The role of the local and worldwide Church in the local community and the wider world, including outreach, food banks and street pastors.

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to explain the role of the local church in its community and the role of the worldwide Church, with concrete examples such as food banks and street pastors. Tie the work to Christian teaching, because the evaluation question often asks whether worship or social action is the Church's true role.

The local church in the community

The church building itself is a community resource, often hosting groups, providing warm spaces, debt advice and counselling. Food banks, many coordinated through the Trussell Trust, give emergency food parcels to people referred by agencies. Street pastors are trained volunteers from local churches who walk the streets at night offering practical help and a listening ear. These activities put Christian teaching into action and show the love of God in a form people can see and receive, which Christians regard as a powerful witness to their faith.

The worldwide Church

Through bodies such as the World Council of Churches and aid agencies like CAFOD and Christian Aid, the worldwide Church responds to disasters, campaigns on poverty and injustice, and links wealthier and poorer congregations in mutual support. This expresses the belief that all Christians belong to one body, "the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12), regardless of country.

Why the Church does this

Christians serve because Jesus commanded love of neighbour and identified himself with the needy: "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). Service is also a form of worship and witness: by caring for people, the Church shows the gospel in action and lives out the teaching that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).

In the exam, be ready to argue both that the Church has a duty to serve the community and that some Christians prioritise worship and evangelism. A strong evaluation notes that many Christians see no real conflict: worship motivates and is expressed through service, so a church that prays on Sunday and runs a food bank on Monday is doing one connected thing. You can also distinguish the local church (the congregation and building serving its neighbourhood) from the worldwide Church (the global body working for justice and relief), since the dot point names both. Concrete, named examples (a Trussell Trust food bank, a street pastors scheme, Christian Aid Week) lift an answer above vague generalities and show you understand the role of the Church in both the local community and the wider world.