A local church is a group of Christians who meet regularly in the name of Christ to formally confirm and oversee each other's membership in Jesus Christ and His kingdom through the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of gospel ordinances.
This may sound trivial, but consider the five components of this definition:
- A group of Christians;
- Regular meeting;
- Church-wide confirmation and supervision;
- The purpose is to officially represent Christ and His reign on earth—they gather in His name;
- Using the sermon and sacraments for these purposes.
Just as the pastor's proclamation transforms a man and woman into a married couple, the last four points transform a casual group of Christians spending time together in a park into a local church.
Such a gathering is important for many reasons. One is that here, as Christians, we «go public» to declare our highest allegiance. It is an outpost or embassy that gives a public face to our future nation (God’s people). Here we bow before our King, which we call worship. The Pharaohs of the world may oppose us, but God is bringing His people out from among the nations to worship Him. He will form His mighty church.
The assembly is also the place where our King exercises his rule through preaching, sacraments, and discipline. The gospel sermon explains the «law» of our people. It proclaims the name of our King and explains the sacrifice he made to become our King. It teaches us his ways and rebukes us for our disobedience, assuring us of his soon return.
Through baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the church raises the standard and puts on the military uniform of our people, making us visible. To be baptized is to identify ourselves with the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to mark our unity with the death and resurrection of Christ (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:3-5). To partake of the Lord’s Supper is to proclaim His death and our membership in His body (1 Cor. 11:26-29; cf. Matt. 26:26-29). God wants His people to be known and set apart. He wants to draw a line between the church and the world.
So, what is a local church?
It is an institution created and authorized by Jesus Christ to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom, to confirm gospel teachers, to oversee their teaching, and to expose impostors. All of this means that we do not simply «join» the local church like a club; we submit to it.
