Temple vs. Church — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 3, 2023
A temple is a structure dedicated to religious or spiritual activities, often associated with non-Christian religions, while a church is a Christian place of worship.
Difference Between Temple and Church
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Temples often serve as places of worship and ritual for various religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Churches are specifically Christian worship sites and focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
While temples can be monumental and are often associated with ancient religions and practices, churches are centers for community gatherings and services related to the Christian faith.
A temple may host a wide range of ceremonies, including offerings to deities, meditation, and pilgrimage. A church typically hosts services such as Mass, baptisms, weddings, and funerals, according to Christian beliefs.
The architecture of a temple is usually symbolic, with structures that represent the universe or dwelling places of gods. Church architecture is designed to create a communal worship space, often featuring a cross or crucifix.
Temples sometimes serve as cultural centers and can house sacred artifacts or relics. Churches often function as more than just places of worship, serving as venues for charity work, education, and community support.
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Comparison Chart
Religion
Associated with various religions
Specifically associated with Christianity
Function
Worship, rituals, and offerings
Worship, sacraments, community services
Architectural Style
Symbolic, can be ancient or modern
Crosses, steeples, often Gothic or modern
Services Offered
Meditation, rituals, pilgrimages
Mass, weddings, funerals, baptisms
Cultural Role
Cultural and religious significance
Community gatherings, charity, education
Compare with Definitions
Temple
A temple (from the Latin templum) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Islam (whose temples are called mosques), Judaism (whose temples are called synagogues), and ancient religions such as the Ancient Egyptian religion.
Church
The company of all Christians regarded as a spiritual body.
Temple
A place for religious practices.
The temple stood on the hill for centuries.
Church
A Christian place of worship.
They gathered at the church for Sunday service.
Temple
Symbolic in design.
The temple’s architecture symbolized the cosmos.
Church
A local congregation of believers.
The church community volunteered at the shelter.
Temple
A building devoted to the worship of a god or gods.
Church
Often has a steeple and cross.
You could see the church’s steeple from afar.
Temple
A group of buildings in Fleet Street, London, which stand on land formerly occupied by the headquarters of the Knights Templar. Located there are the Inner and Outer Temple, two of the Inns of Court.
Church
A building for public, especially Christian worship.
Temple
The flat part of either side of the head between the forehead and the ear
A man with curly hair greying at the temples
Church
A specified Christian denomination
The Presbyterian Church.
Temple
A device in a loom for keeping the cloth stretched.
Church
A congregation.
Temple
A building dedicated to religious ceremonies or worship.
Church
Public divine worship in a church; a religious service
Goes to church at Christmas and Easter.
Temple
Temple Either of two successive buildings in ancient Jerusalem serving as the primary center for Jewish worship.
Church
The clerical profession; clergy.
Temple
(Judaism) A synagogue, especially of a Reform congregation.
Church
Ecclesiastical power as distinguished from the secular
The separation of church and state.
Temple
Mormon Church A building in which the sacred ordinances are administered.
Church
To conduct a church service for, especially to perform a religious service for (a woman after childbirth).
Temple
Something regarded as having within it a divine presence.
Church
Of or relating to the church; ecclesiastical.
Temple
A building used for meetings by any of several fraternal orders, such as the Freemasons.
Church
(countable) A Christian house of worship; a building where Christian religious services take place.
There is a lovely little church in the valley.
This building used to be a church before being converted into a library.
Temple
A building reserved for a highly valued function
The library, a temple of learning.
Church
Christians collectively seen as a single spiritual community; Christianity; Christendom.
These worshippers make up the Church of Christ.
Temple
Temple Either of two groups of buildings in London, the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple, that house two of the four Inns of Court and that occupy the site of a complex used by the medieval Knights Templars.
Church
(countable) A local group of people who follow the same Christian religious beliefs, local or general.
Temple
The flat region on either side of the forehead.
Church
(countable) A particular denomination of Christianity.
The Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534.
Temple
Either of the sidepieces of a frame for eyeglasses that extends along the temple and over the ear.
Church
Christian worship held at a church; service.
Temple
A device in a loom that keeps the cloth stretched to the correct width during weaving.
Church
Organized religion in general or a specific religion considered as a political institution.
Many constitutions enshrine the separation of church and state.
Temple
A house of worship, especially:
Church
Any religious group.
She goes to a Wiccan church down the road.
Temple
A house of worship dedicated to a polytheistic faith.
The temple of Zeus was very large.
Church
Assembly.
Temple
(Judaism) synagogue, especially a non-Orthodox synagogue.
How often do you go to temple?
Church
To conduct a religious service for (a woman after childbirth, or a newly married couple).
Temple
(Mormonism) As opposed to an LDS meetinghouse, a church closed to non-Mormons and necessary for particular rituals.
Church
(transitive) To educate someone religiously, as in in a church.
