Exposing the Denominations of Nondenominational Churches
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Joshua, a Christian denomination researcher, explores the ambiguity surrounding 'non-denominational' churches. He scrutinizes the claims of Journey Church and Summit Church, both identifying as non-denominational yet exhibiting Pentecostal beliefs. Joshua explains how these churches use the term 'non-denominational' to denote independence from a governing body rather than a theological standpoint. He challenges the notion that non-denominational equates to 'Mere Christianity' and highlights the prevalence of hidden denominational affiliations among such churches, urging transparency for potential congregants.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ Many modern churches, especially in the United States, are labeled as 'non-denominational', yet they often belong to larger groups with shared theological beliefs and historical connections.
- 🔍 The term 'non-denominational' can be misleading as it is often used to describe a church's lack of affiliation with a governing body rather than its theological identity.
- 🌐 Despite the rise in non-denominational labels, denominations are not disappearing; they are adapting by going 'underground' or rebranding to appear more inclusive.
- 👀 The absence of the word 'Pentecostal' on church websites does not necessarily mean the church isn't Pentecostal; it could be an example of equivocation, where the term is used differently.
- 🔑 Understanding the difference between a church's self-governance ('non-denominational' in the organizational sense) and its theological identity is crucial.
- 📜 Statements of faith can reveal a church's true theological leanings, even if they do not explicitly state their denominational affiliation.
- 🏫 Churches that claim to be non-denominational might still adhere to specific doctrines and practices shared by a larger, often unrecognized, group of churches.
- 🌟 The trend of non-denominationalism can obscure the historical and theological connections between churches, making it harder for potential congregants to understand what they believe.
- 🤔 When asked about a church's denomination, the answer should reflect its theological and historical identity, not just its organizational structure.
- 💡 Transparency in church affiliations and beliefs is important for potential members to make informed decisions about where to worship.
Q & A
What is the main point of confusion when people refer to a 'non-denominational' church?
-The confusion arises from the dual meaning of the term 'denomination.' People often ask about the theological or historical family of a church (question one), but non-denominational churches answer by referring to their lack of a governing organizational entity (question two).
Why do some churches avoid using the term 'Pentecostal' even if their beliefs align with Pentecostal theology?
-Some churches might avoid the term 'Pentecostal' to present a more inclusive or non-sectarian image, despite their beliefs and practices aligning with Pentecostal theology.
What is the logical fallacy mentioned in the script that can be applied to the understanding of 'non-denominational' churches?
-The logical fallacy mentioned is equivocation, which occurs when the same term is used with different meanings in an argument, leading to confusion or misinterpretation.
How does the script suggest that one can identify the denominational family of a church that claims to be non-denominational?
-The script suggests looking at the church's statement of faith, historical affiliations, and any mention of belonging to a larger group or movement, which can provide clues to their denominational family.
What does the script imply about the transparency of non-denominational churches regarding their theological affiliations?
-The script implies that many non-denominational churches are not transparent about their theological affiliations, which can lead to misunderstandings for those seeking to understand the church's beliefs.
How does the script define a 'denomination' in the context of Christian churches?
-The script defines a 'denomination' as any set of congregations identifiable by similar traits, history, or name, which can include a wide range of church groups, from the Catholic Church to independent fundamental Baptists.
What is the significance of the phrase 'Mere Christianity' mentioned in the script?
-The phrase 'Mere Christianity' refers to a basic set of Christian beliefs that are widely accepted across denominations, focusing on core tenets rather than divisive issues. The script suggests that some non-denominational churches might claim to practice this but still hold specific doctrines.
Why might a church choose to identify as 'non-denominational' despite being part of a larger theological movement?
-A church might choose to identify as 'non-denominational' to avoid the perceived negative connotations associated with denominations, to appear more inclusive, or to emphasize their independence from a central governing body.
What is the role of the Calvary Chapel Association mentioned in the script?
-The Calvary Chapel Association is mentioned as an example of a group of churches that, despite claiming to be non-denominational, share common beliefs and practices, indicating a denominational-like structure.
How does the script suggest that the term 'non-denominational' is being used by some churches to hide their theological positions?
-The script suggests that some churches use the term 'non-denominational' to avoid the label of a specific denomination while still adhering to specific theological positions, thus 'hiding' their true affiliations.
Outlines
🏛️ The Ambiguity of 'Non-Denominational' Churches
This paragraph discusses the difficulty in identifying the denomination of churches that do not openly declare their affiliation. The speaker, Joshua, a Christian denomination researcher, explains that while traditionally churches would clearly state their denomination, modern churches with names like 'Journey Church' or 'Summit Church' do not, leading to ambiguity. To clarify, Joshua checks their websites and finds that both are Pentecostal in theology despite claiming to be non-denominational. He introduces the concept of 'equivocation' as a logical fallacy that allows these churches to claim both identities. The paragraph ends with a critique of the misuse of the term 'denomination' and a call for clarity in church identification.
