Denominations

[aquamarinesky54]

A lot of believers belong to one. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I don't know much about the different denominations and how they differ.

So what's your denomination? Why is it your denomination? What makes it different from the others? What's one good thing about your denomination and one bad thing?

For those who are non-denominational believers (like myself), would you care to explain why? Did you leave a certain denomination and why?

I'll go first. I mentioned in another thread that I'm an ex-Roman Catholic. My family left because we just felt we weren't learning enough about God. It just started to seem too religious to us what with all the rules and ceremonies that didn't make us feel closer to God. One good thing about the RCC is the reverence in the services. There's a true fear of God and real respect for Him, but that just wasn't the place for us.

We're non-denominational believers now attending a church that calls itself interdenominational. A good thing about our church is that we feel more grounded in the Word. A bad thing is that while it's good to be joyful and lively about all God has done, the congregation can get too loud and too much at times.

 

[stovebolts]

Ha, even a non-denomination is a denomination in itself

I attend a Church of Christ, and of course, we consider ourselves non-denominational.

What I appreciate about our church the most is how we focus on studying the Bible.

I also appreciate how each church of Chrirst is autonomous. What I mean is this, we are affiliated with other churches of Christ by way of unity. Each church of Christ supports and governs itself though a core set of beliefs. First and foremost we take the Bible as our sole authority, and we model our churches in many ways after the first century churches.

What that means is our Elders, who are held accountable by the word of God guide our congregation, not the preacher, and not some centralized governing body across town or across the country. Each church of Christ is supported and governed by it's Elders and members.

This really allows for a lot of diversity within the Churches of Christ and believe it or not, we do pretty well.

Let's see... what I don't like about the churches of Christ. I don't like how legalistic some of the members can be. But then again, I'm sure I've stepped on some toes as well. Again, somehow we make it work. Unity does not mean uniformity

 

[D4Christ]

I'm non demoninational but I don't currently have a church home. I was christened as a baby as an Episcopalian, went to a Baptist church as a kid, attended a Catholic school from grade 4 up and as an adult attended a Full Gospel Church.

I prefer not to claim a demonination because there are few Statement's of Faiths that I agree with whole heartedly. As I have mentioned before, swearing allegance to the trinity is my stumbling block and I refuse to do it to join any church. Unfortunatley, many of the churches that are non trinitarian by practice also have other wack-a-do beliefs (like denying the Divinity of Christ) that I am not buying into either.

So, in the meantime I have recently decided that I would visit different churches since I want my children and especially my husband to fellowship. I am comfortable enough with where I am in my faith not to be bullied into joining a membership against my principles.

Ironically, my family and I went to a chruch last Sunday where the pastor and serveral of the members knew my husband from his home (Nigeria). They praised God because they have been trying to get him to come to church for some time...they even started calling us "members"(which I thought was a little pushy). I wonder if those good feelings toward us will continue to flow when I tell them my beliefs on the trinity. :dunno

Blessings,
Dee

 

[Webb]

The word denomination basically means "a part of the whole" as a $5 bill is part of the whole of a $100 bill, thus lacking in the full value of the $100 billl.

Christ's church may be likened to the $100 bill.

So my quesion is: Why be a member of any denomination when one can be a member of the whole? There were no denominations in the NT day, all were added by men much much later.

Its wonderful to know we may be of that church, even today.

 

[handy]

l've really experienced the wide range of denominations...

I visited an Assemblies of God the night I became a Christian... not really because of the church, more in spite of it really... I was very turned off by the yelling, rolling around on the floor and babbling... But, the Spirit got ahold of me through the Gospel preached from John that night. I worked for years for an AofG and came to understand them a lot more. Not my style, but I do love the exuberance of my AofG brothers and sisters.

I went for a while to a non-denominational church, where I was baptized. No doubt of the love of the people there, but whenever there was a change of pastors, the congregation would sway and bend in the winds of doctrines... eventually that church became defunct. For a while the building was a karate school which made me very sad. Now it is a church for the Spanish speaking folks in my home town, and I'm glad of that.

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church was where I came to understand and love the Word of God... The OPC is wholly committed to grounding the congregation in God's word and I appreciate that. Their style of worship was very formal, not liturgical, but people dressed in suits, ties and dresses and heels on Sunday am... Wednesday Prayer, Thursday Bible Study were more casual, but Sunday am was very formal. Slow measured hymns selected for accuracy of doctrine, prayer and preaching. However, it was a strictly Calvinist church and I came to disagree with too much of the Calvinist doctrine.

