Church

Definition and Meaning

The church is the community of those who believe in Jesus Christ. The word translates the New Testament Greek term ekklesia, meaning "an assembly of those who have been called out." The term originally referred to the citizens' assembly of an ancient Greek city. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it was used to render the Hebrew qahal, which denotes the congregation of God's people. The church, therefore, is primarily not a building but a gathering of people.

Biblical and Historical Background

The New Testament describes the church as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:22–23) and the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), among other images. The Nicene Creed, in its expanded form of 381, confesses the church to be "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic."

The distinction between the visible church and the invisible church originated with Augustine and was developed by the Reformers of the Reformation. The visible church is the actual community that gathers on earth and professes the faith. The invisible church is the whole number of true believers, known to God alone. The Westminster Confession of Faith addresses this distinction in chapter 25.

The marks of the church are the criteria by which the true church may be recognized. The Augsburg Confession (Article 7) names the right preaching of the gospel and the right administration of the sacraments. The Reformed tradition, as expressed in the Belgic Confession (Article 29) and elsewhere, adds church discipline, for a total of three marks.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korea, the word gyohoe (church) is widely used to refer both to the community of faith and to the sanctuary building. The Apostles' Creed, which is confessed in worship, also contains the phrase "the holy catholic church" (rendered gonghoe in the older translation).

Church polity, the way in which a church is governed, varies from denomination to denomination.

• Presbyterian churches follow presbyterian polity, in which the church is governed by the session, made up of pastors and elders, and by the higher courts of the presbytery and the general assembly.
• The Korean Methodist Church has elements of episcopal polity centered on bishops and the annual conference.
• Baptist churches follow congregational polity, which emphasizes the autonomy of the local church and the decisions of the congregational meeting. They also stress that the church is a gathering of believers who have professed faith and been baptized by immersion.
• The Anglican Church of Korea emphasizes a diocesan structure centered on bishops, as well as apostolic succession.