In communities across the country it has become more common to witness the establishment of non-denominational churches, or congregations with no ties to a large religious organization.
Over the last 20 years many new congregations have chosen to adopt general titles such as “Christian Church,” “Worship Center” or “Assembly,” reflecting their desire to promote only biblical teachings instead of the customs of man-made denominations.
At the same time (but to a lesser extent) some established churches have dropped traditional descriptions such as “Baptist” or “Apostolic” from their official names in an effort to welcome potential members from different denominational backgrounds.
Such changes have left many observers, including scholars, pastors and laymen, to wonder if historic denominations are on the decline and losing their appeal.
“People are moving away from certain types of tradition and labels and they are coming into a place where they want to know God for themselves, said Audrey Berden, senior pastor and founder of Virtue and Praise Ministries. “They want to come into a place where there is relationship and not religion.”
Rev. Samuel Sumner, pastor of Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church, agrees to a certain extent.
“We have a new wave of ministers who endorse a less structured form of worship where churches are only accountable to the people who are in the pulpit, while those in traditional churches are accountable to higher authorities for their actions,” said Sumner. “Some people don’t like structure, and I think that’s why we’re seeing a gravitational pull toward non-denominational churches.”
Indianapolis is just one of several cities where the establishment of nondenominational churches is arguably outpacing the opening of churches affiliated with traditional organizations such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the Church of God in Christ, the four major Black Baptist groups, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World and the Roman Catholic Church.
Pastors who establish nondenominational congregations usually have a variety of reasons for taking an independent course instead of opting for the structure and resources that would be available to them if they accepted membership in a denomination.
Pastor Bruce Farr of Overcoming Church believes that denominational traditions may sometimes intimidate individuals who simply want to worship in their own manner.
“We wanted to be able to reach people traditional denominational churches could not reach,” said Farr. “Sometimes people’s beliefs limit or hinder the outreach.”
Berden expressed similar reasons for establishing her congregation, adding it grew quickly on its own.
“Its not that I wanted to say non-denominational because that still is a category, but I wanted to go non-denominational because I wanted it to be inclusive of all backgrounds,” she said. “I wanted it to be non-judgmental, non-racist, not critical of outward appearance. I just wanted it to be a church that goes back to basic Bible teaching.”
Disagreements among Christians over styles of worship and interpretation of Scriptures have existed for centuries, leading to the creation of numerous denominations.
According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, a survey of religious groups by David Barrett, there are now over 34,000 separate Christian groups in the world.
Sumner agrees that the main focus for all Christians should be worshipping Christ instead of traditions, but he also believes that denominations provide a sense of focus in the Christian community.
“My only problem with the non-denominational approach is the challenge that comes when something happens and churches have to speak,” he said. “Who speaks for the church? Do you go to each independent church, or do you speak with the denominational head of each organizational body?”
Sumner added that some independent churches might stand alone in the face of challenges such as world politics and hunger.
‘We’re no longer just impacting America but also the globe, and I think the church has to be in a position to speak to some of the situations that are occurring in the world,” he said. “How can we do that if we’re all independent?”
Rev. Michael Jones, pastor of Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, said denominations are still relevant in the purest sense of their original intent.
“Denominations provide a means by which congregations have connection and community,” he said. “I’m not saying a nondenominational church can’t have those things. But if they are not intentional about making sure they do have them they can become islands unto themselves.”
Jones acknowledged that the connection in denominations is not always perfect and can fall victim to disagreements and mistakes from leaders.
“But the plus side is that you’re never alone,” he said. “There’s something to be said for the fact that regardless of the temporary disagreements that you have in a denomination, you agree overall about how the Christian life should be lived and you’ll eventually pull together to share resources because you’re in a partnership with like-minded people.”
Regardless of their views most pastors agree that denominations will continue to be around for a long time.
“I think that denominations are losing ground because of the irrelevancy of some of their approaches, but I think there will always be people that need that identification with a denomination,” Farr said.
However, Berden encourages believers to remember the primary purpose of the Christian church, stating that it’s not about categories or divisions but it’s about worshiping God, the real God in spirit and in truth.
“The Bible says that Jesus told Peter ‘upon this rock I will build my church,’” said Berden. “He did not say the Baptist church or the non-denominational church. He just stated the church will be built upon him.”
