Church—"far more than the house it meets in"

Interviews with a Congregational minister and a church historian

Victor Paul Furnish with contributions from Charles M. Laymon

The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible

The faces on the television screen had a kind of quiet joy. It was a news item about the fire that had destroyed their much-loved church edifice just the day before. Yet members of Old South Union Congregational Church in Weymouth, Massachusetts, were already speaking of what they were learning about what Church really is— much more than a building! They spoke, too, of the outpouring of love and generosity from those in their community who were not affiliated with the church.

As one news reporter put it, "The congregation has shown that church is far more than the house it meets in."

The Founder of Christianity didn't say much about church edifices. But Christ Jesus did speak about true worship—in the context of spirituality rather than ritual, "in spirit and in truth." And he indicated his followers would be recognizable by their love for one another.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Church: a warm welcome awaits you!