I never realized the definition of "church" would so contentious.
Webster's Dictionary has several definitions: 1) a building set apart or consecrated for worship 2) religius service or public worship among Christians 3) all Christians considered as a single body 4) the ecclesiastical government of a particular religious, or its power as opposed to secular government 5) the profession of the clergy 6) a group of worshipers; congregation

Then of course there are the Protestant , Catholic and the Orthodox definitions. The Catholics and Orthodox definitely make the rest of us look bad because they have given the issue so much thought and we look shallow in comparison.

Jesus said that whenever 2 or 3 are gathered in his name, he will be in their midst. So this is my most basic conception of "church"- people coming together in the name of Jesus, which envokes his presence. I'm not really sure why we have to make things more complicated than that.

The image of the church being like a container of cookies that have gotten spilled onto the floor, then dusted off and put back into the container- It is something I will remember; like Forest Gump saying that life is like a box of chocolates.