I moved and started going to the Church of the Nazarene. I loved the Nazarene church for its openess and loving attitude to all who came in. Services we're much more casual and one saw plenty of jeans and shorts along with the suits and dresses. This was mainly along generational lines. However, the Nazarene church we went to here in Idaho started become very "seeker friendly". So much so that each and every service became lots of 'praise and worship' music (as if hymns do not praise or worship) and each sermon was a gospel message ending in an alter call. Because we live out of town and couldn't attend the various mid week things... that was all we got. I began to hunger for some meat, and my husband came to really dislike it.

Then we briefly went to what was called a "fellowship celebration" because "church" was too much of a "turn off" for people... Yep, you read that right.

We went there with a family that is friends of our, whose kids and our are all good friends. We didn't last long... While the folks obviously loved God and cared for each other, we just weren't comfortable with the extreme casualness of everything... Folks getting up and down during the service to grab coffee and cookies, folks interupting the pastor's sermon to ask questions, sometimes getting him so off track he just gave it up... Kids running in and out.

Not for us.

Then my husband wanted to return to the denomination of his youth, the Evangelical Lutheran chuch... Now, the ELCA is a church who is committed to social justice and really that's not bad, we should care about these things. However, they long since departed from holding the Scriptures as inerrant and thier definition of inspired is quite different... Consequently, the ELCA has lost it's way completely...up to and including ordaining openly gay and lesbians as ministers.

We are now at the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod... And it's a very good fit for us. We love the reverence of the liturgy, the solid teaching of the meat of God's word and the equipping of the saints.

If I have a complaint its that the music, which is selected for doctrinal accuracy (not a bad thing) is also pretty much English translations of very old German hymns... and our organist plays them quite s-l-o-w-l-y... Sometimes we get some really beautiful hymns but othertimes... yeah, the hymns could be better.

 

[handy]

Webb, I think the denominations are members of the whole... each denomination I've been to were filled with God's people... people who not only confessed Jesus as Lord, but lived their lives accordingly (I'll exempt the ELCA on that)... No, there were no denominations 2000 years ago, but that was indeed 2000 years ago... now the Church expands the globe, expands across cultures and languages... differences of style and disagreements of doctrine have came in... for good and bad, denominations will remain until the return of the Lord. Even those who eschew denominational churches and go to home churches are still just as divided from and yet a part of the whole as a Catholic is from an AofG member...

One value in a denomination is that the local church of a denomination isn't as subject to the winds of various doctrines that home churches or non-denominational churches can be. The superintendent of the school my kids went to last year was very big on getting back to the basics and being a pastor of a home church... walking away from all that denominational "stuff".... He's no longer superintendent of the school though because he stepped down when it came out that he was practicing polygamy...

There are benefits and there are risks in both being a part of a denomination or being out there on one's own with one's bible. One can give birth to rigid traditions that stiffle the Spirit... the other can give rise to cranks like Fred Phelps and Darwin Fish.

 

[D4Christ]

I attend a Church of Christ, and of course, we consider ourselves non-denominational.

I did some research and found a Church of Christ within walking distance of my house. Their website makes a point to state that they have no earthly headquarters or man-made creeds. They also don't sing with instruments, which I feel is more of a personal preference than something scrptures look down on. But I can handle that. I will definitely check them next Sunday.

Thanks!
Dee

 

[Webb]

Thats the church I had reference to, and it does make a difference about what we believe and do.

 

[Mike]

I grew up as a Catholic, and even though I felt unfed and a growing discontent with some of it's doctrines, the liturgy was a known comfort to me. When I could no longer justify being in the RCC, we visited other area churches and settled at a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregation. At our church, we have many, many former Catholics, and I think it's because our worship service very closely resembles a Mass. We have very significant doctrinal differences from the RCC, but our services are similar.

I've come to have some differences in some of the Lutheran doctrines, but I very much appreciate the emphasis on scripture both in our worship service and Bible studies at the church, and Bible study groups that meet at homes. One thing I'll say that I don't much appreciate (because it's fresh in my mind) is that we confirm our kids at ~age 13. And I'm not proud to say, it feels like most of them are "checking the box" and going through a ritual. Our church basically holds their hands and feeds them answers to homework, tests and an interview with the elders. I was an elder for 6 years, and no one was ever told that they should wait. There are stories by older members who used to have to stand up before the congregation and answer any question the pastor had for them. I don't know if that's necessary or beneficial, but they've come all the way to the point that they're feeding them questions and answers in a private interview with 2 elders.

I've come to believe professed believers (of age to say) should be baptized and nothing should be done at any certain age. Kids are all different at different points in the walks.

 

[Timf]

There were no denominations in the NT day, all were added by men much much later.

1 Corinthians 1:12-1 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

In Galatians a list is given of the works of the flesh. One of the things listed is "herisis". This is the word from which we get heresy. However, at the time it just meant division.

