Hi everyone,

Some of us have been discussing all kinds of things related to Church on another thread (don't quite know where it is around here but it's around here somewhere) and the thread in question got a bit tangled up in a discussion of all kinds of Church issues.

I thought it would be good to narrow the discussion down a bit and discuss just one aspect of what everyone brought up in that thread.

Namely the meaning of the word Church.

In the New Testament did the word Church mean a building of some sort? A group of people with leaders such as elders and deacons? Was a Church a group of people that was organized around what are commonly referred to as Sacraments today such that without those Sacraments it would not have been considered a Church?

What was a Church? What saith the Word?

If I may suggest...I think it would be good to further narrow our discussion by having us stick only to that which is written in the Bible. Without regard for Creeds and what learned Christian men have said since New Testament times.

I will post more shortly as I have time but I wanted to at least open this topic up if any were interested in discussing this further.

Thanks.

Carlos