church

The English translation of a Greek word (ekkl–esia) meaning “assembly” or “gathering.” In the NT, “church” always denotes a group of people, either all the Christians in a city (Acts 14:23; 1Cor 1:2; 2Cor 1:1) or those gathered for worship in a particular house (Rom 16:5; 1Cor 16:19) or all Christians in all the churches, the whole church (Matt 16:18; Eph 1:22). It never signifies a building or a “denomination.”