About church: a note to myself

Of many areas of theology, the theology of church has been the most difficult for me. I think I can give a definition of church, a gathering of Christians. And yet, I often find myself qualifying that definition, having noticed that seminaries, mission organisations, or denominations are NOT church, even though they are "gatherings of Christians", are they not?

 I don't know when I will grasp the meaning or the reality of church more clearly, but here's a few articles that I found helpful in thinking about church.

• Regarding parachurch ministries: Church and Parachurch by Carl Trueman
• Regarding multi-site churches: Multi-site churches are from the devil by Thabiti Anyabwile

That second article is titled strongly for a purpose, nevertheless, I hope you can keep a clear head to read and comprehend what he's saying there.

I have been on his side of thinking for a long time, even as I greatly admire people like John Piper and Matt Chandler who are pastoring to multi-site churches, and are being used by God in a truly wonderful way. I believe multi-site churches are a compromise at best and should not be seen as an acceptable model.