Church is for many people a fundamental part of the Christian faith. But it is also a major point of contention between a lot of Christians - Church can happen in so many different ways, and express different aspects of our faith, so sometimes it could be difficult to know if they’re even to do with the same faith. I think Church can also be a big thing for Christians individually - positive and negative experiences of church can have a huge impact on our faith.

So what should a Church be like? Is it possible to say that some churches have got it ‘right’ or ‘wrong’? And how does this fit in with the way God intended Church to be, as it is set it out in the bible?

Nowhere is the bible does it prescribe exactly how a church should be, and in fact nowhere does it describe a place that is like our stereotypical Western vision of church - the old stone building, the dreary tradition, the tea and biscuits afterwards. Nor, however, does it describe many of the less traditional forms of church, ‘alternative’ church we can also experience. The word used in the bible, ‘ekklesia’, simply refers to a gathering of people, and probably didn’t hold much religious connotation at the time.

My personal experiences of church have been quite mixed, and have impacted in various ways on the way I see my faith.

My early memories of Church are of going with my family, of tradition, of something that was just a part of our lives. I kind of liked it when I was young, but as I got older I associated it with obligation and as something not very cool. There weren’t many other people my age there, so I felt a bit lonely, and I stopped going.

Since then I think I’ve often been quite critical of church – I’ve often been frustrated by churches that just feel like a social club on Sundays, full of people who don’t seem to really apply much of what’s said there to their real lives, places that don’t seem to bear much relation to reality. For various reasons I’ve sometimes struggled to feel really part of a church, but often ended up feeling on the fringes.

My most positive experiences of church have been churches that really create a good sense of community without being a ‘social club’, that are inclusive, and that are outward-focused. The crucial thing is for what’s said on a Sunday to truly apply to the rest of the week.

I think it’s really important that church has a purpose. It’s not just a place we go to get ‘fed’ with ideas and encouraged by like-minded people (though these things are good). Just as the early church was a radical challenge to prevailing culture, so should our churches be – we should be looking to actively engage with the culture around us, and bring something of God to that culture.

In terms of the way church is, I actually think there’s a lot to be said for tradition - sacred spaces and liturgy can be for many people a really powerful way of meeting with God, as can more modern or creative expressions of worship, which I also think can be powerful. But these things are not what, in essence, Chuch is.

I like the image of the Church being the body of Christ. We’re here to learn from him, and do his work. However that is expressed is, I guess, up to a personal decision. But, ultimately, Church is a gathering of people, meeting in a common purpose to love God, love each other, and love other people. That’s it really.