Denominationalism

When talking with people and the topic of religion comes up, they sometimes ask, “what denomination are you a part of?” I tell them I’m not part of a denomination. This is a strange concept for many, and as a result provides some opportunity to discuss spiritual matters with them. Many cannot envision Christianity without denominations. Denominationalism is only natural for them. But is it something that should be accepted or rejected?

Denominationalism is division. It is division among those claiming to be Christians. There are Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, and others, all of which are denominations. The divisions sometimes go even further than that. Take the Baptists for example. You have Southern Baptists, Missionary Baptists, Free Will Baptists, and the list goes on. This division is common among professed Christians.

Yet Jesus desired unity among believers. Shortly before His death, He prayed to the Father on behalf of all those who would follow Him. He prayed, “that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (Jn. 17:21). Jesus wanted His followers to be united to the same extent that He was united with the Father. Those who profess to be followers of Christ while being divided up into factions (denominations) have disregarded the very thing Jesus prayed for — unity.

The Result of Denominationalism

When men practice denominationalism, the result is many different churches across the religious landscape. But what sort of “churches” are these? The Bible uses the termchurch in a couple of different ways. Let us notice each of these ways and see if denominationalism fits with either.

The New Testament uses the term church in the universal sense. We sometimes call this the universal church. In this sense, there is just one church. This is the church that Jesus promised to build (Mt. 16:18). He died for it (Eph. 5:25), purchased it with His blood (Acts 20:28), is the Savior of it (Eph. 5:23), and is head over it (Eph. 1:22-23). The universal church is made up of all those who are saved (Acts 2:47).

We also see the term church used in the local sense, as a congregation of God’s people. We read of churches in Judea (Gal. 1:22), Galatia (Gal. 1:2), Asia (1 Cor. 16:19), and Macedonia (2 Cor. 8:1). We also see the terms “churches of Christ” (Rom. 16:16) and “churches of God” (2 Th. 1:4) used as well. These were not different kinds of churches, but were simply groups of Christians that met in different places to work and worship together.

Denominationalism, however, adds a type of church to what we see in the New Testament. They are not the universal church, but rather are divisions or factions. They are not local churches either, autonomous and solely under the rule of Christ. Rather, a denomination is a confederation of churches. For example, the Baptist church includes alllocal Baptist churches. Denominations are bound and identified together based on creeds, traditions, and names of men. This is not what we see in the New Testament, where we have local churches under the headship and teachings of Christ, and identified together based on location, not creed or tradition.

For Denominationalism to be True…

The New Testament teaches there is one church. So in order for one to make a Scriptural defense for denominationalism, one of two things must be true. Either the church is made up of churches, or individuals in the church are free to join a denomination. Let us briefly examine each of these ideas.

Is the Lord’s church made up of churches (denominations)? Often times when one tries to defend denominationalism using this argument, they turn to Jesus’ words in John 15. In this passage (Jn. 15:1-6), Jesus refers to Himself as the “true vine” (v. 1). The branches, it is argued, are the various denominations. So you have all of these denominational churches growing off of the same vine. But a closer look at the passage allows us to see the truth. The branches are not churches, but individuals. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches” (v. 5). Who was Jesus speaking to? Not to representatives of various denominational groups, but to individuals. In the next verse He says, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch” (v. 6). The branches are individuals, not churches or denominations. The Lord’s church is made up of individuals, not denominations. No other passage can be presented that would teach otherwise.

May an individual in the Lord’s church join a denomination? Many have been told after they supposedly become Christians that they may join the church of their choice. What if their choice is to join a denominational church? Many who believe they have been saved, and even some who have obeyed the gospel according to the teaching of the New Testament (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38), choose to join a denomination. Does God approve of this? If He does, then denominationalism is perfectly acceptable. But He does not. We are to follow Christ, not another man or group of men (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Yet when one joins a denomination, he is following man. We also cannot have fellowship with those who teach and practice error (Eph. 5:11; 2 Jn. 9-11). Denominationalism is division, and as such is totally contrary to God’s plan (Jn. 17:21; 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:3), not to mention the various sinful practices and doctrinal errors by the different denominational groups. One cannot serve God acceptably while being a part of a denomination. Those who want to be faithful to God must leave whatever denomination they may be affiliated with.

The Appeal of Denominationalism

Despite the fact that there is no Biblical support for denominationalism, it is very popular. People can join the church of their choice. This idea has been promoted by Billy Graham and others and the message has caught on with people. Why is it so popular? In denominationalism, our preferences trump God’s will. We can do what we please. And the word of man is as good as or better than the word of God. Man can make the rules as he sees fit.

Denominationalism promotes the idea that one church is as good as another. Is this really the case? What about the church in Ephesus? They were in jeopardy of losing their right standing before the Lord (Rev. 2:5). Why? They “left [their] first love” (Rev. 2:4). What does this mean? Their first love was Christ. How might a church leave Christ? Through a failure to submit to His rule, follow His word, and do His work. This is what everydenomination is guilty of.

Conclusion

Instead of joining the church of our choice, we need to join the church of God’s choice. This is the church that Jesus purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28). It is the church that is His body (Eph. 1:22-23). It is made up of those who have been baptized into Him (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). Once we have put on Christ in baptism and have been added to His church (Acts 2:41,47), we should find a local church we can faithfully work and worship with, a church that follows the will of God and not man. This will be seen in the fact that they follow the pattern that has been revealed in God’s word (Phil. 3:17). So let us reject the denominations of men and seek to serve God in the church of Christ.

Andy Sochor