Churches or Church’s or Churches’? (Possessive Explained)

The possessive form of “church” isn’t all that hard to master. Luckily, it follows a lot of the standard rules we’ve come to expect. This article will talk you through everything you need to know about the possessive form of “church.”

Churches or Church’s or Churches’: Which Is The Correct Possessive Form?

“Church’s” is the singular possessive form of “church.” We can use it correctly when talking about one “church” owning an object. “Churches'” is another variation that is correct, though this is the plural possessive form. It refers to more than one “church” in the same manner.

Churches or Church's or Churches': Which Is The Correct Possessive Form?

Possessive forms are only correct when an object directly follows the noun. We do this by placing the object after it and showing that the noun owns said object.

Here are the forms:

SingularChurch
PluralChurch’s
Singular possessiveChurches
Plural possessiveChurches’

If you know what the standard possessive rules are, you should be familiar with the above. “Church” and all of its forms do not deviate from the expected rules that we can come to consider.

“Church” is the singular form. Following typical rules, we would add an “‘s” to the end of the singular form to get the singular possessive form. Since “church’s” is shown here, it means that the standard singular possessive style is followed.

The same goes for the plural possessive form. Usually, we add an apostrophe to the end of a plural word like “churches” because it already ends in “S.” We already have “churches'” written as the plural possessive form, showing that the correct rules are followed.

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Churches

“Churches” is the plural form, which is by far the easiest form to use and understand. There is no possession involved when we write it in this way.

“Churches” is correct as the plural form. This means that more than one “church” is being spoken about. We can use this form whenever we’re addressing more than one “church” objects.

There is never a need to include a possessed object after the plural form. After all, it is not a possessive form, and the possessed object would be pointless since “church” is already the object in these cases.

  1. There are many more churches in the area.
  2. All of the churches want to come together and celebrate the event.
  3. Those churches are in desperate need of charity.
  4. Many churches find it difficult to recruit new members.
  5. There are too many churches around here.

“Churches” only ever works when we’re talking about more than one “church.” There is never a need for the possessive form when writing the plural like this.

Church’s

“Church’s” is the singular possessive form. It’s fairly easy to use, especially if we already know what the singular possessive rules for words are.

“Church’s” is the correct singular possessive form because it takes the singular form “church” and adds an “‘s” to the end of it. We use it in this way when we want to show that a “church” owns an object in a sentence.

Since it’s the singular form and standard rules are followed, we only ever add an “‘s.” The word “church” doesn’t already end with an “S,” which is why we’re able to do this.

  1. The church’s participants were deep in prayer when I arrived.
  2. The church’s sign was beaten down in the storm.
  3. The church’s people were offering their services to those in need.
  4. The church’s message is stronger than anything you might have read before.
  5. My church’s pastor is a bit of a strange one!

“Church’s” works when talking about one “church” owning an object in a sentence. We take the singular word and add an “‘s” to the end of it. The object comes directly after the singular possessive form in all cases.

Churches’

“Churches'” works well when using it as the plural possessive form. It follows the standard rules you might expect, so let’s look into them more.

“Churches'” is the plural possessive form. We can take the plural word “churches” and add an apostrophe to the end of it to show the plural possessive form. An object will directly follow “churches'” when we use it in this way.

We don’t include the “S” after the apostrophe as we would do in the singular possessive form. That’s because “churches” already end in an “S,” and it would be far too jarring for many readers to see.

  1. Many churches’ local services are better than the larger ones in the country.
  2. Both of the churches’ pastors have put a lot of thought into their sermons.
  3. These churches’ worshippers are strong and powerful.
  4. Many of the churches’ demands aren’t too dissimilar to what you’ve already asked for.
  5. Both of the churches’ ministers have given the same speech.

“Churches'” works when we’re talking about more than one “church” owning an object. Just like the singular possessive form, the object comes directly after “churches'” to highlight what is owned by the noun.

Quiz: Have You Mastered Churches or Church’s or Churches’?

Now that we’ve seen all we need to about “church” and its possessive forms, it’s time for a quick quiz. We’ll throw some questions at you, and you can answer them by comparing what you’ve written to the section that comes after this one.

  1. My (A. churches / B. church’s / C. churches’) choir sings beautifully.
  2. There are many (A. churches / B. church’s / C. churches’) that don’t offer the service that you provide.
  3. Both of the (A. churches / B. church’s / C. churches’) participants like to compete in friendly competitions outside of prayer.
  4. This (A. churches / B. church’s / C. churches’) service is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
  5. Both of my (A. churches / B. church’s / C. churches’) pastors are powerful women.

Quiz answers

  1. B
  2. A
  3. C
  4. B
  5. C

Final Thoughts

“Church’s” is the singular possessive form of “church,” while “churches'” is the plural possessive form. Both are correct, and it depends entirely on the amount of “churches” you want to talk about in the sentence. Generally, the singular possessive is more common in this case.

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