tell what congregation is meant”—is especially important. Tyndale is saying that context always reveals what kind of gathering is being described. Not every assembly is a holy one. Not every ekklesia is filled with God’s Spirit. And just because people gather under a religious banner doesn't mean they are the Church of God.

To be a true assembly—the Church of God—there must be evidence of calling: called out of sin and into holiness. That calling isn’t proven by a name or affiliation—it’s revealed by the life and conduct of those assembled. The Holy Spirit is not present in every gathering that calls itself a church. But where the Spirit is, there is the true ekklesia—the household of God, made up of people who live under Christ’s rule in righteousness and truth.

Tyndale even pointed out how in Acts 19, Luke used ekklesia to describe a mob of angry pagans. Imagine if the King James translators had followed their usual pattern and rendered that passage using the word church:

• “For the church was confused”

• “It shall be determined in a lawful church”

• “He dismissed the church”

  
  

Clearly, that would make no sense.

So what did the translators do? They made an exception and used assembly. That alone proves Tyndale’s point: Ekklesia doesn’t automatically mean church, and when it’s used carelessly, it confuses the meaning of God’s Word.

Only God’s Presence Makes It Church

It’s easy to assume that if people are gathered, and religion is mentioned, it must be a church. But ekklesia—as we’ve seen—never carried that assumption. And neither should we.

The truth is: Not every gathering is God's gathering.

Some assemblies may have a schedule, a structure, and even Scripture—but still lack the one thing that makes them truly the Church: the presence of the Holy Spirit.

This is what made Tyndale so cautious, and why Rogers and Coverdale followed suit in the Matthew Bible. They refused to let ekklesia be casually swapped for church, knowing that not all assemblies are equal in God’s eyes. Some are simply gatherings. Others are sacred. And the difference isn’t in the label—it’s in the life.

Scripture teaches us that the true Church is a people called out by God—called out of sin, into holiness; out of isolation, into community; out of the world’s dominion, into Christ’s reign. These are the ones who make up His house. And His Spirit doesn’t just visit them. He dwells in them (1 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 8:9).

That’s what marks the true ekklesia: not the gathering itself, but the God who fills it.

If we confuse a crowd with a congregation, or a program with a presence, we miss the very power that sets the Church apart—the Spirit who sanctifies, empowers, and keeps God's people victorious and set apart in a world that desperately needs to see what real church looks like.

A Call to Clarity

If the word church has lost its shape in everyday speech, it's time we restore its biblical meaning. The Church is not a building, a brand, or a tradition. It is the congregation of the living God—called out, gathered, and ruled by Christ. When we understand this, we don’t just redefine a word; we reclaim our identity. And in a world full of institutions and ideologies, that clarity matters more than ever.

So let us not settle for shallow definitions or empty gatherings. Let us be the true church, the ekklesia. A people He has called out of sin and into holiness, filled with His Spirit, ruled by His Son, and unmistakably clear in identity and purpose. In an age clouded by confusion, the world needs clarity—it needs to see the God's church as Scripture defines it.