church

The term church has come to wide use to refer to the organized and gathered religious community. In the Christian tradition, church refers to the organic, interdependent “body” of Christ’s followers, the community of Christians. Secondarily, church refers to the building housing such a community or to a particular “communion” or denomination of the Christian tradition. The term “church” has been adopted by other American groups —such as the Buddhist Churches of America—to indicate this form of community fellowship.