It is when we draw near our Lord, walk in the Spirit and in truth, and grow into the full measure of Christ that we find unity. The reason unity is so rare is that we find it difficult to give up self and selfishness. We walk in the flesh and divisions abound.

 

[WIP]

I grew up with the teachings of the Catholic Church. In my early 20’s I began to realize that I was just going through the motions out of duty for the sake of those around me and not because of what I believed. The liturgy of the mass and the prayers were nothing more than memorized words and phrases that carried no meaning or purpose. We were taught to go to mass on Sundays and other holy days of obligation, genuflect any time we passed the altar, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, pray the rosary, recite the Stations of the Cross during Lent, and get confirmed. We were taught that our salvation relied on our following through with all these tasks and that’s precisely what they became to me, tasks.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
Today, I am a member in a small independent country Lutheran Church formerly associated with the ELCA. Our church is conservative although not quite as much as the LCMS. When I first began attending this church I found the liturgy to be familiar with the Catholic mass I grew up with. I will admit that things are slightly less formal but still formal enough to show respect for where we are and why we are there. <O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
I now understand there’s more to being a Christian than saying the right things and going through the right motions. I now know that prayer isn’t a memorized collection of words and phrases blindly repeated over and over without feeling, thought, or understanding but a direct personal conversation with God Almighty himself. In all my years in the Catholic Church serving as an altar boy, singing in the choir, attending catechism, going to Catholic school, and attending daily mass I don’t ever recall opening a Bible and I was never taught that I could actually talk directly to God in my own words. Today I have a connection with Christ that I never thought possible. <O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
Admittedly, one area I struggle with is confirmation. My understanding is that confirmation is a reaffirming of our baptism, declaring our belief before God and the congregation, and accepting the responsibility to live a Christian lifestyle. In my view we have turned confirmation into a kind of graduation of sorts, achieved by years of service rather than a reaffirming of one’s faith. The confirmands are asked a series of questions about what they believe then told how to answer, like an open book test. To me, their answers should be theirs from their heart and not a predetermined response out of a book. I feel we send the wrong message. These feelings are reinforced every year when I see students dropping out of our Sunday school program once they’ve been confirmed. <O:p</O:p

 

[stovebolts]

I did some research and found a Church of Christ within walking distance of my house. Their website makes a point to state that they have no earthly headquarters or man-made creeds. They also don't sing with instruments, which I feel is more of a personal preference than something scrptures look down on. But I can handle that. I will definitely check them next Sunday.

Thanks!
Dee

Hi Dee,

I do hope that you have a pleasant experience while visiting next week. A fellow that I do not know wrote this about what you may experience when you visit.

In a bookrack near you, there will be a hymnbook for your use. When the song leader announces a number, you can turn to that number in the hymnbook to find the words and music. One of the unique things about churches of Christ- and something you may find strange- is that the music is "A cappella". That is, we sing without the accompaniment of musical instuments. This is a conviction with us, not just a preference. It has its roots in our restoration heritage. We are seeking to worship according to the New Testament pattern. Since the New Testament leaves instrumental music out, we believe it's best to exclude it, too. You may consider us narrow on this point. But we believe you will respect our reason for it, and our conviction. And we think you'll find the singing meaningful, with everyone being invited to participate.

Like yourself, I also view A capella as a preference as do many in the congregation I attend. However, there are those within our congregation that are confident that having musical instruments in worship is a sin. Actually, I had this discussion with one of our deacons who heads up our childrens educational department. He is a man I look up to and we have opposing views on musical instruments, even though I enjoy A capella more so than with musical instruments. For me, there is something about A capella that is so rich and robust. I just love it. Anyway he did ask me to teach a childrens class a few months after our little 'talk' [aka debate lol] and i have taught several adult classes as well. I believe this is a testimony to the unity that we have within our congregation, and it's something I appreciate with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

[stovebolts]

Dee,
Just wanted to add... Barnett hit the nail on the head with this one. I love his honesty.

What kind of people can you expect to find? Pretty much the entire spectrum, as in any group. You will find traditionalists... and you'll find those who prefer anything new over everything old. You will find those of us who mistake our traditions for absolute truth, and get pretty bent out of shape when they are tampered with. And you'll find those of us who are bit smug at having been liberated from tradition. You will find legalisms and liberals... and a lot of people in between. You will find happy people... and grouchy people. Friendly people... and unfriendly people. Loving people... and cantankerous people. People who are learning ... and people who already know everything. You'll find us to be like the little west Texas community that has a billboard at the edge of the town which says,"the home of 3,000 Friendly people-And a Few Old Soreheads. You get the picture. We're a diverse group, coming from varied backgrounds, and at different stages of knowledge and spiritual growth. We don't know everything . We don't do everything right. We don't always treat each other as we should. We haven't arrived- we're just on the journey. But, you see, we were not brought together by any illusion of our perfection or righteousness that we are sinners in need of the cleansing blood of Jesus. That's the reason we can worship together, stick together, and, with God's help, accomplish some things that make a difference. You won't have to look very deep to find our failures. But, bottom-line, you will find people who love the Bible.

