Short answer
Church is not a building or a Sunday event; it is the people who belong to Jesus, gathered as His family. We meet to worship God, to learn His Word, to pray, to share Communion, to care for one another and to be sent out to serve and share the good news.
God’s family, Christ’s body
The Bible uses warm pictures for the church: a family with God as Father, a body with Christ as the head, a temple where God’s Spirit lives. Paul writes, You are the body of Christ and individually members of it
(1 Corinthians 12:27). No one becomes a Christian to be alone. We are saved into a family.
What we do together
The very first church gives the pattern: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers
(Acts 2:42). So when we gather we worship God in song, listen to the Bible taught, pray for one another and the world, share Communion and eat together. We give to support the work and to help those in need. And we go out, because Jesus sent His church to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).
Church is also where the Holy Spirit gives gifts so that everyone can build up everyone else (1 Corinthians 12:7). You are not an audience; you are a member with something to bring.
Why not just believe on my own?
Because Jesus did not design it that way. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another
(Hebrews 10:24-25). Faith grows in company. We need each other’s encouragement, correction, prayer and practical help, and others need ours.
At Spring Valley we are a family from many nations, worshipping in Malayalam, English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and more. You do not need to dress up, know the songs or have your life sorted. Come as you are.
How this connects across the Bible
The Bible is one story. Here is how this theme runs from the Old Testament to Jesus:
- God called Abraham so that all nations would be blessed through his family (Genesis 12:2-3); Paul says all who believe are Abraham’s children (Galatians 3:7-9).
- Israel was gathered at Sinai as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6); Peter applies those words to the church (1 Peter 2:9-10).
- God dwelt among His people in the tabernacle and temple (Exodus 25:8, 1 Kings 8:10-11); now His people are His temple, with the Spirit living in them (Ephesians 2:21-22).
- The prophets saw the nations streaming to God’s house (Isaiah 2:2-3); Jesus builds His church from every people (Matthew 16:18) and the vision is fulfilled around the throne (Revelation 7:9).
What we believe at Spring Valley
We believe Christ is the head of the church, and that the local fellowship is a family of individuals united in Christ and thereby united to the universal Body of Christ. We are committed to equipping God’s people, enriching everyone to mature in Christ and enlarging His body through witness.
Your next step
The best way to understand church is to come and be part of it. Sunday Service is 8:15 AM at 49 High Town Road, Luton. Read What do Pentecostals believe? to know what to expect.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Read the Bible free in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English and many more languages at bible.com.