🌐 The Broad Spectrum of Non-Denominational Churches
Paragraph 2 delves into the misconception that non-denominational churches are a homogeneous group practicing 'Mere Christianity'. Joshua argues that many non-denominational churches are, in fact, part of larger theological movements or have specific doctrinal stances. He uses 'Citygates Church' as an example, which is part of the Calvary Chapel Association, indicating a shared set of beliefs and practices. The paragraph highlights several other churches that, despite being non-denominational, are part of significant religious movements or families, such as the Church of God, International Churches of Christ, and the local churches. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding that non-denominational does not equate to a lack of affiliation or shared theological identity.
🔍 Unveiling the True Nature of Non-Denominational Churches
In this paragraph, Joshua continues to challenge the idea that non-denominational churches are free from any affiliations or theological commitments. He provides numerous examples of churches that, while claiming to be non-denominational, are part of larger Christian movements with specific beliefs and practices. These include associations like the Evangelical Association of reformed and congregational Christian churches, the independent Christian churches, and the local churches. Joshua stresses the importance of transparency and the need for churches to be clear about their theological identity. He concludes with advice for churchgoers to be aware of the potential for hidden affiliations and for churches to be upfront about their connections to larger religious groups.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Denomination
💡Non-denominational
💡Statement of Faith
💡Pentecostal
💡Equivocation
💡Mere Christianity
💡Calvary Chapel Association
💡Church of God
💡International Churches of Christ
💡Local Churches
Highlights
Churches often do not display their denominations openly, leading to confusion for the uninitiated.
Modern technology allows individuals to learn about a church's denomination through their website.
Journey Church and Summit Church are identified as non-denominational but have Pentecostal theological leanings.
The absence of the term 'Pentecostal' on church websites despite holding Pentecostal beliefs is highlighted.
The concept of 'denomination' is explored through the lens of a logical fallacy called equivocation.
Denominations can be defined in multiple ways, often leading to misunderstandings about a church's affiliations.
Non-denominational churches may own their properties and have independent governance, differing from traditional denominations.
The rise of non-denominational churches in America is discussed, challenging the notion that denominations are fading.
Many non-denominational churches are part of larger movements or families of churches with shared beliefs.
The importance of transparency in church affiliations and beliefs is emphasized for clarity and trust.
Examples of non-denominational churches that are part of significant religious movements are provided.
The idea that non-denominational churches practice a form of 'Mere Christianity' is questioned.
The video argues for a more accurate understanding of what 'non-denominational' means in the context of church affiliations.
The role of historical and theological commonalities in defining a denomination is discussed.
The video concludes with a call for churches to be transparent about their theological and historical connections.
Transcripts
have you ever had the thought as you
passed a church in your hometown of
Farmington New Mexico I wonder what
denomination that church is it used to
be that churches told you what their
denomination is but now they don't so as
you pass Journey Church or Summit Church
you really have no idea what it is that
they believe but luckily we're in the
21st century so you can just go on their
website and find out what will it be
Baptist Methodist Lutheran Pentecostal
maybe Church of the Brethren or menonite
well Summit Church says they are a
Spirit-filled non-denominational Faith
and Family Church Journey Church is a
casual and friendly non-denominational
church so what have we learned about
these churches the answer is mostly
nothing if you're new to my channel my
name is Joshua and I'm a Christian
denomination researcher luckily these
two churches actually have statements of
faith on their website and I can
normally find out what denominational
family a church is so long as they tell
a few key things about their beliefs
here's Summit Church's We Believe
statement take a look right down here
and you'll find what you're looking for
we believe in the baptism of the holy
spirit with the evidence of speaking in
other tongues combined with their
affirmation of the Trinity we can see
that this is a Pentecostal Church
Journey Church's tenants of Faith which
should be tenants might want to fix that
is actually very similar though more
detailed in fact this statement of faith
looks familiar because it's just a
slightly modified version of the
10-point statement of Kenneth Hagen
Ministries it also has a line that
reveals Pentecostal Theology and Kenneth
Hagen was a well-known Pentecostal
preacher so once again we're talking
about a Pentecostal Church however for
both of these two churches the word
Pentecostal is nowhere to be found on
their websites what are two Pentecostal
churches doing claiming to be
non-denominational well the answer lies
in a logical fallacy called equivocation
here's how that works let's use a Bible
example in the King James version 1 John
4:12 says no man hath seen God at any
time from that we can conclude that
though no man has seen God perhaps a
woman has right well no because that's a
fallacy we've used two definitions of
the same word in 1 John 4:12 the word
man means human but a more common usage
today means we're talking about a male
human if we going to understand the
Bible or any book or just our own
conversations we need to make sure that
we're not switching up the meaning of
words in the middle so as it relates to
denominations there's several meanings
of the term denomination when you ask
what denomination is that church here
