Meaning of church (what is it, concept and definition)

What is the Church:

The group of faithful united by the same faith, and who celebrate the same religious doctrines, is called the Church. Also, it is the building that they consecrate to God and that they worship him.

It is noteworthy that the term Church, was originally used to refer to the assembly of citizens to deal with political matters.

On the other hand, the term Church is applied to the various dimensions into which Christianity was divided: Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, Greek Church, Maronite Church, among others. As for its constitution and institution, all the churches took social form since there is no society that cannot subsist without authority, and as for its institution it represents a system of dogmatic precepts, rites and beliefs.

See also on Christianity.

Christ instituted the church as a true hierarchical and monarchical society, with a character of stability, destined to gather the faithful until the end of time. Theologians develop this argument and decided that the Catholic Church or Roman Catholic Church is the only true Church of Christ, because it retains the visible unity and primacy of authority that was conferred on Peter, the chief of the apostles, and his successors.

In sociology, the Church is characterized by being an organized and institutionalized religious group. The church is a society whose members represent in the same way the sacred world and its relations with the profane world.

See also on Profane.

Etymologically, the word church is of Latin origin ecclesia, and this from the Greek ekklesia .

Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church is derived from ancient Greek Christianity of the Eastern Mediterranean. Orthodox Christianity spread throughout Eastern Europe through the influence of the Byzantine Empire that lasted until 1543, and through the work of missionary groups.

The Orthodox Church differs from the Catholic Church by the lack of recognition of the Pope as authority, since for them the most authority is the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Each Orthodox Church has its own patriarch, being self-governing.

Orthodox Christianity is important in Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, among others.

See more about Orthodox Church.

Evangelic church

The name of the Evangelical Church was used in 1817 in Germany to refer to the Church that resulted from the fusion of Lutherans and Calvinists. Currently, the term is generalized to all small groupings in Europe and America.

Catholic Church

The Catholic Church or Roman Catholic Church is a Christian Church that enjoys triple powers: teaching, sanctifying, governing and caring for the faithful. The Catholic Church is formed by the ecclesiastical class of priests, the Pope being the supreme head of the entire Church and of the Vatican State, apart from cardinals, bishops and parents.

It is a hierarchical organization in which the clergy is divided into bishops, priests, and deacons. Likewise, it contains its own commandments or precepts, which are:

• Participate in the Mass on Sundays and feasts, abstain from works and activities that prevent the sanctification of these days. Confess sins at least once every year. Commune the sacrament of the Eucharist at least at Easter. Save abstinence and fast in the days that the Church designates. To satisfy the material needs of the Church, each one according to his possibilities.

The Catholic Church is the mystical body of Christ, quickened by the Holy Spirit. Christ is the invisible chief, who communicates spiritual life to all members through the Holy Spirit through the sacraments.

See more about the Catholic Church.

Anglican church

The Anglican Church has its origin in England, under its founder Henry VIII. It is considered part of the Catholic Church. Despite the above, it contemplates certain differences with the Catholic Church, since in the Anglican Church it allows women to be priests, and homosexuals can be priests and participate in the church. Likewise, the Anglican Church is distancing itself from the figure of the Pope.

On the other hand, it presents similarities as in the belief of the sacraments of communion and the Lord's Supper.