In necessariis unitas, in non-necessaariis libertas, in utrisque caritas.
In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.
Richard Baxter, 1615-1691 - 17th Century Puritan Divine7. The Church of God
The supernatural society called the church is the family of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is the community of believers, justified through faith in Christ, incorporated into the risen life of Christ, and set under the authority of Holy Scripture as the word of Christ. The church on earth is united through Christ to the church in heaven in the communion of the saints. Through the church's ministry of the word and sacraments of the Gospel, God ministers life in Christ to the faithful, thereby empowering them for worship, witness, and service.
In the life of the church only that which may be proved from Scripture should be held to be essential to the faith and that which is non-essential should not be required of anyone to be believed or be enforced as a matter of doctrine, discipline, or worship. (Ephesians 3:10-21; 5:23, 27; 1 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 12:1-2; 2 Timothy 3: 14-17. Cf. Articles XIX, XX and XXI.)
