1.1    By the covenant with Abraham and his descendants according to faith, God has established the church in the world through his Son Jesus Christ. This household of faith, the universal church, consists of all those persons in every nation and every age who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who respond to his call to discipleship.
     1.2    As the universal church cannot assemble at one time and place, it exists in the world as particular churches gathered together for worship, study, witness, and service.