Interesting article, but when I first read the title the first thing that came to my mind was "building". Whenever we mention where an activity is going to be. it's always at the "church", or "I'm going up to the "church", which when you think about it is kind of funny. Church to me is a place and people. The church is were I learn about the gospel. The gospel is more important than the "Church", in my world anyway.

Church to me is a three hour nap on Sundays.

You might begin with saying MY church, or OUR church, because several others claim they are "THE" church.

The Church is a word with many meanings. It can be an organization. It can be a "social" structure.
It can be the building where people meet. It can be just the people who share common belief. It can be where one learns about the Lord and His Gospel. It can be a philosophy. It can be where people meet in Jesus' name.

It is really ALL of these things plus many more.

The Church should be an Uplifting experience.

Sometimes it isn't. Sometimes the people there who act so self-righteous and/or judgemental. It's Sad when the last two sentences happen and it does
many times. I beleive that Satan wins when Church
becomes a Non Up-lifting experience. I also believe that it's a "people" problem thing. People can sometimes be "mean" and "insensitive". People as individuals can also have "worthiness issues of personal guilt" too and sometimes project that problem on to the "others" there too.

So Church can mean many many different things in many different scenarios.

The MAIN Purpose of Church is to Learn More about
God And Jesus and Learn to be close to Them.

God Bless.

As "Ernest T. Bass" shows Church is what you make it, and get out of it what you put into it.

Isn't there scripture that says: where two or three are gathered in my name...

The LDS Church is "a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control (e.g. isolation from former friends and family, debilitation, use of special methods to heighten suggestibility and subservience, powerful group pressures, information management, suspension of individuality or critical judgment, promotion of total dependency on the group and fear of leaving it, etc.), designed to advance the goals of the group's leaders, to the actual or possible detriment of members, their families, or the community. (West & Langone, 1986, pp. 119-120)