http://www.askthepriest.org/askthepriest/2011/03/the-church-...First, I should point out that these defintions are from medieval Roman Catholic theology, so while they might work for Anglicans in some ways, they don't fit us exactly. In this scheme, those in the church on earth are referred to as the "Church Militant." (Although since the idea of holy war has fallen out of disfavor in Christianity, we might want to rethink whether that is an appropriate term.) Those who have died but are in an intermediate state, which Roman Catholics term Purgatory, are the "Church Expectant." Those who are in paradise wtih God already (which would be the saints in Roman Catholic terms) are the "Church Triumphant." This division of the church is usually used in teaching to point out that our community as Christians is larger than just those of us on earth today.