Capitalize "Church" or Not?
“Hey Preacher, sometimes I see the word ‘church’ capitalized (e.g., Church of Christ), and sometimes I see it in lower case (e.g., church of Christ). Why is that, and why do some people make a big deal about it?”
Strange as it may sound, this question has in some cases polarized Christians unnecessarily. Honestly, I hesitate to devote any time and space to answering it because it seems very close to something that Paul warned Timothy and Titus about. He told those preachers to “avoid foolish controversies” (Titus 3:9) and “charge [others] before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good” (2 Tim. 2:14). At the risk of giving too much attention to a foolish controversy, I’ll offer an opinion – which, incidentally, is all anyone can offer since the Bible doesn’t address capitalization rules.
Some contend that because the word church is not a proper noun it should never be capitalized – not in a sentence (unless it’s the first word), not in a title, not on a flier, not on a sign in front of a building, not on a business card, not on anything. It is true that church, by itself, is not a proper noun. However, that does not mean that it is always wrong to capitalize it.
Consider some examples. In the following sentence, I believe church should be lower case: “Contact us if you would like more information about the church.” But in the following sentence, I would put church in the upper case: “Contact us if you would like more information about the Main Street Church of Christ.” While church is not a proper noun, Main Street Church of Christ is. Consider a parallel with the word school. By itself, school is not a proper noun and should be lower case in common usage. “The school is closed for repairs.” But school should be capitalized when it is part of a name: “Main Street Middle School is closed for repairs.”
I have heard it asserted that leaving church in the lower case even when, grammatically speaking, it should be in the upper case (e.g., Main Street church of Christ), sends a message that we are not a denomination. This statement, of course, is never followed by evidence from the Bible because the Bible never affirms as much.
This is a matter of grammar, English capitalization rules, and aesthetics. It’s not a matter of Bible doctrine.
To anyone outside a very small segment of our brotherhood, the use of a small “c” as in Main Street church of Christ communicates nothing more than a typographical error and incompetent proofreading. The capitalization of church does not signify false religion or that the church of the Lord has forfeited its identity or nature. What a person believes about the nature of the church is determined by what he teaches, not by his correct or incorrect usage of capital letters.
The lack of discernment that causes us to have to address such inconsequential matters is pitiable indeed.