A question for the non-denominational group

[sillyrabbit400]

well basicaly my thing is as a nondenominational christain we arent bound by any one churches doctrine... Im not all for religion, Im for relationship, im definatly not saying you arent.... im just merly stating that each denomination has thing i agree and disagree with... as someone who is nondenominational i dont have to conform to what everyone else is doing because they think its right. religion is difficult, relationship is where it happens.

I think alot of times in a denominational church you get a one track mind and no one is open to change. Everything is all about how you dress in church and whos authority is where. I know my goal in church is to learn more about God and worship Him in freedom. No one cares who is wearing blue jeans or sweat pants, or if a woman is wearing a dress.

 

[Galatians5:13]

I am personally non-denominational because it's my belief that denominations cause division. No denomination is completely correct (because we only know in part anyway), but christians argue incessantly over things that are really not important to the major thrust of god's plan. I prefer to consider myself non-denominational because it frees me to interpret scripture as led by the holy spirit WITHOUT having to worry about the ABC Manmade Denominational association telling me that I cannot believe that because of their guidelines. I say this because when I was first baptized in the holy spirit, I had one denomination (my old home church) telling it was bad bad bad- and not "real"--- and another denomination telling me to leave them asap because they were not saved. Both poppycock. I stayed for a long time at the home church, but I was always conflicted because their teaching was constantly in conflict with what I knew in my heart was right- so it was time to go. I liked the non-denominational idea because it was an escape from the spiritual cattiness that can exist in the body of christ.

I still visit denominational churches from time to time... I think God can speak wherever he wants so it's not like I think that only non-denominational churches can preach. Some of them have doctrinal statements I don't agree with too. I just want to be free from all of that so that God can tell me what HE wants to say, not so Pastor So-and-So can can become my go-to guy.

 

[New_Wineskin]

I appreciate nondenominationalism because of the lack of overhead that layers of heirarchy cause . There is also the idea that people agree with the doctrines of the group instead of allowing all to think for themselves and getting along without necessarily agreeing on every dot and tittle .

 

[Turpius]

I agree that most denomins, were founded over doctrinal issues. I'm also non-denomin due to not quite finding the right place for me personally

 

[- DRA -]

Now before i get on my questions here, i don't want to come off as offending, attacking or anything to that matter. these are just questions.

i myself once considered myself non-denominational. my faith started in the pentecostal church, and now, i just feel that i personally grew out of that. not meaning to say that other people that are pentecostal/non-denominational are immature, i'm just saying for myself it was just a starting point for me and that is all.

i just dont' understand the non-denominational thing anymore. to me, it almost seems like a seperation from the other members of the church. i mean with me growing up, i just got tired of seeing theology differences seperate from my other brothers and sisters in the faith and to me, that's all i see anymore.

now i'm not at conclusions with this or anything, this is just from what i've seen, experienced in my own life. sometimes i wonder/hope that the next step from non-deminationalism is trans-denominationalism. meaning, just people from all types of denominations come to worship, and then maybe they go to their normal church on other days and so on forth.

so with all this in my mind, i want to ask why non-denominational? is it because of different personality types? is it because of a bad thing that happened when you were of another denomination? or was it just problems with doctrine?

i'm not trying to say i'm too much different, because most people would probably say i am non-denominational without fully asking me. but in the end, i am more trans-denominational, because i love the denominations of people on their own path in Christ and searching for God. now there are some denominations that i really don't know a thing about, and would like conversations with some of them, to talk to them about their denomination and then see scripture. for example take the LDS, of JW. i've heard of people that don't believe they are right at all theories, but i want to see how they see scripture. i'm not saying it could be right, but i just want to see how they think and why. which is why i'm asking non-denominationals this stuff. it's stuff i don't understand. and it's hard for me to understand because i used to be "non-denominational", and i still don't get it.

sorry for a long tangent here, but it's just something i'd like to get feedback on from those that are non-denominational.

i hope you all take this in the way i hope it is taken. just questions in love about the non-denominational phenonmenon. May God Bless you all! <><

The denominational concept of the church arose from the teaching that the church is made up of churches. A denominator is the bottom number of a fraction - - telling how many parts the whole has been divided into. The problem with the denominational concept arises with we study and find out that the church is not made up of churches, but of individual Christians (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

Is trans-denominationalism the answer? Passages such as Ephesians 1:22-23 (there is one church), Eph. 4:3-6 (there is unity in the church), Romans 16:17 (tells us how we treat those who promote division and offenses), and 2 John 9-11 (tells us not to share in the evil deeds of those who transgress and don't abide in the doctrine of Christ) must be considered.

The JW's find comfort in a translation of Scripture (the New World Translation) that they themselves have generated.

The LDS find comfort in books that they add to the Bible, but promote as being equal to or superior to the Bible. The book of Mormon is promoted as being a companion to the Bible, when, according to the Bible itself, it needs no companion (2 Timothy 3:16-17, James 1:25, 2 Peter 1:3).

Why not consider the church from a New Testament perspective?

Jesus promised to build only one church (Matthew 16:13-19).

Consider the church that was established in Acts chapter 2. The apostle Peter gave a gospel lesson presenting Jesus as the Christ - - the Messiah or king promised in the O.T. Those Jews that are convicted of sin (crucifying the Christ) ask what they should do (2:37). They are told what to do in 2:38 - - repent and be baptized. Three-thousand obeyed the commands (verse 41) and were added to the church by the Lord (2:47).

Later, when persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), those that "scattered went everywhere preaching the word" NKJV (8:4). Churches (as in the plural) were established in various places. However, it should be noted that the various churches came about as the gospel spread to other places. There churches were NOT denominations. By God's design, Christians were not to be divided (1 Corinthians 1:10). The churches we find in the New Testament were divided only by geographical location - - Christians lived and worshipped in different cities.

Why not just accept God's plan for his church? The first-century churches were a part of no denomination.

The Christians that worshipped in different parts of the world were united and a part of the one church that Jesus built.

 

[gimlisgrl]

I am nondenominational and don't really no what it means! Hahaha
Basically most "denominations" are groups that have split do to disagreement with a certain rule, etc. Our church is just straight christian, by the Bible no fuss.

 

[bluejeans]

I like being a non-denominational christian too.

 

[Bevlina]

Me too blue jeans. I confess to no man made denomination. But, that does not make me any less a christian than those who go to church on Sunday.
What's with a denomination anyway? What's so great about it?
Many of us now have turned out backs on then. The last I heard of a new one started up in Australia made me shudder.
Called Planet Shakers, one of my little friends went to one of their meetings with some friends.
The 'pastor' from America was telling people about raising people from the dead. To get this point across. Everyone was given a light to hold. At a given time. All the lights went out. Then, parading down the aisle came 'pallbearers' with a coffin.
The coffin was placed on stage and the 'preacher' then performed his magic. After a few words, the coffin opened and someone dressed in rags 'arose'.

It was one of the most frightening experiences this child had experienced and immediately she sensed this ''preacher' was not of God.

We live in perilous times and I can't emphasise that too strongly. Far better to come out of the churches today. Things are going from bad to worse.