The English language word „church“ developed from Old English cirice, from West Germanic kirika, from Greek kyriake (oikia) „Lord’s (house)“, from kyrios „ruler, lord.“ [1] The Greek word kyriakon (an adjective meaning „of the Lord“) was used of houses of Christian worship since c.300, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ekklesia or basilike.
The Christian concept of a „Church“ is used for the Greek (ecclesia,church,ekklesia), ref. [Strong’s Concordance] 1577, Bauer’s, Thayer’s, and Moulton’s and is introduced by Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament. Of the 114 occurrences of the term in the New Testament, three are found in the Gospel of Matthew: „And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my ekklesia, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it“ (Mt 16:18); and „If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the ekklesia; and if he refuses to listen even to the ekklesia, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax-collector“ (Mt 18:17).The Greek term ‘ekklesia’, which literally means a „gathering“ or „selection“ or „called out assembly“, was a governmental and political term, used to denote a national assembly.
This concept in Christian terms has its direct antecedent in the Koine Greek translation of the Old Testament (see also Septuagint), where the noun ekklesia has been employed 96 times to denote the congregation of the Children of Israel, which Christians regard as a Type of the „Body of Christ“, as they also call the Christian Church of Jesus Christ.
The church referred to by Jesus, is not just an organization to whom he gives heavenly and earthly authority (Matt 16:18-20) but is an organism to which Paul calls it in 1 Corinthians 12 „the body of Christ“This group shares two primary traits:
Acceptance of Salvation by the blood of Jesus through the confession of their mouths, not through works. (Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 10:9)
By emulating the works (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for orphans and widows) and miracles (healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk) of Christ
Where the term is taken to mean a denomination-type group the largest church may be the global Roman Catholic Church, with adherents of a particular creed or believers of a particular tradition. Various Christian churches are distinguished by their different ecclesiastical hierarchies, their creeds, and their Bibles and other sacred texts. Several Christian churches consider themselves to be the true church established by Christ (see Great Commission), including the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Restorationist churches. The Christian Church is sometimes also understood to mean the totality of believers across the various Christian churches. For example, Roman Catholics consider the Eastern Orthodox to be members of the Body of Christ, even though they are not Catholic.
Each church recognizes all, more or fewer of its fellow Christian churches as legitimate. Mainstream denominations are generally compatible enough that members do not have to be rebaptized when they switch from one denomination to another. Still, even mainstream denominations can be far apart ecumenically. The commonality is that they all believe and follow Jesus Christ as saviour. They all follow his teachings.
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