(I moved this to be by itself rather than being attached to another question...)
"Church" is the English rendering of Anglo Saxon
circe and German
kirche - which, when Scripture began being translated into various languages, became the norm for the Greek
ekklesia - which is the term used in the New Testament to describe the society (or community or assembly) that Christ founded.
The best way to confirm what words mean - and describe them) is to see how they are used:
Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
("I will build my church" tells us 1. It's not "built" yet (and no, I am sure He is not talking about buildings
), and 2. It is His.
Matthew 18:17
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
(Here we see the authority of the church)
Acts 8:1
And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. [ The Church Persecuted and Scattered ] On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
(Here the term is used more specifically to speak of the community at particular locations. Nowadays we call these local groups dioceses and parishes.)
Acts 11:22
News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
(Here we see the beginnings of "the church" at a particular location having special authority. Clearly the church at Jerusalem was directing things at the time of this writing.)
So now that we have a start, one can read, in context, all instances of the word "church" in the Bible
here.
For a more in-depth explanation of the word church - and it's use in Scripture and history, see
here.
Also, check out the somewhat related post on
the difference between "catholic" and "Catholic".
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