are two different questions you may be
asking first what is the name of the set
of churches the type or family of
churches that has similar
characteristics or history of this one
or second what is the organized entity
that has governing authority over this
church when anyone asks that question
they're almost always asking question
one they want to know if the church is
Baptist or Brethren or bruderhof they
may want a bit more specificity too like
is it Southern Baptist or Independent
Baptist or is it open Brethren or
schwarzen now Brethren however for many
non-denominational churches they don't
answer question one they answer question
two what is the organized entity that
has governing authority over this church
and for churches that identify as
non-denominational the answer is
normally that there isn't one
non-denominational churches probably own
their own properties can write their own
statements of faith and they don't have
to send money onto headquarters now
that's a useful thing to know it's worth
telling people if your Church's
government structure ends at the local
congregation or if there's something
higher up like a senate or general
conference but it's still probably not
the question people are asking I made a
video back in June 2022 where I
controversially asked what is a
denomination and my answer is that there
are many definitions but the one I use
on this channel is any set of
congregations identifiable by similar
traits history or name with that
definition pretty much anything is a
denomination Churches of Christ is a
denomination the Catholic church is a
denomination independent fundamental
Baptists they're a denomination pretty
much anyone who does or doesn't want to
be called a denomination is a
denomination if you want to dispute that
I suggest going back to watch that video
first but I think everyone intuitively
gets this if someone walks into your
church and says by the way what
denomination is this they would love for
the answer to be Catholic if the church
is Catholic if the church is open
Brethren the answer should be open
Brethren if the church is Pentecostal
they want you to say Pentecostal if you
want to go on to talk about the church's
government structure and how you're
independent or the one true church or
that you're pred denominational or
something then feel free to do that but
we all real know the question that was
being asked now I think many of us are
on the same page here but you may not
realize how many churches are hiding
behind the non-denominational label
there's been lots of talk about the
rising number of non-denominational
churches in America and the common
thought is that things are becoming post
denominational denominations are out but
there's a lot of people who attend a
church that is non- denominational
according to question two that I think
we can all agree to don't really match
the storyline what kind of seems implied
is that non-denominational churches
practice some form of Mere Christianity
with the denominational fighting topics
smoothed over and focusing on the
importance of Christian Living and the
gospel instead of fights over worship
style Bible versions The intricate
details of the Lord's supper and so
forth but there's actually a bunch of
churches that advertise that they are
non-denominational but care very much
about some very specific doctrines take
the citygates church in Fairfax Virginia
there who we are page says the city
Gates church is a non-denominational
church focused on teaching the truth of
God's word verse by verse demonstrating
the love of God to others and
proclaiming Jesus to the Nations we hold
to the historic confessional Creeds of
the Christian faith we are both
conservative and Evangelical but
citygates Church isn't just a lone
Church doing its own thing it's part of
the Calvary Chapel Association which has
about 1,800 churches churches that are
part of the association all affirm only
men may have pastoral leadership full
immersion baptism and pre-tribulation
Rapture premillennial ES kology among
other beliefs Calvary chapels claim not
to be a denomination because again they
don't meet definition two the
association can't control the churches
they may or may not even be affiliated
with it and they can do whatever they
want and leave at any time but that
aside there is a definite group of
churches that have the same teaching on
many areas and similar Ministry
philosophy they send people to the same
Bible colleges and attend the same
conferences support the same
missionaries and so on since they have
an answer to question one it's a
denomination and City Gates Church does
mention their affiliation on another
page of their website which is the
honest thing to do so we've identified
the denomination of three
non-denominational churches so far but
in the process realize that there are
thousands more 1,800 churches that say
they are non-denominational are Calvary
Chapel churches thousands of
non-denominational churches are actually
Pentecostal churches so let's look at
some more First Church of God in
Greenville Pennsylvania says basically
we are a non-denominational Bible
thumping Christian Church who believes
in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and
the only way to heaven but if you look
up the church finder for the Church of
God Anderson Indiana you'll find First
Church of God on there that's of course
because the Church of God Anderson
Indiana doesn't identify as a
denomination but rather a movement they
have a website a history and leaders and
they also have 2,100 congregations in
the US and Canada and 7,800 worldwide on
the homepage of Cardiff Church in Wales
you read we are a multicultural
non-denominational Christian Church
founded and structured on biblical
principles and standards found in the
word of Christ but down at the bottom of
the page they also disclose that they
are a member Congregation of the
international Churches of Christ ioc
says they are a family of 700 churches
in 150 countries I actually originated
from the Churches of Christ which is a
group of churches associated with the
restoration movement in the United
States and if you go to church websites
of Churches of Christ you'll find them
often saying they are non-denominational
