Keith,
Good post!  You are right!  The word church is from a greek word "ecclesia"
meaning the called out.  We are the called out, members of the church the
body of Christ.  We use the word in a manner foreign to it's definition.
The church meets at a certain place but we do not "go" to church but we are
the church.  As we view the church in it's early days in the New Testament,
we see a body of people who were, at that tiem, "turning the world upside
down'".  They came together (Acts 20, on the Lord's day to break bread and
to encourage one another.  Also, in the church, we are all ministers
(servnts) and there are pastors whom, in the beginning, were chosen or
appointed by the appostles.   The word used as pastor is a word that is used
of shephderds.  That is another area where, it seems to me, we use the word
in a wrong way.  In the New Testament, there were preachers, usually
referred to as evangelists, who did the preaching.  Sometimes, one of the
elders, bishops or pastors would preach.   So many people are always saying
they don't go to a particular "church, gathering place, because they don't
get fed.  We are to feed one another and to feed on the word.  The gathering
is to encourage the flock and to strengthen one another while we worship and
praise the Lord.

Phil, you provoked a good discussion here.

May we be encouraged by our discussion and come to know Him better.

Ned