The Church - A New Community of Believers

The Old Testament speaks of "the people of God". The New Testament uses terms like "the bride of Christ", "the body of Christ", "the living temple of God". The word translated church is ecclesia, which means the "called-out together ones". Christianity is a community affair, not just a private experience.

The Church - A Local Community of Believers

The Christian faith is not something lived out in isolation but in the context of the Church. In fact, the idea of a Christian who doesn't belong to a local congregation is foreign to the New Testament. Most of the directives in the New Testament are plural; directed to the community, not just individuals. In the local church Christians give concrete expression to unity and oneness in Christ. This is why it's critical to your spiritual growth that you gather with other believers of the local church for worship, fellowship, learn, serve, and reach out to unbelieving family, friends, and community. Southside Community Church is both an organization of people and a living organism of community called the body of Christ. For this reason, we value people; men, women, and children; and the uniqueness of their gifts serving others out of the "overflow" of knowing Christ.

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT)