Below is a list of some metaphors that seem to apply to the Church,
with references to the relevant scriptures and a brief quote.

--a city set on a hill
Matthew 5:14, A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid

--a holy temple
Ephesians 2:21, In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth
unto an holy temple in the Lord:

--living stones, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood
1 Peter 2:5, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

--clay in the hands of a potter
Isaiah 64:8, But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay,
and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Romans 9:21, Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump
to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

--sheep
Zechariah 13:7, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the
man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd,
and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the
little ones.
John 10:11-12, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd,
whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the
sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the
sheep.

--fish
Matthew 4:19, And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men.

--grain
Amos 9:9, For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel
among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not
the least grain fall upon the earth.

--wheat
Matthew 3:12, Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge
his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up
the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Matthew 13:24, Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The
kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his
field:
John 12:24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit.

--good ground
Matthew 13:23, But he that received seed into the good ground is he
that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit,
and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

--leaven
Matthew 13:33, Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of
heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three
measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

--salt
Matthew 5:13, Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost
his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

--branches of a vine
John 15:5, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye
can do nothing.

--a great tree
Luke 13:18-19, Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and
whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed,
which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a
great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

--a good olive tree
Romans 11:24, For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild
by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree:
how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted
into their own olive tree?

--sand grains
Hosea 1:10, Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the
sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall
come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are
not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of
the living God.

--a royal wedding
Matthew 22:2-3, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king,
which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call
them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

--virgins
Matthew 25:1, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten
virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom.

--a bride
Revelation 21:2, And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband.

--a woman in heaven
Revelation 12:1, And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman
clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a
crown of twelve stars:

--a woman in labor
Revelation 12:2, And she being with child cried, travailing in birth,
and pained to be delivered.

--a woman in the wilderness
Revelation 12:6, And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she
hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a
thousand two hundred and threescore days.

--a woman caught in a flood
Revelation 12:15, And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a
flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of
the flood.

--babes
Matthew 11:25, At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
1 Peter 2:2, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby:

--children
Matthew 18:3, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted,
and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven.
Matthew 5:44-45, But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them
that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children
of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on
the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust.

--soldiers wearing armour
Ephesians 6:11, Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil.

--servants
Matthew 18:23-24, Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a
certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he
had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten
thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord
commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he
had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and
worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay
thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and
loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

--stewards of a rich man's wealth
Matthew 25:14-16, For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling
into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto
them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and
to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and
straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five
talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five
talents.

--builders or labourers
1 Corinthians 3:9, For we are labourers together with God: ye are
God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

--athletes
1 Corinthians 9:24, Know ye not that they which run in a race run all,
but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
Hebrews 12:1, Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin
which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race
that is set before us,

--vessels
2 Timothy 2:20, But in a great house there are not only vessels of
gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour,
and some to dishonour.

--stars
Revelation 12:3, And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and
behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars
of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:

--candlesticks
Revelation 1:20, The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in
my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are
the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which
thou sawest are the seven churches.

--a great mountain
Daniel 2:35, Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and
the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the
summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place
was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Doug