Temple
(in Japan) A Buddhist monastery, as opposed to a Shinto shrine.
Church
(slang) Expressing strong agreement.
- These burritos are the best!
- Church!
Temple
A meeting house of the Oddfellows fraternity; its members.
Church
A building set apart for Christian worship.
Temple
(figurative) Any place regarded as holding a religious presence.
Church
A Jewish or heathen temple.
Temple
(figurative) Any place seen as an important centre for some activity.
A temple of commerce;
A temple of drinking and dining
Church
A formally organized body of Christian believers worshiping together.
Temple
(figurative) Anything regarded as important or minutely cared for.
My body is my temple.
Church
A body of Christian believers, holding the same creed, observing the same rites, and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a denomination; as, the Roman Catholic church; the Presbyterian church.
Temple
(figurative) A gesture wherein the forefingers are outstretched and touch pad to pad while the other fingers are clasped together.
Church
The collective body of Christians.
Temple
(anatomy) The slightly flatter region, on either side of the human head, behind of the eye and forehead, above the zygomatic arch, and forward of the ear.
Church
Any body of worshipers; as, the Jewish church; the church of Brahm.
Temple
(ophthalmology) Either of the sidepieces on a set of spectacles, extending backwards from the hinge toward the ears and, usually, turning down around them.
Church
The aggregate of religious influences in a community; ecclesiastical influence, authority, etc.; as, to array the power of the church against some moral evil.
Remember that both church and state are properly the rulers of the people, only because they are their benefactors.
Temple
(weaving) A contrivance used in a loom for keeping the web stretched transversely.
Church
To bless according to a prescribed form, or to unite with in publicly returning thanks in church, as after deliverance from the dangers of childbirth; as, the churching of women.
Temple
(transitive) To build a temple for; to appropriate a temple to; to temple a god
Church
One of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
Temple
A contrivence used in a loom for keeping the web stretched transversely.
Church
A place for public (especially Christian) worship;
The church was empty
Temple
The space, on either side of the head, back of the eye and forehead, above the zygomatic arch and in front of the ear.
Church
A service conducted in a church;
Don't be late for church
Temple
One of the side bars of a pair of spectacles, jointed to the bows, and passing one on either side of the head to hold the spectacles in place.
Church
The body of people who attend or belong to a particular local church;
Our church is hosting a picnic next week
Temple
A place or edifice dedicated to the worship of some deity; as, the temple of Jupiter at Athens, or of Juggernaut in India.
Church
Perform a special church rite or service for;
Church a woman after childbirth
Temple
The edifice erected at Jerusalem for the worship of Jehovah.
Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
Church
Building for religious services.
The church bells rang every hour.
Temple
Hence, among Christians, an edifice erected as a place of public worship; a church.
Can he whose life is a perpetual insult to the authority of God enter with any pleasure a temple consecrated to devotion and sanctified by prayer?
Church
A community and spiritual center.
The church hosted a charity event this weekend.
Temple
Fig.: Any place in which the divine presence specially resides.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?
The groves were God's first temples.
Temple
A building dedicated to the administration of ordinances.
Temple
A local organization of Odd Fellows.
Temple
To build a temple for; to appropriate a temple to; as, to temple a god.
Temple
Place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
Temple
The flat area on either side of the forehead;
The veins in his temple throbbed
Temple
An edifice devoted to special or exalted purposes
Temple
(Judaism) the place of worship for a Jewish congregation
Temple
A structure dedicated to deities.
Devotees offered flowers at the temple.
Temple
Can refer to the side of the head.
He rubbed his temple to ease the headache.
Temple
Used in various faiths.
She visited the temple during the festival.
Common Curiosities
What defines a church?
A church is a Christian place of worship and community gathering.
Are temples always religious?
Usually, but 'temple' can also refer to the side of the head.
What defines a temple?
A temple is a structure dedicated to religious activities, often of non-Christian faiths.
Do all religions have temples?
Not all; for example, Christianity primarily uses churches.
What events are held at churches?
Churches host Mass, baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
Do temples have specific architectural styles?
Yes, many temples have symbolic architectural styles.
Is temple worship different from church worship?
Yes, it varies based on different religious practices and beliefs.
Can a church serve as a temple?
The term 'church' is specific to Christian worship and is not used as a temple.
Can churches be called temples?
In general usage, churches are not referred to as temples.
What events are held at temples?
Events can include rituals, prayers, offerings, and meditation.
Can anyone visit a temple or a church?
Generally, yes, although some temples may have restrictions based on tradition.
Do churches have specific architectural styles?
Churches often feature crosses and may have a steeple.
Are temples and churches always buildings?
Primarily, but both can also refer to the community of believers.
What is the role of a church in the community?
Churches are places for worship, community support, and charity.
What is the role of a temple in the community?
Temples can be both cultural and religious centers.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
