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The 10 Biblical Priorities and Purposes for a Local Church

By Dr. Andrew Corbett, May 31st 2024 originally written from Ipswich, Queensland; updated 16 July 2026 from Melbourne, Victoria

The Local Church Christianity is both a vertical and a horizontal relationship. It is a vertical relationship of the believer with God; and, it is a horizontal relationship of a believer with other believers who are also a part of the body of Christ. This horizontal relationship is transacted within a local context in which God places the believer. Below are the ten priorities and purposes for a local church in which the believer is a vital participant.

1. To be a collective witness and a prophetic voice to the world and the unseen realm

8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 3:8-10

2. To declare the praises of God together with “one voice”

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6

3. To grow as a covenant community of dedicated followers of Christ who are shaped together by the ‘biblical constitution for a local church’ found in Romans 12:9-21

9 ¶ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 ¶ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:9-21

4. To be trained, equipped, and empowered to serve Christ and His Church.

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13

5. To celebrate the sacred ordinances of:
– Water baptism as the admission to “the Lord Table” (1Cor. 10:31)
– The Lord’s Supper (1Cor. 11:17, 21)
– The sacred preaching of God’s Word.

Rom. 16:25 ¶ Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages Rom. 16:26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—

6. To not to neglect the assembling together to be encouraged, admonished, and corrected.

7. To experience God’s grace through the ministry of the Holy Spirit gifts, the prayers of the elders and the church.

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:14, 16

8. To learn together the truths of God’s Word so that:
-Parents can teach their children
-Older women can teach younger ones
-Older men can teacher younger men

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
Titus 2:3-5

I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
First John 2:14

9. To ‘fellowship’ with your brothers and sisters in Christ to be encouraged and to encourage each other to be more devoted to Christ.

Col. 3:12 ¶ Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, Col. 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Col. 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
First John 1:7

10. To cooperate with each other so that the hurting, lost, lonely, and broken, can discover the love of God the Father for themselves — and their place in their church family.

Pastors should explain to their congregations why the Parable of the Good Samaritan is so critical for their church to understanding and exemplify.

1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
Colossians 2:18-19

Rom. 10:1 ¶ Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

These are the ten priorities and purposes of a local church. Let me know what you think about them in the comments below, and please share this post with others.