Nature of a Church
The term "Church" occurs in the New Testament more than one hundred times. The word thus translated means congregation or assembly. A Church is a visible, local congregation of Christ's baptized disciples, acknowledging him as their head, united in belief of what he has said, and covenanting to do what he has commanded.
To prove that a Church is a local Church, a local body, we refer to the following statements from the King James version of the Holy Scriptures:
The Church at Jerusalem (Acts 8:1)
The Church of God which is at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2)
The Church of the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:1)
The Church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:1)
The Church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:12)
The Church in Pergamos (Revelation 2:12).
We, The Missionary Baptist do not believe in the universal or invisible church theory