Local churches (affiliation)

Okay kiddo, let's say you have a group of friends that all love playing soccer. They all agree that they want to form a team and play together, but they need a name to call their team. They decide to call themselves the "Green Soccer Bunnies".

Similarly, different churches have different beliefs and ways they like to worship, but they want to be a part of a bigger group or organization that has similar beliefs and values. This is called an affiliation – it's like having a group name for churches.

When a church joins an affiliation, they agree to follow certain rules or guidelines that are set by that group. For example, some affiliations may require that churches hold certain beliefs or have certain practices in their worship services.

Being a part of an affiliation can also have benefits, such as having access to resources or support from other churches in the group. It's kind of like being part of a bigger team – everyone is working towards the same goal and helps each other out.

So, just like your friends on the soccer team have the "Green Soccer Bunnies" team name, churches have affiliations that they belong to that have a group name and set of rules they follow.