Comments on: Are church denominations useful?

By: Sam Adams

Sam Adams — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:29:02 +0000

Jesus says in John 17:20-21:
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:10-15
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

Nuff said. Time to submit to Christ and obey.

By: John R.

John R. — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:07:07 +0000

I have searched the scripture for answers on things pertaining to this life and the next for 23 years and never have I run across a passage of scripture that supports the separation of the church. When I look at denominational lines, I see the same problem that existed in the Nation of Germany for years, a wall of seperation. Just like the Berlin wall divided one nation into two for so many years, denominational lines divide the church into many different bodies. If you look closely at the way Jesus structured the church during his tenure on earth, you will see that he never supported denominations. Why? Simple, because one head cannot have several bodies. We are all supposed to be members of the same body, with different gifts given to us by the same spirit. We are not supposed to be followers of the same head and members of different bodies. Denominations do more to hinder the work of the church than to help it because they create borders between various groups of Christians which should not exist. If we learn that our denominations do not define who we are, but what we are good at and begin to unify as one body the way Jesus intended for us to be from the beginning, then the gospel can reach the farthest corners of the globe and bring our time of suffering to an end a lot sooner. As long as we operate as seperate entities there will always be an air of confusion which will hinder the spread of the gospel and make the work of the enemy much easier for him. It is time for us as Christians to celebrate our differences and come together as one united front to take this world for the Lord. We must remember that no one group is gifted in all areas and that means that the strength we experience in our seperate groups can be greatly magnified if we learn to work together as the family we all claim to be a part of. May God bless this submission and it’s readers with a greater understanding of his plans and purposes for his people. Submitted in the name of the master, Jesus Christ, Amen.

By: Mitch

Mitch — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:20:15 +0000

Simple answer:

We are to emulate Christ in all things, understanding that HE, and He alone, was of GOD’s own heart. What denomination was JESUS? I can’t possibly reason that HIS ministry was wrapped up in man-made ideologies.

When asked what denomination I am, my reply is simply: Follower of Christ, Child of GOD.

By: Colin Hartman

Colin Hartman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:34:58 +0000

My apologies for an additional comment to my contribution sent a minute ago. The crux of my view is as follows: Gods gift of love (See Johns gospel) if received will make it impossible to regard the denominationalism we experience in our contact with our fellow members as something more importsant or as substitutionary for the Church of which we are part.
God bless you all.

By: Colin Hartman

Colin Hartman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:24:31 +0000

I have read all of the above contributions to the topic of denominations and their part in the lives of christians..
There are some principles and spiritual gifts which make it impossible to regard denominations as more important than the Church we become part of once we have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for ourselves , that is His Church. The Gift of Love which is the greatest gift of all, does not allow us to follow doctrines that do not conform to his gift of love.We will of necessity become part of a denomination but it is not to this “body” that we will have a lifelong commitment.
God Bless you.

By: Ira Kirkpatrick

Ira Kirkpatrick — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:36:48 +0000

Thanks for this subject. Denomination is not in the Holy Bible and is like a two edged sword. It brings people together and separates them as well. There were seven churches of Asia because of different cities and all were followers of Jesus Christ and that is what we need more than denominations. We do not need to be traditionalist to the determent of the spirit of the lord and its function in us. When we get to heaven there will not be Baptist, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Pentecostal or any other. I have seen all my life the divisions of denomination cause more problems than it solved in my opinion.
We must read and study the Bible for what it states and not what we want it to say.
I am Christian first and when asked what religion I am, I say I am a Christian and follower of Christ. Blessed is the Lord Jesus Christ who did for our sins and God so loved the world that he did not send a committee, or denomination, but did send one God/Person Jesus. Thank God. Amen

By: Lois Thompson

Lois Thompson — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:21:22 +0000

Good morning: Just a short word on denominationalizm. Denomination does not mean that every church in that denomination teaches or preaches the full gospel of Jesus Christ. There are still churches within the denomination who have an evangelistic, charismatic emphasis and it is unwarranted to think that a non denominational church with an evangelistic emphasis, neglects and are not balanced in the other areas. What I am saying it is not the denomintion or lack of one that makes any local church more balanced. It is found in the leaderships reliance of the Spirit of the Living God, The Word of God knowing that there is still only one Lord, One Baptism and certainly one Body. We need all of us in our denominations and those who pride themselves in their non denominationalizm to realize this fact of the Universal Body of Christ and stop hindering our communities, nations and others from seeing this Body in action.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:04:09 +0000

Two of my most rewarding experiences were spent at international churches in Greece and China. In both locations, the Protestant congregation was a mix of cultures and denominational backgrounds. Each Sunday different groups rotated in leading the music and preaching. We had some who led in solemn organ-accompanied hymns, while others, such as the Africans, brought their bongos and danced to lively songs. Our preachers were equally diverse. The refreshing aspect was that even if we didn’t always relate or agree on theological points, we were one family, and because there were no other (or few other) choices, we stuck together and took care of one another. I often thought my experience was a taste of the diversity and unity we would one day experience in heaven. When I returned to the US, I was struck by how many of my friends were still “shopping” for a church, looking for the right one (perhaps this is less a result of existence of denominations but of a consumerism culture in my generation). I love that in the US we have the freedom to choose a church and denomination that suits us, but we also have to be weary that our range of choices doesn’t paralyze us, hinder us from maturing, and bar us from reaching outside our comfort zone.

By: Morris Saffold Jones

Morris Saffold Jones — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:20:22 +0000

You have an interesting point. However, the terms ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’ are Catholic-centric terms. These two terms assume that there is someone protesting the catholic church. The bigger question is, “Do you have a personal relationship with the Messiah?” This is why I think that your second paragraph is such a good one.

By: Morris Saffold Jones

Morris Saffold Jones — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:15:43 +0000

I also believe that denominationalism is a bad thing. When you look at the New Testament, there is no justification for such a thing. In fact, the way church is practised in America could be described as ‘a waste of time.’ The first century church got together and actually fellowshiped. Coming together today (for church) is a joke in that people drive to a massive building, drop 10% of their income in a bucket, listen to someone espouse their opinion for 45 minutes (without ANY dialogue – which means that many people have not engaged), then scrambel through a throng of people to pick up their kids and go home to the same lives that they left 3 hours prior.

in the first century, the ekklesia or the assembly was small, local, and lacked the destructive culture that we have today. they actually sat around a perimeter and debated the scriptures. Imagine that! thinking about the scriptures in front of other believers. Do we believe the bible or do we believe in structure?