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Christian church facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Hortus Deliciarum, Das Gebäude der Kirche mit den Gläubigen
This old drawing from the 12th century shows people gathering in a church building.
This page is about the local church group. For the building, see Church. For the worldwide body of Christians, see Christian Church. For other uses of the word "church", see Church (disambiguation).

A Christian church is a group of people who share a common faith or belief. They often meet together in a specific place. This place might be called a cathedral, temple, or simply a church building. Each church group follows certain teachings and traditions.

Many Christian churches that have the same name and beliefs belong to a larger group. This larger group is called a denomination. If a church is not part of a bigger group, it is usually called nondenominational. There are more than 41,000 different Christian denominations around the world. Most of them fit into three main types: Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Churches.

The Church in the Bible

Many Christians believe that churches first began on the Day of Pentecost. This story is found in the book of Acts in the Bible. The word "church" first appears in the Bible in Matthew 16:18. Here, Jesus tells Peter, "You are like a rock. On this rock, I will build my church. It will be so strong that nothing, not even death, can stop it."

Later, the Apostle Paul wrote many letters. He sent these letters to different churches in various cities. These letters later became important books in the New Testament part of the Bible. They helped guide and teach the early Christian communities.

Images for kids

  • Icon-Pentecost

    An Eastern icon depicting the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The date of Pentecost is considered the "Birthday of the Church".

  • Spread of Christianity to AD 600 (1)

         Predominantly Christian region by AD 325      Predominantly Christian region by AD 600

  • Nicaea icon

    An icon depicting Constantine I, accompanied by the bishops of the First Council of Nicaea (325), holding the Niceno–Constantinopolitan Creed of 381.

  • Mor-mattai

    Founded in AD 363, Mar Mattai Monastery, a Nestorian Church, is recognized as one of the oldest Christian monasteries in existence.

  • AugsburgConfessionArticle7OftheChurch

    The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered. –Augsburg Confession

  • Camp meeting of the Methodists in N. America J. Milbert del M. Dubourg sculp (cropped)

    Methodist preachers are known for promulgating the doctrines of the new birth and entire sanctification to the public at events such as tent revivals, brush arbor revivals, and camp meetings, which they believe is the reason that God raised them up into existence.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Iglesia (organización) para niños

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