What is the Church in General?

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it:  Corinthians 12:27

When Jesus built the church, it was intended to be universal. The term “catholic” literally means universal. It is when you call it a “Roman Catholic” church that the meaning changes in terms of the doctrinal belief system. The word “church” came from the Greek word ekklesia, which means “an assembly”.

The church pertains to a company of souls that have been redeemed by Christ. In short, the church, in the general sense pertains to the body of believers. When you zone in on the local church, you are given a more specific setting. The local church refers to Christians that belong to a geographical area that worship as a congregation. The purpose of the church is to minister to believers and unbelievers.