In other words, the local church has been designed by God to carry out the work He gave it to do. Local churches are able to do this without having to rely upon other churches or human organizations. Unaffiliated — Congregations are unaffiliated in that they are not part of a confederacy of churches.
Non-Denominationalism Alone Is Not Enough However, a church may be autonomous, independent, and unaffiliated, and still be wrong. Not only must a church be engaged in these works, but it must limit itself to what has been authorized in the way we are authorized to do it cf. Colossians ; Matthew Be Scripturally organized — A Scripturally organized church is made up of overseers elders , deacons, and saints Philippians Elders and deacons must meet certain qualifications 1 Timothy and cannot be appointed before then.
Therefore, if a congregation does not have a plurality of men cf. Teach the whole counsel of God — This was what Paul did in his preaching Acts Churches must not add to, take from, or change the message of the gospel Galatians Teach the plan of salvation — The religious world presents various ways to be saved. But the plan of salvation that the Lord gave involves belief John , repentance Luke , 5 , confession Romans , and baptism Mark ; 1 Peter Conclusion The Scriptures show us that denominationalism is wrong.
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Comments Wayne D. Teel says. January 23, at pm. Within the SBC, I have found that the current approach to church life and Christian witness being promoted by our leaders is both refreshing and motivating.
Men like Al Mohler at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Bruce Ashford at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary give me hope that the next generation of leaders within the denomination will be well equipped to speak, write, and teach for the glory of God and the edification of the church. These are men, among other men and women, who I trust to direct the church toward radical discipleship, distinctly Christian moral and ethical worldviews, and renewed affection for the scriptures.
The second, and perhaps more universal, reason that I decided to commit to growing and leading within the Southern Baptist Convention is because of the historic theological and philosophical traditions that inform modern church life as part of an established denomination. I appreciate, and I think that all serious church-goers should that the decisions our local church leaders make are not only bound to the accountability of the other elders, deacons, and church members, but also to the historic confessions, statements, affirmations, and denials that have shaped denominational life for years.
I want to be part of a community of believers that celebrates the sort of leadership that conserves what is necessary to the faith while working to understand how the church is meant to continually adapt and grow in the face of cultural ostracization. This is one aspect of denominational life that cannot be equally replicated in non-denominational churches. It becomes especially important to have checks and balances that reach further than your local body when inevitable disagreements and scandals threaten the well-being and integrity of the church community.
What I want to emphasize is that the expressions of Christianity in America take on many forms, stem from many cultures, and at times emphasize different aspects of the faith.
I love that our current leaders are bold in the face of cultural opposition, and I like that we collaborate well with other denominations and communities that share the broader expressions of our faith.
I know that wherever I am, like-minded Baptist believers will welcome me into their church with open arms. Comment by Jim Korn on January 10, at pm. Very well written and thoughtful article, Brady. Comment by David on September 30, at am. So words of God is easly misinterpreted. Comment by Danny on August 26, at am. My wife and I visit an SBC church regularly, and at one time were thinking about joining.
What I disagree with is the proclivity to pick and choose which scriptures to follow. For example Mark that talks about accompanying signs to them that believe and how the Lord confirms the message that way. That hinders us from joining. Comment by Reuben on February 13, at pm. Comment by Jackie D. Miller on January 12, at am. The problem is, the false doctrine you are embracing. You have departed from the faith, once delivered Jude 3. Comment by David Powell on January 16, at pm.
Comment by Eric W Ramsey on April 12, at pm. Each church is self-governing. SBC churches uphold both the autonomy of the local church and the priesthood of the believer. In addition, they collectively uphold The Word of God Canonized Scriptures as the only source of authoritative truth. Comment by Larry on November 28, at pm. Acts salvation was for the jews only who were under the law. Paul is the apostle to the gentiles.
