02 May LET’S TALK: About Denominations
Denominations take a lot of flack, and it’s not necessarily undeserved. The pro-denomination and anti-denomination sides have their fan clubs. What do you think?
- Is being part of a denomination a useful thing?
- Does a denomination help, hinder, or otherwise affect what happens in a local church?
- If you’re a pastor, what’s your perspective about being part of a denomination? Would life be better for you in a non-denom church?
- Does the average person in the pew give a hoot about denominations?
- What’s the proper role of a denomination?
- Are denominations dinosaurs that should just go away?
Please use the Comment feature to give your views. We have an authentication process (spam makes it necessary), but when you get authenticated once, it’ll be easy to leave comments in the future.
Amos
Posted at 02:16h, 02 MayI just gave a speech a couple of days ago about the importance of denominations to my class. (I am a sophomore Bible and Religion major at Huntington, and a member and PK of a UB church in the old Mid-Atlantic Conference in PA.) There are many things that I think are good about denominations. I talked to Dr. Paul Fetters in preparation for this speech, and he said that:
1. Denominations give identity, and that keeps Protestant churches rooted in orthodoxy. If someone says, “I’m Mennonite,” or “I’m Baptist,” one can know that they are an orthodox Christian faith, because they know what their church believes. Not nessecarily so for the non-denominational church.
2. He also said that non-denominational churches often become minimal (we don’t need all this theology stuff; just give me Jesus!).
3. Denominations inspire trust and Kingdom activity. I feel connected to other UBs that I meet; we’ve got a common history and heritage, common interests, and we stand together. We can already have a certain level of trust in each other as individuals and as churches. This inspires Kingdom work. “Hey, let’s try and start something, do missions work together.” Rancho Ebenezer in Tegucigalpa (though I’ve not yet been there myself) is a project I have in common with any other UB I meet.
4. The historical emphases of denominations act as correctives; checks and balances, you could say. Even if one denomination doesn’t necessarily agree with the fine points of doctrine or the traditional emphases of another, there’s something healthy about having the Mennonites always saying, “Remember peace!” or the Nazarenes or Pentecostals saying, “Remember the Holy Spirit!” Like Paul’s analogy of the body in 1 Cor. 12, these denominational emphases serve as constant reminders to the whole body of things that some smaller part of the body (other denomination) might more easily forget about. Related to this, it seems that denominations actually serve to create unity in the Protestant church by allowing for theological differences.
5. Denominations provide long-term health and stability for the local church. Non-denominational or independent churches are often built around the personality of a strong or charismatic leader. Part of the whole point of a non-denom church is to be able to say that no one is in control of us, right? And so non-denominational churches are more likely to rise with a bang and fall with a bigger bang. The local Protestant church that is part of a denomination has the advantage of being part of something larger than itself, a larger group that cares about the health and stability of that local church, so that when crises arise, help is on the way.
Denominations can be petty and prideful. “I’m not saying that all the denominations that exist had ought to exist. I’m not defending everything that’s been done in the name of a ‘denomination’.” Those of us in the Protestant church should seek to maximize the potential of our individual denominations. This would include, I think, bringing the denominations together in common worship, communion, fellowship, and Kingdom causes, while also seeking to build up our own family (denomination). We must not let our denominations become petty and prideful, but instead “seek first the Kingdom of God” by using our denominations to build up God’s Kingdom. When this effectively happens, our denominations become individual family units seated together at the table, at the family reunion.
Pastor Adam Will
Posted at 04:18h, 02 May1. For me, being part of a denomination has been a very useful thing. I cannot imagine serving in an independent congregation with little or no outside help/connections.
2. In my experience, I would say denominations can be a help and a hinderance. The congregation I pastor has benifited from denominational resources and direction. But, the same congregation has been failed by the denomination in the past when the denomination failed to carry out it’s responsibilities effectively.
3. As I said above, I couldn’t imagine pastoring a non-denom church at this point in my ministry. Having little to no training, I have sought as much help from my felllow UBs as possible.
4. I don’t think the average person in the pew even knows much about the denomination. We have done a terrible job educating proper doctrine and heritage. This causes us to be lacking in an identity as a denomination as well as individual congregations. I also think that if the average congregant doesn’t know much or care much about the denomination, it is also because so many are ignorant of even the local church and it’s ministries.
5. Denominations exist to propogate the Gospel. They, like the local church, exist to make disciples. Denominations should be missional associations/organizations (again, like the local church). But denominations are not the end goal. The local church is the hope of the world… Not the denominational hierarchy. Denominations exist to accomplish what one congregation can not do on it’s own. Denominations are very important and needed, provided ther keep to the mission and vision of Jesus… To make disciples of every nation of the world.
6. The idea that denominations should just die and go away is dangerous. Culture changes. Strategy changes. Styles and systems are always in a fluid state. But some of the basic building blocks should not change. Do local churches “need” denominations? Probably not. They are needed to help the local congregation accomplish ministry effectively and efficently. But I strongly believe that denominations are greatly important in the Holy catholic (universal) Church.
Steve Dennie
Posted at 04:28h, 02 MayGood thoughts, Adam! Thanks for commenting.
Al Carter
Posted at 09:01h, 02 MayWhen the denomination is functioning for the purpose of equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry, then the denomination is extremely helpful. I find the UB denomination moving in the right direction, but I have had experiences in other circumstances when I have seen leadership fall into vain and capricious hands.
I feel good to have solid leadership stand behind the decisions I need to make and the standards that I need to set for the church to move forward in accomplishing the purposes laid out in the Great Commission.
The people I serve are very loving and godly, but there are times when we all will differ in our understanding of what to do or how to do it. At these times it is good to have a mediating body to interact with to keep both pastor and congregation on the one path to unity in Christ.
Gary
Posted at 17:30h, 18 MarchThere is a lot that could be said on this topic!
It seems to me that denominations began because of differences in beliefs and practices that led people to separate over issues, sometimes minor issues and sometimes major issues. I think denominations continue to exist today more for political (that is influence and power) reasons than because of the differences that originally gave rise to the divisions.
I am often told that denominations are important for reasons of accountability and for maintaining correct doctrine. The problem is, when there is a lack of accountability or false doctrine at the top, it is enormously destructive because it affects so many people.
E.g., the sexual abuse problems in the Catholic Church. I do not believe the Catholic Church is alone in covering up such problems and I have seen protestant denominations cover up and ignore other types of problems because the pastor was popular and because his church had several thousand attendees.
When un-biblical doctrine is taught, the elders should correct the pastor. Denominations do not want to get into these kinds of fights. Once a pastor is ordained, he (or she) can pretty much teach as they please as far as the denomination is concerned. At least that is how I see it. Unless you decide to marry a couple of gay people, you will not lose your ordination in most churches and not even then in some others.
Consider this, you all know what a Menorah looks like. Notice that each candle holder is attached to the central stem. I believe this is what Christ’s church is to be like. Every church is to be attached to Christ and Christ only, not to a denomination or other earthly power.
That’s my two cents worth.