Why does the church matter?

The creeds describe the Church as being “holy, catholic and apostolic” and as the “communion of saints”.

But what do these words mean?

The Church is holy (which means ‘set apart’) because it belongs to God, who has set it apart to do God’s work and is present within it. Confusingly, ‘church’ can refer to a local community of people, a building, a denomination (a grouping of churches who share structures and leadership) or all Christians in the world!

The Church is catholic, meaning universal, because through the Church, God offers the good news of Jesus to every person everywhere, without distinction. This does not refer just to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the global church.

It is apostolic because it proclaims the same message about Jesus that the apostles, his first followers, shared, and still sends people out to share faith.

The communion of saints doesn’t refer to a small group of especially holy people. Here, all believers are considered to be ‘saints’. There is an unbreakable bond – between all God’s people in heaven and on earth, who rejoice together in God’s blessings.

The Church baptises people and celebrates the Lord’s Supper as a sign of God’s free offer of forgiveness. Baptism is the sign of God’s once-for-all offer of forgiveness in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, is the sign of God’s continually renewed offer of forgiveness, meeting our ongoing need.

You can read more about this in the Bible:

● 1 Peter 2:9

● 1 Corinthians 14:24–25; 15:1–3

● Matthew 28:19–20

● Galatians 1:6–9; 3:28

● Revelation 7:9–17

● 1 John 1:5–2:2