In the Bible, the church is not a building, but a community of people who follow Jesus. Here you will find 20 Bible verses about the church community – about its purpose, its mission, and its fellowship. Also suitable for a church newsletter, anniversary, or church festival.
What the church is
Images and promises for the church community.
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And I tell you also: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not overcome them.
Matthew 16:18Rock
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No one can lay another foundation except the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:11Reformation Day
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So you are no longer guests and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints and fellow householders with God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, since Jesus Christ is the cornerstone.
Ephesians 2:19-20
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On which the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in which you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:21-22
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And you also, as living stones, are being built together into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5Sacrifice
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But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy people, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
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And He has put all things under His feet and has set Him as head over all things, which is His body, namely the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:22-23Body
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And He is the head of the body, namely the church; He who is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, so that He may have preeminence in all things.
Colossians 1:18Body
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So that while I am delayed, you may know how you ought to walk in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and foundation of truth.
1 Timothy 3:15
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You husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.
Ephesians 5:25Men
Church life
What church life looks like according to the Bible.
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They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and in fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in prayer.
Acts 2:42CommunionFellowship
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And they met together daily and always with one accord in the temple, and they broke bread from house to house, eating and drinking together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God, and having favor with all the people. But the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
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And do not forsake our assembly, as some are accustomed to do, but exhort one another, and the more abundantly as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25
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I rejoiced at those who said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord!"
Psalm 122:1
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How lovely are Your dwellings, O Lord God Almighty! My soul longs and earnestly desires the courts of the Lord; my body and my soul shall rejoice in the living God.
Psalm 84:2-3Home
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O Lord, I love the courts of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells.
Psalm 26:8
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Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16FellowshipGod's Word
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What is it then, beloved brethren? When you come together, each one has a psalm, each one has doctrine, each one has revelations, each one has interpretations. Let all things be done for edification!
1 Corinthians 14:26
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Let all things be done decently and in order.
1 Corinthians 14:40Planning
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For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.
Matthew 18:20FellowshipPrayer
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
Related Topics
This might be for you
For churches and their teams: the United-in-Christ series and Pieces, which make fellowship visible. You can find information about shirts for your own church in the post Church T-Shirts.
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United in Christ - Boxy T-ShirtBoxy shirt for Galatians 3:28: For you are all one in Christ Jesus.€38
As for me and my house - PosterPoster for Joshua 24:15: But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.€12
Coffee Date - PostcardPostcard for inviting someone out for coffee.€2
What is the church according to the Bible?
The Greek word ekklesia, which Luther usually translates as "church community," means "the called-out ones" – an assembly. So the church is first a community of people, not a building or an institution. Paul uses powerful images for it: the body of Christ, whose head is Jesus (Colossians 1:18), a temple made of living stones (1 Peter 2:5), a family in which everyone is a "fellow householder with God" (Ephesians 2:19). Paul establishes the foundation: "No one can lay another foundation except the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11).
Bible verses for church newsletters and anniversaries
For a church anniversary or church dedication, Psalm 26:8 ("O Lord, I love the courts of Your house"), Psalm 84:2-3, and 1 Corinthians 3:11 are suitable. For a church newsletter, verses about fellowship such as Hebrews 10:24-25 or Acts 2:42 are fitting. And for everyone who loves their church community but also struggles with it, Ephesians 5:25 is comforting: Christ loved the church "and gave Himself for her." Find out more in Bible verses about fellowship, Bible verses about the body of Christ, and Bible verses for volunteers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the church and the church community?
In the New Testament, the same Greek word ekklesia refers to both: the local church community and the worldwide fellowship of all Christians.
Which Bible verse is suitable for a church anniversary?
Psalm 26:8, Psalm 84:2-3, Psalm 122:1, and 1 Corinthians 3:11 are popular choices.
