Why so many?

[BjBarnett]

Hello everyone

Ive got a quick question. Why are there so many Baptist denominations and churches? As im sure a few of you have seen my state before that there is a baptist church every 500 feet in my area. I was wondering why there are so many of them? is it something in the Baptist doctrine that benefits by having so many churches? A lot of the baptist churches in this area have 10 members or less why dont they combine? I think its because they have doctrinal issues but if thats the case why are they apart of the same denomination? and also why are there so many different baptist denominations? is there really that much difference in the doctrine that they start a new denom?

PS.
Ok that wasnt really a quick question lol but Im just wondering thanks in advanced.

 

[SumTinWong]

It has to do with minor disagreements really, and a problem of pride in other cases. There is an IFB church right directly across the street from us and they believe everything we believe in, but are KJVO, and they do not like the modern type of songs we have. Other than that, we are identical.

They won't say boo to us even though we have tried time and time again to include them and to take in interest in them.

On the other hand my Pastor routinely has lunch with the local Catholic Priest, non-denominatinal pastors, Free Methodist Pastor, and Presbyterian Minister.

 

[Gwenyfur]

Personally, I live in a town with a poplulation of 4500...
there are 21 churches...14 of which are some type of baptist...

some are fundamental and legalistic, others are contemporary, KJVO, blah blah blah down the line of differences....

I chose the one I attend based solely on the preaching from the pulpit...it came straight out of the Word and not some anecdotal "I went shopping" or "Life is like gardening" story

We do get involved with all the other churches in our area...so really I think it's more of what a certain group of people start believing rather than what God's Word is really teaching....

Not saying that this type of baptist is right adn that one's wrong...so please, don't take it that way. I am saying a small group will splinter off a church for one reason or another (usually a tantrum from not getting their way all the time) and there ya another type of baptist is born heh...

 

[ZiSunka]

There aren't many denominations of baptist, they are all branches of baptist, just like all the branches of catholicism aren't separate denominations, but they have separate churches with separate pastors and separate leadership.

Why don't churches consolidate more? They don't want to, they are happy with the way their church is and they don't want to have to change which would be inevitable if the consolidated. There are a dozen catholic churches around here that have very small congregations, yet they aren't consolidating, either, probably for the same reasons.

I guess if you could answer the same questions about catholicism, you'd have the answers for baptists, too.

 

[Heatherondo]

Hello everyone

Ive got a quick question. Why are there so many Baptist denominations and churches? As im sure a few of you have seen my state before that there is a baptist church every 500 feet in my area. I was wondering why there are so many of them? is it something in the Baptist doctrine that benefits by having so many churches? A lot of the baptist churches in this area have 10 members or less why dont they combine? I think its because they have doctrinal issues but if thats the case why are they apart of the same denomination? and also why are there so many different baptist denominations? is there really that much difference in the doctrine that they start a new denom?

PS.
Ok that wasnt really a quick question lol but Im just wondering thanks in advanced.

Hmmm we take that whole "where two or more are gathered in my name" literally and we like to congregate???

 

[Gold Dragon]

I was walking in San Francisco along the Golden Gate Bridge when I saw a man about to jump off. I tried to dissuade him from committing suicide and told him simply that God loved him. A tear came to his eye.

I then asked him, “Are you a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, or what?”

He said, “I’m a Christian.”

I said, “Me, too, small world. . .Protestant or Catholic?”

He said, “Protestant.”

I said, “Me, too, what denomination?”

He said, “Baptist.”

I said, “Me, too, Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”

He said, “Northern Baptist.”

I said, “Well, ME TOO, Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.”

I said, “Well, that’s amazing! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist or Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist.”

I said, “Remarkable! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Eastern Region?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region.”

I said, “A miracle! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.”

I said, “DIE, HERETIC!’ and pushed him over the rail

 

[ZiSunka]

Hmmm we take that whole "where two or more are gathered in my name" literally and we like to congregate???

The best answer of all!

 

[BjBarnett]

On the other hand my Pastor routinely has lunch with the local Catholic Priest, non-denominatinal pastors, Free Methodist Pastor, and Presbyterian Minister.

thats cool. I like it when the pastors of churches get out and try to atleast communicate with the other local churches. My parish actually has a co-summer bible school with a methodist and episcopal church and we do all sorts of things with some of the local baptist and pentecostal churches. I think it helps with our fellowship a lot.

I guess if you could answer the same questions about catholicism, you'd have the answers for baptists, too.

Well Catholic churches that are like that usually one gives a latin mass or one is charismatic or one is eastern rite or something like that. Same beliefs but different style of worship. is that similiar to the Baptist reasoning for many different churches?

I was walking in San Francisco along the Golden Gate Bridge when I saw a man about to jump off. I tried to dissuade him from committing suicide and told him simply that God loved him. A tear came to his eye.

I then asked him, “Are you a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, or what?”

He said, “I’m a Christian.”

I said, “Me, too, small world. . .Protestant or Catholic?”

He said, “Protestant.”

I said, “Me, too, what denomination?”

He said, “Baptist.”

I said, “Me, too, Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”

He said, “Northern Baptist.”

I said, “Well, ME TOO, Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.”

I said, “Well, that’s amazing! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist or Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist.”

I said, “Remarkable! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Eastern Region?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region.”

I said, “A miracle! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.”

I said, “DIE, HERETIC!’ and pushed him over the rail

thats down right funny

 

[ZiSunka]

Well Catholic churches that are like that usually one gives a latin mass or one is charismatic or one is eastern rite or something like that. Same beliefs but different style of worship. is that similiar to the Baptist reasoning for many different churches?

Well, for the catholic churches there is a lot more to it than worship styles. The church I grew up in forbid statuary in the sanctuary because it was considered idolatry, and they said the mass in the language of the people when the latin rite insisted that only latin was allowed. They also did not consider Mary to be queen of heaven. Pretty different from latin rite.

But yes, for baptists, there is sometimes a difference in worship styles, but more often it is based on geographic location than anything else. In any given area, one branch of batpist will predominate while others are represented by fewer congregations. It's mostly because people grow up in one kind of church and want to raise their kids the way they grew up. People who grew up southern baptist want their families to be southern baptist and so forth. But I have never heard of one branch defaming another or forbidding the members of another from full participation in the service.

They are all linked by their beliefs, but different in their traditions, just like catholicism.

 

[Gwenyfur]

Hmmm we take that whole "where two or more are gathered in my name" literally and we like to congregate???

ROFL