All About Churches

Short Introduction

church The Christian religion has long relied on churches as Congregational buildings which hold the Christian flock together in worship. Churches have for centuries been the centre of religious life, being not only a place for weekly worship but the space in which people are married, christened, baptised, and celebrated after passing. Churches mark special religious occasions - Christmas, Easter, and Palm Sunday being a few of the important events - and provide comfort and shelter to those in need. Above all, churches are used as a medium for the expression of joy and thankfulness for God's involvement in people's lives. Everything about their construction - from their dominating roof-lines to their breath-taking stained-glass windows to their soaring ceilings and intricate naves - expresses a feeling of triumph and of awe.

As Christianity has spread across the globe it has evolved and grown into distinct branches or denominations. Time too has had a huge impact on the Christian church - when once believers were either Catholic or Orthodox, nowadays Christians could belong to one of many different denominations. Within the United Kingdom alone there are several key strands of faith with Anglicanism, Presbyterianism and Catholicism being the main three. Whilst all churches serve the same purpose - to hold and guide the congregation - their designs can vary dramatically from one denomination to another, one region to another. Just as no one person is the same as another, it would appear that no single church is the same as another.