The Church's Purpose?

What is the purpose of the church?  Ephesians 4:12-14 gives us God's answer..."... for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting..."

Is the church a place for saints or sinners?  Is the church a place for social clubbiness or the gospel being preached?  Is the church a place for saints to be built up, edified and encouraged, or should we pander to the sinners and try how to make them feel comfortable?

It is alarming when churches shift their focus from the scriptures and the edification of saints to trying to figure out what will make sinners "comfortable" in the church atmosphere!  Going so far as to poll sinners to find out what kind of music they want, instead of turning to the scripture and Biblical principles to figure out how we can better honor Christ through our music and worship.  

Above all, the local church must be focused on the scriptures, lifting up Christ and preaching the gospel.  Social programs may follow as the local church seeks to follow Christ, but it won't be the primary focus.  

What did the early church do in their times of gathering?  The book of Acts gives
us information about that..."And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."  (2:42) If local churches would follow this model, how different the church world would be.  Does your local church follow this model, or the modern, "seeker friendly" one?