Definition of "established church" [established church]

• A church that a government officially recognizes as a national institution and to which it accords support. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In fact, according to Barna’s 2005 book, Revolution, “Committed, born-again Christians are exiting the established church in massive numbers.”"