There was a time when the church of God appeared to be focused in one corporate body, the Worldwide Church of God. However, during these times of disintegration and disappointment, the church is widely scattered following that body's collapse. Those who left the Worldwide Church of God find themselves in different organizations, each with basically the same doctrines but different corporate names identifying them. Each group may have a somewhat different focus as to its message and purpose, and some may even exhibit a standoffish attitude toward other corporate churches of God. Because of these things, unity, purpose, and solidarity have suffered greatly. For those who spent a long time in the Worldwide Church of God, constant references to its being the true church drilled the concept deeply into their consciousnesses. A many-decades-long record of unified purpose and growth supported this, as that one body carried out a large-scale, worldwide work. Does a single, corporate, true church of God exist? Jesus clearly states that He will build His church, singular, and not churches. One does not find the true church on his own any more than one can find Christ and the Father on His own. A person is led to God and to the church, and he is added to it upon repentance, baptism, giving himself wholly to God, and receiving the Holy Spirit. God's true church cannot be found without revelation, and it cannot be joined by mere human effort. The Bible describes the church as part of a Kingdom that issues citizenships, a building of which its members are materials, the body of Jesus Christ of which its members are vital parts, and a Family into which God's children are summoned. There is no more important and exclusive institution on earth, and no volunteers are accepted; each person becomes a part of it by God's design only. Despite the vast number of people calling themselves Christian, the true church is minuscule and virtually invisible. Yet, it does exist, for Jesus promises that He will build His church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. It will never die out because eternal life resides within it, and the most powerful army in all creation protects and provides for it. Was the church, the assembly of called-out ones, ever all in one corporate group? Yes, but it did not last long. After the early period, as the apostles scattered to preach the gospel, congregations began to form beyond Jerusalem and Antioch, and a gradual dissolving of the unique, one-true-church unity occurred. Clearly, it was God's will for the assembly of called-out ones to increase, not only in number, but to worldwide locations. Nonetheless, divisions occurred, and the concept of a single congregation or corporate entity being the one true church became vague and substantially disregarded. A closer look at the congregations in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea reveals varied conditions among them, with each facing unique challenges and commendations. These Gentile congregations, likely with Jewish minorities, had little communication with the original Jerusalem congregation by the end of the first century. Christ's brethren are scattered, but fellowship of some sort is still available with the various congregations of God. This situation gives God the opportunity to judge the depth of personal conversion in ways that the church's former situation did not.

The concept of the church, as explored in this discussion, is deeply rooted in a spiritual understanding that transcends the common perception of it as merely a physical building. Most individuals, prior to a deeper understanding, might have viewed a church as a structure associated with various denominations. However, the church is only faintly described as a building in the Bible, using metaphorical language. In I Peter 2:5, believers are likened to living stones being built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Similarly, I Corinthians 3:9 refers to believers as God's building, and Ephesians 2:19-20 describes them as fellow citizens built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, growing into a holy temple in the Lord. This imagery portrays the church as a living organism, uniquely designed by a master designer as a spiritual habitation, distinct from any ordinary structure. The term church, derived from the Greek word ekklesia, originally meant an assembly or group of people, not necessarily with religious connotations until assigned such by the apostles in the Bible. In secular Greek usage, it could refer to any gathering, even a mob, as seen in Acts with the riot in Ephesus. When associated with God, ekklesia becomes God's group, called and arranged for a specific purpose. The church is further illustrated as the body of Christ in Ephesians 1:20-22, with Him as the head over all things to the church, His body, composed of various parts collected and connected together, alive and functioning under His direction. Ephesians 4:11-14 and 4:16 emphasize this body as a living entity that grows and edifies itself in love, equipped for ministry and unity in faith, with each part contributing to the whole. This spiritual organism unites both Gentiles and Israelites into one body through Christ, as noted in Ephesians 2:14-16, breaking down barriers to reconcile them to God. Ephesians 4:3-6 underscores the unity of this body, bound by one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. The church exists wherever these unifying elements are present, not confined to a single corporate entity, indicating a broader spiritual presence. Historically, the church's roots trace back to Abraham, considered the father of the faithful, though it began in earnest with Jesus Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, Israel is referred to as a congregation, or ekklesia, in Acts 7:37-39, but never as the church of God, lacking the sanctity and sacred purpose implied by the term church. Israel, as the congregation of Israel, entered into a covenant with God, portrayed as a marriage in Ezekiel 16:8, yet failed to fulfill God's desires for witness and holy offspring, leading to a metaphorical divorce as seen in Jeremiah 3:8. In the New Testament, the church is introduced by Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:18, built on a rock with the assurance that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. This church consists of those to whom the mystery of the Kingdom of God is revealed, called out and elected to bear the image of His Son. The New Covenant, described in Hebrews 8:6-8, offers better promises than the Old, addressing the weaknesses of the people through forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and the gift of God's Holy Spirit, preparing the church as the bride of Christ for a marriage union, as depicted in Revelation 19:6-9, where the bride is arrayed in fine linen, symbolizing righteous acts. The purpose of the church, as outlined, is not merely for salvation but to prepare a dedicated and organized personnel of God-beings to assist Christ in restoring God's government on earth. It serves as a training ground for future rulers and teachers during the millennial reign, as the firstfruits of God's salvation, called out for a special mission before salvation is opened to th