New
New
Year 10
AQA

The Church in the local community

I can explain the role of the Church in the local community, with reference to food banks.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

The Church in the local community

I can explain the role of the Church in the local community, with reference to food banks.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Church, with a capital C, refers to the community of Christian believers, commonly referred to as the Body of Christ.
  2. Church with a lowercase "c" is usually used to refer to the place of worship, or a local church and congregation.
  3. The Church is often referred to as the Body of Christ because of unity and action among believers.
  4. The Church is often involved in local projects, outreach work and charity and local churches play a vital role in this.
  5. With the support of local churches, the Church supports local communities through food banks.

Keywords

  • Church - referring to a building in which Christians worship

  • Church - the People of God/Body of Christ, among whom Christ is present and active; members of a particular Christian denomination/tradition, eg Roman Catholic Church

  • Ecumenism - efforts by Christians of different Church traditions to develop closer relationships and better understandings

  • Food banks - places in local communities where people in need can go to collect food; often run/supported by local churches and religious charities

Common misconception

The Church is the Christian place of worship.

Church with a capital "C" refers to the community of Christian believers, and church with a lower case "c" refers to the Christian place of worship and often local churches and their congregations.


To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: The Church in the local community, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may wish to contextualise the verse from 1 Peter by sharing 1 Peter 5:1–4 with students.
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Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Many Christians celebrate Christmas by singing .

Correct Answer: carols, Carols

Q2.
What does the season of Advent help Christians to do?

prepare for the resurrection of Jesus
Correct answer: prepare for the celebration of Jesus' birth
celebrate the visit of the Magi

Q3.
When do many Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?

Correct answer: 7th January, following a different calendar
25th December like most other Christians
they do not celebrate Christmas

Q4.
Lent begins on Wednesday, which marks the start of the season.

Correct Answer: Ash, ash

Q5.
Week remembers the final days of Jesus’ life, including his crucifixion.

Correct Answer: Holy, holy

Q6.
The season of Easter lasts for 50 days and ends on ...

Correct Answer: Pentecost, pentecost

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
The Church is often referred to as the Body of ...

Correct Answer: Christ, christ

Q2.
In the Parable of the Sheep and the , Jesus teaches about caring for others.

Correct Answer: Goats, goats

Q3.
Jesus made clear the responsibility of Christians when he said, “For I was and you gave me something to eat.”

Correct Answer: hungry, Hungry

Q4.
What is one way local churches support their communities?

closing on weekdays
Correct answer: running food banks
selling religious books

Q5.
A Christian place of worship is a church with a lower case “c”.

Correct answer: True: it refers to the Christian place of worship in a local area.
False: church with a lower case “c” always means the universal Church.
False: all churches always start with a capital “C”, regardless of meaning.

Q6.
What is the meaning of the word 'ecumenism'?

Correct answer: efforts to bring Christians of different traditions closer
feeding those in need in the local community
preaching to non-Christians in other countries