too like Sena Church of Christ and in
South Carolina the 2020 us religion
census counted
11,881 churches in the US and 1, 422,000
members in Churches of Christ these
churches are identifiable as a group
they have distinctive doctrines like
Believers baptism for salvation weekly
communion and rejection of instruments
and worship so Churches of Christ which
aren't a denomination had a group of
churches Divide from them International
Churches of Christ not a denomination
and from them another non- denomination
divided the International Christian
churches Detroit International Christian
Church says on their website the Detroit
International Christian Church is a
non-denominational church that is part
of the International Christian churches
and a member of the soldout discipling
movement we are a family of Christian
churches whose members are committed to
living their lives in accordance with
the teachings of Jesus Christ as found
in the Bible there are 156 International
Christian churches in the directory of
the so-called family of churches Grace
Reformed Church is non-denominational
but they're also reformed Baptists
Crossroads Church is too Church of God
Paka is a Bible believing
non-denominational congregation but they
are part of the Church of God evening
light which divided from the Church of
God Anderson Indiana friendship Grace
Brethren Church is an independent
non-denominational body of Believers but
they're also part of Caris Fellowship
which is an anabaptist family of more
than 230 interdependent churches
campuses and Ministries in the United
States and Canada if you're familiar
with the nominations you might notice
what group some of these churches are
part of by their names but many people
looking for a church might not realize
that these non-denominational churches
are part of families or movements of
thousands of churches so when you read
that Northridge Bible Chapel is a
non-denominational assembly of Believers
that meets together in North Raleigh
according to New Testament example you
may know that congregations that have
Bible Chapel in their name are most
commonly part of the open Brethren which
have 1,300 churches on this map and have
their own set of doctrines and practices
that identify them like
dispensationalism and weekly
unprogrammed Lord's Supper services but
others might not know that this
non-denominational congregation is part
of anything bigger than itself the
church in Los Angeles says we are not
part of any denomination we follow the
New Testament pattern which shows Christ
believers who congregate only on the
basis of the locality in which they live
because we live in Los Angeles we meet
simply as the church in Los Angeles as
the church in Los Angeles we receive all
the Believers in Los Angeles as Christ
has also received us when you read that
you may recognize this as the calling
card for a church in the local churches
here's an identical statement from the
church in Woodbridge with just the city
name swapped out the local churches
normally use the Bible version that they
produce the recovery version and still
today are heavily influenced by the
teachings of two early leaders witness
Lee and Watchman NE here's a map of
their churches in the US but many people
wouldn't know that this church is part
of anything until maybe after they've
attended a few services and asked some
questions the church Church says it's
non-denominational after all I could
keep going for a long time Living Word
Maiden head is non-denominational but
they're also a parish of the Redeemed
Christian Church of God which has 50,000
parishes and 9 million members Salem
Reformed Church is non- denominational
but part of the Evangelical Association
of reformed and congregational Christian
churches here's their map abalene First
Christian Church is non- denominational
but they're part of the independent
Christian churches which have 5,000
churches in the US and a million members
in fact if you Google the statement that
gave about being non-denominational
you'll see that there's an awful lot of
other non-denominational churches that
say the exact same thing down to the
letter and how about Faith Assembly
Church in Clarksville Indiana
non-denominational but they have some
precise beliefs because they are message
believers who teach that William
brandham was the end times messenger for
told in the Old Testament Book of
Malachi brandham preached against
denominations and so these churches
always identify as non-denominational
but this directory has over 600 of them
and they all teach about brandom and his
doctrines like Jesus name baptism and
annihilationism Living Hope Church in
North Carolina is non-denominational but
they're also a Confluence Church along
with the other churches on this map and
Confluence itself is just one of the
apostolic spheres of New Frontiers which
has 2,500 churches in 80 countries I
don't even have time to get into
churches like the Grove Community Church
which is non-denominational because it's
actually aligned with two denominations
the Southern Baptist convention and the
Christian and Missionary Alliance so
what's the point here here's three
takeaways number one if a church says
that they are non-denominational don't
assume that they're not part of a larger
set of churches with similar Theology
and history number two the trend toward
non- denominationalism in America means
that more churches are removing
denominations from their name and
website but they often are still
associated in some way with something
bigger than themselves so be wary of
claims that denominations are really
going away many are just going
underground and finally if you're part
of one of these churches churches and
someone asks what denomination is this
church realize they're probably asking
question number one if you know that
your church fits with a group of
churches and they share common beliefs
and perhaps even have a historical story
behind them don't give them an answer to
question number two at least not first
tell everyone who you are and be
transparent sure you can keep Vision
church or imagine Church on the sign
outside to keep a bit of Mystique but
once people are in the door they want
answers
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)