 

[Saved By Grace]

I'm non demoninational but I don't currently have a church home. I was christened as a baby as an Episcopalian, went to a Baptist church as a kid, attended a Catholic school from grade 4 up and as an adult attended a Full Gospel Church.

I prefer not to claim a demonination because there are few Statement's of Faiths that I agree with whole heartedly. As I have mentioned before, swearing allegance to the trinity is my stumbling block and I refuse to do it to join any church. Unfortunatley, many of the churches that are non trinitarian by practice also have other wack-a-do beliefs (like denying the Divinity of Christ) that I am not buying into either.

So, in the meantime I have recently decided that I would visit different churches since I want my children and especially my husband to fellowship. I am comfortable enough with where I am in my faith not to be bullied into joining a membership against my principles.

Ironically, my family and I went to a chruch last Sunday where the pastor and serveral of the members knew my husband from his home (Nigeria). They praised God because they have been trying to get him to come to church for some time...they even started calling us "members"(which I thought was a little pushy). I wonder if those good feelings toward us will continue to flow when I tell them my beliefs on the trinity. :dunno

Blessings,
Dee

I know this is "off topic", but exactly what are your "beliefs on the trinity" and how do you support that from Scripture?

 

[SMOOCH]

I dont believe in denominations because God never meant for there to be a division amongst his people; he speaks about a what happens to a divided house.

I grew up Apostolic but once I began to have an understanding of Christ for myself and my own relationship I decided not to really cling to a denomination. I just want to worship God at a church where I can grow spiritually and be an active member.

 

[WIP]

I dont believe in denominations because God never meant for there to be a division amongst his people; he speaks about a what happens to a divided house.

I grew up Apostolic but once I began to have an understanding of Christ for myself and my own relationship I decided not to really cling to a denomination. I just want to worship God at a church where I can grow spiritually and be an active member.

But isn't that just it? The way you worship, learn, and grow in your spiritual walk is a denomination. If you're doing it alone then you just don't have others in your fellowship.

I'm curious. If you don't believe denominations exist then what is it that you believe does exist?

 

[SMOOCH]

But isn't that just it? The way you worship, learn, and grow in your spiritual walk is a denomination. If you're doing it alone then you just don't have others in your fellowship.

I'm curious. If you don't believe denominations exist then what is it that you believe does exist?

I never said I dont believe they exist, I grew up Apostolic, I dont believe they should exist to seperate us because we should be one solid community. Whether your baptist, cogic or whatever shouldnt matter, humans complicate everything and thats what i think denominations cause; complications.

 

[stovebolts]

I never said I dont believe they exist, I grew up Apostolic, I dont believe they should exist to seperate us because we should be one solid community. Whether your baptist, cogic or whatever shouldnt matter, humans complicate everything and thats what i think denominations cause; complications.

Smooch,

I understand your perspective. However, a "denomination" can do nothing because it is simply a label. What your really talking about are people within those denominations pushing away from other denominations. Or simply put, one group of people in disagreement of another group of people. While you call yourself non-denominational, it is just a label that pushes yourself away from other groups.

But this really comes down to the individual because a group consists of individuals. Churches don't hurt people. People hurt other people and when like minded people gather with this uglyness, it's a group effort.

Have you ever noticed that there are good people, and not so good people in every church, in every denomination. I believe what your talking about is a people problem, not a denominational problem as a whole.

 

[D4Christ]

I know this is "off topic", but exactly what are your "beliefs on the trinity" and how do you support that from Scripture?

I will pm you about it.

Blessings,
Dee

 

[D4Christ]

Hi Dee,

I do hope that you have a pleasant experience while visiting next week.

My mom just reminded me that I actually have attended a Church of Christ before in Philadelphia. I remember being attracted to the pastor for his "brute" honesty. I was also interested in him because he baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Even though I had been baptized as a kid, I was sure it was in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So I got dunked again a few years ago to make sure I got it done right. The pastor's name is Gino Jennings and you can catch him on You Tube, and he also comes on tv in Philly, which is where I first saw him. He is quite a character and very controversial. So much so that he needs body guards in his chruch. But he also had some other strange ideas that definitely made his church a one time visit for me.

It just reminds me that churches are run by people and if the person is "off" the whole church could be in error.

Blessings,
Dee