Within a day or two of asking the question "What is church supposed to be?", a former coworker gave me a book to read.  What was the subject matter of this book?  "What is the church supposed to be?"  That is an interesting coincidence.  Let me start by saying that this book Pagan Christianity, is a flawed book written by a flawed man with flawed arguments that makes some very accurate and excellent points.  In Pagan Christianity, the author asks how the church got to where it is at today.  He explores the history and influence of the Roman empire and then compares that the what scripture teaches.  Honestly, while the history part was interesting, I was really only interested in the scriptural tie-ins.  He addresses things like church buildings, tithing, the passive nature of our meetings, etc.  I have thought about many of these topics before, but it was an interesting experience for me to read someone who had come to many of the same conclusions.