"Why does church matter? Because 'church' names the people of God who make known God's love for the world in Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit....
First, I am convinced, with many others, that the good news of Jesus Christ is fundamentally not a new set of ideas or system of belief but the grace of God made known in human lives. The church is the body of people who believe the good news and are chosen by God to bear witness to it. The church's witness bearing is testimony not to its own life but to God's grace in its life. Since that grace is the good news of Jesus Christ, it bears witness to the entire history of Christ's coming, including his continuing work through the Holy Spirit in the power of the resurrection. That grace of the gospel is both judgment and redemption. The judgment of grace reveals our sin, so that we may confess, repent and be forgiven. The redemption of grace is the transformation of our lives into a new people. Thus, the good news to which the church is called as witness is fundamentally a way of life. It must be 'acted out'; it must be practiced."
- Jonathan R. Wilson, Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice
