Why are you non-denominational?

[A_Thinker]

So it is wrong that not all churches operate the same way (some are autonomous and others cooperate)?

You only have to read the New Testament to see churches which operated differently.

The churches at Rome, Corinth, Philippi, Galatia, Colossa, Thessalonika, Sardis, Laodocia, etc. were all different ... and yet
Paul, Peter, John, and Christ all ministered to the set of them, providing for each individual church what they stood in need of.

What God desires is that we be of the same mind (i.e. the mind of Christ), ... yet, to do so will be a struggle for us ... and in the non-essentials, frequently different worship styles may be appropriate depending upon the nature of the people being ministered to.

It can be thought of in the same way as in the translations of the scriptures which are made, as appropriate, into the native languages of various people groups.

 

[Albion]

You only have to read the New Testament to see churches which operated differently.

The churches at Rome, Corinth, Philippi, Galatia, Colossa, Thessalonika, Sardis, Laodocia, etc. were all different ... and yet
Paul, Peter, John, and Christ all ministered to the set of them, providing for each individual church what they stood in need of.

You have a valid point there, but it only goes to the idea of the congregation being independent. Paul, Peter, etc. show us that they expected and thought it only right for all of them to be united in faith and practice.

So that is where what we call non-denominationalist as we know it today departs from those churches at Sardis, Corinth, and so on.

Each non-denominational congregation in town has its own statement of beliefs and decides its own worship style, etc. We have generalized about them on these forums saying that most are like Baptists, or many are Pentecostal, and we know that some are neither, but this is different from what Paul expected.

 

[A_Thinker]

Each non-denominational congregation in town has its own statement of beliefs and decides its own worship style, etc. We have generalized about them on these forums saying that most are like Baptists, or many are Pentecostal, and we know that some are neither, but this is different from what Paul expected.

Experientially, I would say that non-denominational churches are fairly uniform in doctrine and practice ... in the scope of what we currently see in Christendom.

 

[Albion]

Experientially, I would say that non-denominational churches are fairly uniform in doctrine and practice ... in the scope of what we currently see in Christendom.

Fairly uniform, perhaps, but not uniform.

Depending on which beliefs or practices we are speaking of, three or four differences can matter as much as those items which separate some of our best-known denominations. That's despite the fact that we can easily point to the things they agree on.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Thanks for the reply. I like your cat. I have several my self and love each one of them.

Unfortunately the cat you see is not with me anymore.

 

[RedPonyDriver]

We go to a non-denominational church for many reasons...no formal membership covenant, believer's baptism, communion every week, a small congregation where you can really get to know people. I belong to a women's group and cannot imagine my life w/o their love and support right now. A pastor who is not too busy to come every few days and pray with my husband and I (my husband has terminal cancer and his lifespan is measured in weeks right now). The ability to pick up the phone and call any of the pastors any time.

The bigger churches we had attended (denominational and non-denominational) felt cold and unfriendly. WAY too big to really form friendships or relationships even within the small group idea. Cliques of people who'd been in the same group forever and not friendly to outsiders. Where we go now is much different, there is love there, there is acceptance there,

Don't knock it until you try it.

 

[Andrewn]

We go to a non-denominational church for many reasons...no formal membership covenant, believer's baptism, communion every week, a small congregation where you can really get to know people. I belong to a women's group and cannot imagine my life w/o their love and support right now. A pastor who is not too busy to come every few days and pray with my husband and I (my husband has terminal cancer and his lifespan is measured in weeks right now). The ability to pick up the phone and call any of the pastors any time. . . . . Where we go now is much different, there is love there, there is acceptance there, Don't knock it until you try it.

God bless you. It looks like your current congregation is perfect for you. I'd rather be in a sacramental church. To my understanding non-denominational churches (NDC's) are usually not sacramental. Also, I don't believe in dispensationalism while most NDC's do.

 

[RedPonyDriver]

God bless you. It looks like your current congregation is perfect for you. I'd rather be in a sacramental church. To my understanding non-denominational churches (NDC's) are usually not sacramental. Also, I don't believe in dispensationalism while most NDC's do.

It is perfect. We've been going there less than a year and the outpouring of help and support and prayer since finding out my husband's cancer is terminal has been unreal. One friend pulled strings to get him into the best cancer treatment center in the area (she is a nurse there), another friend drags me out for coffee and talk every Saturday morning, our pastor comes to visit a few times a week to talk and pray with my husband. I can't imagine life without our little church community. I get random texts from the pastoral staff and other church attenders letting us know they are thinking of us and praying for us. The associate pastor fussed me out but good because I wouldn't say I needed help...after that "talking to", you'd best believe I make my needs known. The associate pastor is a former football player and is HUGE...I mean BIIIIIG dude...not the kind you want to get upset with you. He and his wife both have been incredible. I can't recommend finding a small community like this to get involved with enough. Find where you are loved and accepted...and stay there. Pastor preaches the bible but doesn't forget the love thing...the WHOLE congregation is like that.

 

[Andrewn]

I can't recommend finding a small community like this to get involved with enough. Find where you are loved and accepted...and stay there. Pastor preaches the bible but doesn't forget the love thing...the WHOLE congregation is like that.

Amen. The bottom line is really love. Everything else is like the chaff, which the wind blows away.

 

[GodLovesCats]

The bigger churches we had attended (denominational and non-denominational) felt cold and unfriendly. WAY too big to really form friendships or relationships even within the small group idea. Cliques of people who'd been in the same group forever and not friendly to outsiders. Where we go now is much different, there is love there, there is acceptance there,

Don't knock it until you try it.

I was saved at a megachurch. Becaues it is so big they can have a lot of "kinship" Bible study groups and different ministries. I joined one of them because its leader joined another member (the lady who invited me to church) in the life-saving prayer. Nobody in the group was someone I wanted to be a lifelong friend with, but they were friendly and I often went out to eat with them after the meeting. So it is not always a bad thing to join a megachurch. But it looks like you have no reason to try a big church again.

 

[Sketcher]

As an outsider, I see non-denominational churches as either Baptists or Charismatic Baptists. But, why don't they join one of the multitude of Baptist and Pentecostal denominations out there?

Is it a financial issue, in order to own our church building and not support a denomination? Or is it to be able to hire a pastor without qualifications? Or is it to be able to teach weird doctrine?

Forgive me. I just can't understand.

Watching the Southern Baptists and the United Methodists from the sidelines, I don't envy their denominational structure with its politics and whatnot.

When I was in college, the campus ministry I was in was sort of non-denominational, though tied to the Southern Baptists. And there were rules that seemed silly to me - we couldn't have communion, we couldn't host certain types of events that weren't even sinful, and leaders were expected to swear to teach the denomination's interpretation of certain doctrines (what if some of those doctrines turn out to be wrong?). There was also an incident when a leader of ours gave an answer about gambling during a Q&A that was based in what Scripture teaches and doesn't teach, but somebody in the audience didn't like the answer, and used the denominational system to get him in trouble.

At my non-denominational church, we avoid all that. I believe we should focus on preaching the Word, serving the community, and helping other churches do likewise. The more a church has to concern itself with whatever office is breathing down its neck, the less it can focus on those key things.

 

[Andrewn]

tied to the Southern Baptists. And there were rules that seemed silly to me - we couldn't have communion, we couldn't host certain types of events that weren't even sinful, and leaders were expected to swear to teach the denomination's interpretation of certain doctrines (what if some of those doctrines turn out to be wrong?). There was also an incident when a leader of ours gave an answer about gambling during a Q&A that was based in what Scripture teaches and doesn't teach, but somebody in the audience didn't like the answer, and used the denominational system to get him in trouble.

This is the "advantage" of being tied to a denomination. You know what you're getting. And you can reject the rules and go to a different denomination if you like.

At my non-denominational church, we avoid all that. I believe we should focus on preaching the Word, serving the community, and helping other churches do likewise.

This is great. Still, someone has to make rules. Is it the pastor or the board of deacons? Does the board fire the pastor if he doesn't follow the rules? Do you get new theological rules with the board changes at the next congregational elections?

 

[Sketcher]

This is the "advantage" of being tied to a denomination. You know what you're getting. And you can reject the rules and go to a different denomination if you like.

While it is theoretically possibly that a denomination exists with the right balance of rules, I much prefer the flexibility of majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors, with room to disagree so long as the disagreement is Biblically based.

This is great. Still, someone has to make rules. Is it the pastor or the board of deacons? Does the board fire the pastor if he doesn't follow the rules? Do you get new theological rules with the board changes at the next congregational elections?

My church has elders and a "constitution" of sorts. We've had various pastors over the years who have had theological differences (we had a Calvinist and an Armenian once, and a cessationist and a continuationist another time), but they were all orthodox.

 

[Andrewn]

My church has elders and a "constitution" of sorts. We've had various pastors over the years who have had theological differences (we had a Calvinist and an Armenian once, and a cessationist and a continuationist another time), but they were all orthodox.

I've been in churches where I didn't know the theology of the pastor: whether he is Calvinist or Arminianist, whether he is cessationist or continuationist, whether he is premillenial or amillennial, whether he is sacramental or non-sacramental, etc. The pastor didn't talk about theology. I just assumed he believed the denomination line and most other parishioners didn't care either way.

I think this situation is very common. When I asked in the Baptist forum whether their churches were dispensationalist or not, I almost got no answers. No one seemed to know or care.

Every person is accepted so long we believe in the Lord Jesus and His ransom. We proclaim being Trinitarian but each person't understanding of the Trinity is different. Perhaps this makes us all, effectively, non-denominational. And it is probably for the best.

It becomes less clear what the function of denominations it. Perhaps it is to support seminaries and missions and fight legal issues?

 

[Sketcher]

I've been in churches where I didn't know the theology of the pastor: whether he is Calvinist or Arminianist, whether he is cessationist or continuationist, whether he is premillenial or amillennial, whether he is sacramental or non-sacramental, etc. The pastor didn't talk about theology. I just assumed he believed the denomination line and most other parishioners didn't care either way.

I think this situation is very common. When I asked in the Baptist forum whether their churches were dispensationalist or not, I almost got no answers. No one seemed to know or care.

Every person is accepted so long we believe in the Lord Jesus and His ransom. We proclaim being Trinitarian but each person't understanding of the Trinity is different. Perhaps this makes us all, effectively, non-denominational. And it is probably for the best.

It becomes less clear what the function of denominations it. Perhaps it is to support seminaries and missions and fight legal issues?

There are two advantages that denominations have that non-denominational churches don't enjoy.

1) Resources. There is a wider network from which to draw resources for your church's own use, and on the giving end, a wider network to utilize for sending people on mission trips.

2) Branding. If one was so (foolishly) confident as to say that any church in their denomination will be a good church for a new Christian or a seeker to join, just give them the label and there you go. They probably don't know the Bible yet, so that's an easy way guide them to a local church body. There are serious problems with this line of reasoning, but ideally it would be that easy.

Note that I'm not citing accountability as an advantage. It's something that should be there in theory, but instead there's politics which I have already spoken about. Not to say that it never happens, but so much of the time it doesn't seem to shine through the politics.

 

[Andrewn]

There are two advantages that denominations have that non-denominational churches don't enjoy.

We agree there.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Sketcher, your college church was definitely not Baptist. True Baptists believe in church autonomy, which means every church makes its own decisions. Deacons make the rules, not a national organization. I also have never heard of churches opposing communion.

I could never be a Southern Baptist, but in some ways I am more like a Baptist than anything else.

 

[RedPonyDriver]

There are two advantages that denominations have that non-denominational churches don't enjoy.

1) Resources. There is a wider network from which to draw resources for your church's own use, and on the giving end, a wider network to utilize for sending people on mission trips.

2) Branding. If one was so (foolishly) confident as to say that any church in their denomination will be a good church for a new Christian or a seeker to join, just give them the label and there you go. They probably don't know the Bible yet, so that's an easy way guide them to a local church body. There are serious problems with this line of reasoning, but ideally it would be that easy.

Note that I'm not citing accountability as an advantage. It's something that should be there in theory, but instead there's politics which I have already spoken about. Not to say that it never happens, but so much of the time it doesn't seem to shine through the politics.

My non-denominational church has plenty of resources to draw from. Since we're not tied to any one denomination, we use materials from a wide range of publishers.

Branding: Our church is known as "the church for people who don't like church". We do advertise but much of it comes from folks inviting others to church.

Missions: We do plenty, we prefer to work within our own community though. We have groups that work with women who were in the sex trade, underprivileged kids in THE roughest neighborhood in the city, partnering with other churches to go to the reservations and build homes and infrastructure (if you want to see devastating poverty, find a local NA reservation). We do 2 "major" mission trips a year to Mexico, building houses and infrastructure (water/septic). We don't "sponsor" missionaries like many churches...we ARE the missionaries. It's kinda "put your money where your mouth is".

 

[Sketcher]

Sketcher, your college church was definitely not Baptist. True Baptists believe in church autonomy, which means every church makes its own decisions. Deacons make the rules, not a national organization. I also have never heard of churches opposing communion.

I could never be a Southern Baptist, but in some ways I am more like a Baptist than anything else.

It wasn't a Baptist church, but it was a student ministry organization that was affiliated with the Southern Baptists, and was funded by Southern Baptist organizations that had rules. BTW, this sort of structure is similar for other campus ministries affiliated with other denominations.

 

[GodLovesCats]

How does that not make it a Baptist church?