Prayer is a very significant part of church life. It’s not unusual to see churches with a bell tower, a cross on the top, and stained glass windows from which light shines out from behind. In this blog post, we will explore few facts about churches that you may not know.
- Churches are the third most popular place for people to get married after homes and hotels.
- The word “church” comes from the Greek word kyriakon, which means Lord’s House.
- In America, most churches are Protestant.
- The oldest church in the world is in Ephesus, Turkey. The River Pointe church is the largest in the United States, with a membership of over 22,000 people.
- The first church was created after someone witnessed the death of Jesus.
- There are over 30,000 different denominations of churches in the United States alone.
- The average church in the United States has over 100 members.
- The first church was built in 432 AD.
- The smallest church in the world is located in Reno, Nevada.
- Churches began to be built in the shape of a cross around the third century.
- The first-ever church service was held by Peter, James and John on Pentecost Day, which is why it’s now known as “Pentecost Sunday”.
- St Mark’s Church, located in Cairo, has been standing since 33 AD, making it one of the oldest churches today.
- Churches are always made with bricks or stones joined together with mortar, but without nails or screws because Jesus died nailed to a cross, so Christians don’t use them either when they build things like buildings etc.
- Churches were often used as hospitals during plagues because sick people could attend services while being quarantined away from the rest of society.
- The church at Ephesus is believed to be one of seven churches mentioned in Revelations, meaning it was established by one of the 12 apostles, perhaps John. He wrote Revelations himself and later became a disciple after that his exile on Patmos Island.
- Churches were sometimes built over pagan temples when early Christians would convert them into churches because they didn’t have enough money to buy their land.
- The first record ever found mentioning “church” was in Acts 11:26, where we know it meant “assembly”.
Conclusion
As you can see, churches have a long and fascinating history that continues to this day. So even if you’re not religious, it’s worth visiting at least one of these magnificent buildings the next time you get a chance.
