Question 1

What does "Church" mean in the King James Bible?

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Church" means "building where Christians meet." The political assembly. In Greek cities, the ekklesia was the assembly of citizens called out from their homes to deliberate on the city's affairs. Jesus co-opted this political term: His ekklesia was the assembly of kingdom citizens called out to deliberate and enact the affairs of God's kingdom. It was not a building but a governing body.

Question 2

Why did the word "Church" disappear from modern English?

Accepted Answer

Greek ekklesia ('called-out assembly/the gathered people summoned by authority/a political assembly of citizens called to deliberate') was building-ified into 'the building where Christians meet.' A gathered people became a building address. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by still used but building-ified (~1500).

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Church"?

Accepted Answer

"Church" was replaced by: "building" (though this architecture; ekklesia was a people, never a building -- the church was wherever the called-out ones gathered); "denomination" (though this institutional brand; ekklesia was a local, concrete assembly of people called out by god); "religion" (though this belief system; ekklesia was an active assembly, not a set of doctrines).

What Does “Church” Mean in the Bible?

What Was Lost