This book is about the local church-God's plan and program to carry on His work in this world. Certainly, God has a wonderful plan and program for the family. He also has a definite program for civil government. However, God has no other plan or program to carry on His work in this world apart from His church. This volume is an "in the trenches" type book, written by a busy pastor wearing many hats. No claim is made for literary excellence. It is simply written by an active preacher, who has staunch Bible convictions about what he is writing, and is simply saying some things that he believes need to be said. This is not a complex theological treatise-it is written for the everyday average Christian. It is not exhaustive-it simply withdraws a bucket from the vast ocean of God's information revelation about His church. It is my prayer that this book will help new converts get headed in the right direction, stimulate believers to realize the primacy of the church, foster Biblical thinking among Christian high school and Bible college students about the importance of the local church, and incite Bible-teaching and Bible-preaching about "the pillar and ground of the truth." To assist believers in getting a Biblical view of the church, by stepping aside and letting the Bible speak, is my objective.