Have Denominations Had Their Day?
We hear increasingly that we’re entering a post-denominational world.
Recently LifeWay researcher Ed Stetzer wrote an interesting post on the value of denominations. Known for his theologically-informed insight as well as research analysis, Stetzer offers some interesting statistics and evaluation on this question. (See Do Denominations Matter? by Ed Stetzer)
From my perspective, though, an important emphasis is missing from Stetzer’s argument. He affirms denominations primarily as a way of pooling our resources for a common vision. Denominations gather people who have similar convictions to work together toward common goals. True enough. However, what then distinguishes denominations from for-profit corporations, for example?
Scripture’s focus is on what God is doing rather than on what we are doing. The Triune God is saving sinners through preaching and sacrament. There is “one holy catholic and apostolic church” not because individual believers realized that they could more effectively reach the world and accomplish their goals in tandem. Rather, this church exists because of the Father’s eternal election of a people, the Son’s mediation and saving work for them, and the Spirit’s work of uniting them to Christ through the gospel. We are recipients of a kingdom; the Father is the builder, by his Son and Spirit, through the Word.
Therefore, there really is one church—catholic, spread throughout the world yet united in one Lord, one faith, one baptism—even though its visible shape right now seems to speak against it. Same thing with the holiness of the church: holy in Christ, it is nevertheless “simultaneously justified and sinful.”
Even the apostolic church was rife with sectarianism, strife, and false teaching. Eventually, the equality of pastors gave way to bishops and the bishop of Rome raised himself above all other bishops. The church of Rome unilaterally amended the Nicene Creed and excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople for not bowing the knee to his office. Then Rome excommunicated the Reformers in the sixteenth century, and divisions among the Reformers themselves appeared. Today, Protestantism is an incubator of new denominations and sects, while deep divisions within Rome are overcome merely by the single dogma of obedience to the pope.
There’s no going back to a pristine era in which the apostles, ministers, and elders of the first century led a reasonably united church. However, I would argue that denominations matter because Christ said he would build his church, not just churches. One local congregation cannot be the whole church, although it is an expression of the whole church insofar as it shares in the true ministry of the whole church. I understand the New Testament to teach a covenantal order of church government, where local churches are connected to each other in narrower and wider assemblies. This, I believe, is the Lord’s express will for his visible church.
In a fallen world—and church—denominations come and go. They cannot presume to be “the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church,” but they can at least be fragile expressions of that covenantal koinonia that Christ wills between people in local congregations and between local congregations.
Whatever we think about denominations, the crucial question is not pragmatic: What do they help us do. Rather, it is theological: What is God doing in the world through them? And how can denominations, for all of their faults, express more fully the unity and catholicity of Christ’s body than independent churches? Once that question is addressed, the pooling of resources becomes a natural by-product rather than the reason itself.
The May/June 2003 issue of Modern Reformation contains helpful resources concerning denominations.
In the Church: Finding Common Ground Across Denominations
By Ann Henderson Hart
Historical Chart of Denominations
(30kB PDF)
From the Sept/Oct 2005 issue, W. Robert Godfrey has
A Reformed Dream
September 17th, 2011 at 8:35 am
I agree that we must pursue catholicity to the extent possible. It would be a beautiful testimony to the power of the gospel if we could see more like-minded churches and denominations coming together to more fully become one holy, catholic and apostolic church. I pray some progress would be made in that way in our generation.
My question is whether “denominations” as they’ve been conceived of to now are the way in which that catholicity ought to be expressed. So often, denominations become not about communion with one another in the gospel of Jesus Christ, but about structures, politics, buildings, pensions, etc. Of course, the same can be said of local churches. I’m not suggesting we idealistically start over; the fall prevents us acting on that sort of naïveté. I suppose I’m simply asking whether there isn’t a better way to demonstrate our unity in Christ than through necessarily sectarian denominations. Perhaps not this side of eternity?
September 17th, 2011 at 8:36 am
Michael,
You say that the catholic Church is united (in certain respects) even though “its visible shape now seems to speak against it.” It seems to me that one could look at the present situation and see not a problem with the Church’s “visible shape,” (as though the problem is only a problem between branches within the Church) but rather *schisms from* the visible Church, as were the Donatists in the fourth century. So, what is it, exactly, in your opinion, that distinguishes a *branch within* the catholic Church, from a *schism from* the catholic Church? That is, how does one rightly determine whether a particular denomination is a *branch within* the Church, or a *schism from* the Church?
In the peace of Christ,
- Bryan
September 17th, 2011 at 10:42 am
Great question, Bryan. With our confessions, I’d say that this is determined by proclamation of the true gospel and the administration of the sacraments according to Christ’s institution. While no church exhibits these marks with complete purity, bodies that reject the gospel or anything essential to it and substitute their own dogmas, duties, and discipline for Christ’s institution have separated themselves from the visible Church.
September 27th, 2011 at 6:05 am
Thanks, Dr. Horton, for a thought-provoking post. I think Confessionalists should also be pro-denominational — not in the sense of wanting to see the visible church split up into even more “branches” or wanting to resist legitimate ecumenical efforts — but in the sense of seeking to express the covenantal and “connectional” nature of the visible church (however imperfectly we do that in this present age) which you speak of in this post. It seems to me that independency and anti-denominationalism (which dominate evangelicalism today) actually contribute to the problems their advocates accuse denominationalism of, such as fracturing the church and undermining the visible unity of the church. Local congregations which adopt principles of independency often seem to become “little denominations” in themselves (with the local pastor sometimes becoming, in effect, a local pope). Where such independent churches do enter into “associations” or “fellowships” with other local churches they often end up becoming, for all practical purposes, “non-denominational denominations,” all the while disclaiming that dreaded term “denomination.” (Can we say, “let’s have our cake and eat it too”?) In contrast (and ironically), as you know, there are numerous examples of confessional denominations (such as the OPC, my own denomination) having active standing committees or denominational agencies on ecumenicity and/or interchurch relations. These committees/agencies often expend great time and effort and energy working toward greater fellowship, cooperation, and (where possible) even organic union with like-minded confessional denominations. Such efforts are biblical, and are (pragmatically speaking) greatly aided – not hindered (IMO) – by denominational structures. I don’t see independency and anti-denominational bodies producing similar efforts at healing divisions in the body of Christ, for all the rhetoric of Christian unity one finds among independent-minded evangelicals.
In the covenantal bonds of Christ,
Rev. Geoff Willour