benefit of a non-denominational church? (Gospel, Lutheran, dinosaur, hell)
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Can someone please explain to me the benefit of a non-denominational church?
My limited understanding is that old denominations have proven themselves with hundreds (Catholic and Orthodox over 2 thousand) years of service. They also have a hierarchical structure, so it is harder for con-artists to become pastors, and easier to identify & replace one if necessary since there is a controlled structure.
A non-denominational one responds to no religious hierarchical authority, so the pastor (and his board) is in total control (religious message & finances), am I missing something?
How do we know some of the non-denominational ones are not really a sect/cult brainwashing followers to blindly follow their pastor/leader?
Sorry I don't mean to say this is a big problem since it is obvious that many non-denominational churches are doing very well and there should be no major reason for concern.
It is a question I have had for many years and I must be missing something or be misinformed.
None of my religious friends and family go to a non-denominational church, so nobody I know well enough to ask without offending them....hope not to offend anyone here.
It's been my experience that "non-denominational" is just another name for "Bible-based" church, which usually means they believe in an infallible, inerrant Bible that is considered dictated by God Himself. To me, that's a red flag. No thinking, no theological discussion, no interesting questions.
I may not be correct about that, though, since I haven't visited every non-denominational church there is, obviously.
There's probably good and bad with both. There is definitely more freedom with regards to how we operate.
It definitely depends on the people and the foundation of the church (which should be Jesus Christ)... and it definitely takes discernment to avoid the scammers.
I would agree that these days non-denominational oftens mean evangelical, Bible-based, etc. However, there are also non-denominational churches that are more traditional or even liberal -- often these may be older churches or churches serving smaller communities, wherein they are trying to serve a group of believers with fairly diverse backgrounds and theologies as part of one church. Additionally, non-denominational churches may still have some sort of affiliation, e.g. if they are part of a family or fellowship of independently-governed churches.
It's amazing when you think about the millions of ways people can disagree. This forum is a living testament to the endless ways in which people can disagree about Scripture, about God, about how to worship, how to live, etc. Communion is a great example of a theological minefield and one that's been well-battled for centuries. Eschatology is a another one -- so many viewpoints.
The good news about the Good News is that if we accept Jesus as our Lord and personal Savior, that's what truly matters, regardless of doctrinal and theological disagreements.
There are downsides and positives to both denominational and non-denominational approaches. We have seen sex scandals and financial misappropriation over and over in all variety of churches, from Catholic to Protestant to unaffiliated. There is no perfect choice, I don't think, given the imperfect nature of the men and women who comprise any church. There will always be some mistakes, faults, etc., but ideally by working together as the church, as a committed body of believers, these can be minimized.
I read with interest some of the writings about the latest UMC General Conference. It's interesting to see how a huge, worldwide body of believers with disparate views on a number of topics could meet together, discuss, debate, disagree and vote on a path forward.
Ultimately I personally think it seems reasonable for someone to try to find a church home that makes sense for them. I fully understand that this attitude may be anathema to a Catholic or some mainline Protestants who may consider that there is only one true/correct denomination and that everyone else may be off track in attending other churches. I am personally more of the mind that all for whom Jesus is their Lord and Savior would comprise the larger body of believers, regardless of the church denomination to which they belong.
Maybe I am wrong but it seems like perhaps there has been some progress in greater acceptance of each other by various denominations and non-denominational churches in recent years/decades relative to the further past. I tend to think that as Christianity is no longer the dominant social more that it once was, that perhaps Christians will find more common ground in each other as fellow believers.
Can someone please explain to me the benefit of a non-denominational church?
My limited understanding is that old denominations have proven themselves with hundreds (Catholic and Orthodox over 2 thousand) years of service. They also have a hierarchical structure, so it is harder for con-artists to become pastors, and easier to identify & replace one if necessary since there is a controlled structure.
A non-denominational one responds to no religious hierarchical authority, so the pastor (and his board) is in total control (religious message & finances), am I missing something?
How do we know some of the non-denominational ones are not really a sect/cult brainwashing followers to blindly follow their pastor/leader?
Sorry I don't mean to say this is a big problem since it is obvious that many non-denominational churches are doing very well and there should be no major reason for concern.
It is a question I have had for many years and I must be missing something or be misinformed.
None of my religious friends and family go to a non-denominational church, so nobody I know well enough to ask without offending them....hope not to offend anyone here.
My church is non-denominational. We are simply a small, independent church. I don't know that there are a lot of "benefits" in as much as we just don't hold to the same beliefs as the Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist churches in the area.
On the other hand, we are very very small. I've visited people in the area in their homes and been told 5 times in the first 5 minutes that they are Lutheran. Many people will simply not set foot in our church, regardless of what they believe or what we teach because we don't have the name of their denomination.
The non denominational church were I go is like a evangelical type church , but it is lead by the lead in the spirit of Christ and Jesus brings a message through the speaker and through the worship and even bring a Word of encouragement of faith through the many prophets who have timely Word for the Church for confirmation and all which is bible based ...................... Were denominational church are lead by conformity of the plan for the church sometime things are planned years in advance through prayer books
It's funny that a lot of former SBC members left the church to form Non-Denominational churches, while keeping the exact same doctrines. They wanted to attract new members in exactly the same way, but I guess they didn't want the "negative" connotations of the SBC.
Which leads to only one conclusion: Their decision to overtake the entire name of Christianity for themselves means that in a few years, they will have destroyed the name of Christianity, in the same way they destroyed the name Baptist. You have to wonder if that is their true deep intention on some level.
It's been my experience that "non-denominational" is just another name for "Bible-based" church, which usually means they believe in an infallible, inerrant Bible that is considered dictated by God Himself. To me, that's a red flag. No thinking, no theological discussion, no interesting questions.
I may not be correct about that, though, since I haven't visited every non-denominational church there is, obviously.
I think you are largely correct. I think many of the denominations actually started out as "Bible-based", and they wanted to follow God's Word but instead drifted off into whatever seems right to them.
Can someone please explain to me the benefit of a non-denominational church?
My limited understanding is that old denominations have proven themselves with hundreds (Catholic and Orthodox over 2 thousand) years of service. They also have a hierarchical structure, so it is harder for con-artists to become pastors, and easier to identify & replace one if necessary since there is a controlled structure.
A non-denominational one responds to no religious hierarchical authority, so the pastor (and his board) is in total control (religious message & finances), am I missing something?
How do we know some of the non-denominational ones are not really a sect/cult brainwashing followers to blindly follow their pastor/leader?
Sorry I don't mean to say this is a big problem since it is obvious that many non-denominational churches are doing very well and there should be no major reason for concern.
It is a question I have had for many years and I must be missing something or be misinformed.
None of my religious friends and family go to a non-denominational church, so nobody I know well enough to ask without offending them....hope not to offend anyone here.
I'd say the best reason to pick a non-denominational church is that, if you look hard enough, you'll find one where the pastor's interpretation of the Bible matches yours. Any competent pastor is going to be able to support his own take on the scriptures by a carefully chosen selection of passages. As far as I'm concerned, "non-denominational" is just a nice way of saying, "anything goes."
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Any competent pastor is going to be able to support his own take on the scriptures by a carefully chosen selection of passages. As far as I'm concerned, "non-denominational" is just a nice way of saying, "anything goes."