He teaches salvation is by grace through faith to them who Believe that Christ died for all sin and was raised for our justification. It is not by works, being babtized,repenting,or asking for forgivness Christ already forgave all our sins There is nothing to do but believe his finished work on the cross was for your atonement. Stop trying to earn your salvation and making what Christ did for you at Calvary to no affect for you. Christ was a jew he had to be babtized according to jewish law because he was starting his priesthood, read it for yourself in Levitigus.
That was for the nation of Isreal only. Just accept Gods grace through faith, you need do nothing more for salvation. Comment by Cd on March 2, at pm. All I know or feel about church is that it does not matter what denomination each believer requires but that the head of the church is leading those to whom he teaches in a true direction in Christ. Total love for all. Charity and love, compassion for all mankind. Charity starts at home and spreads forth.
God bless you all. Amen, the church the body of Christ. Comment by Sheila Gillett on June 2, at pm. Well said that was the truth and nothing but the whole truth that makes us free, I truly needed to hear this I got off my course and was feeling so confused.
Comment by Claudette Campbell on September 16, at am. Getting dunked is a requirement for all nations. Says God Almighty!!! Comment by Byrom Wehner on January 13, at am. I see that as bringing them to a saving personal relationship with Jesus Christ and then helping them to become disciples and grow in their relationship with Christ.
I belong to a United Methodist church in probably the most diverse city in the US and in the most diverse part of that city. Within a 5-mile radius of our campus, there are languages spoken by people who for the most part are non-believers in Jesus Christ. We are currently trying to understand what God has in mind for us to do to bring those people to Christ.
Discipleship is an extension of the conversion and growth process. Comment by John on February 22, at pm. I left a church because they started to preach reformed theology which is calvinism. In no way can you expect the Lord to truly bless you if you are being knowingly deceptive to people.
In fact, the mass number of people attending might actually be because the Lord has left the building. Therefore repent. Doctrine matters in the church Titus Yes, doctrine does divide. Doctrine divides so that true unity can take place. When a church clings to the label of Non-Denominational it puts forward a front that it is unconcerned about doctrine.
Flippancy toward sound doctrine creates a church that is flippant toward holiness. It creates a church with flippancy toward true conversion. So, if you are part of a church without clear doctrinal distinctives, work from within to change that. Show that your church stands in a long line of faithfulness with other churches in the history of Christianity.
Let people know upfront what you believe about things that Scripture shows us are important: the ordinances, leadership in the church, views on the Bible, etc. I might also make a quick plug to encourage you to formally associate with other likeminded churches.
Views expressed in posts are those of their individual authors and may not be shared by all writers on Things Above Us. Excellent points, Allen. There are pros and cons of attending every type of church, whether denominational or not.
However here are three differences that I have personally experienced as someone who has spent a good number of years in both types of churches. One of the main differences is that typically a non-denominational church has a less defined level of oversight or governance. In a church that is tied to a denomination, it is usually clear how the oversight of the church runs.
However, when the church is not affiliated, you often are not aware of the governance, and in some instances there may not be any. If you are going to attend a non-denominational church, you should find out how the oversight of the church and the senior pastor is structured.
One of the things that you usually find absent from non-denominational churches is voting rights. Many churches give its members a voice in the church and the right to vote on issues and things that will affect the church. This does not usually happen in a non-denominational church, at least not with the members.
Whatever is the leadership structure of the church, that is where the decisions are made and then those decisions are passed down to the members. Again, this does not mean a non-denominational church is bad, but you want to make sure, as with any church, that there are solid leaders. In the churches that I attended that were associated with a denomination, we would have annual business meetings.
During these meetings the books were opened, there was accounting given of the financial statements and records of the church. You knew how much money came in, where it went, how much was left over, how much was saved in the bank. In short there was a much higher level of transparency and information as to where your donations went. This was done because it was usually a requirement of the denomination the church was formed under.
In a non-denominational church, no such requirement exists. They can choose to do it, or they can choose not to do it. And even if they do, the amount of information they share is up to them. Again, this does not make this type of church good or bad, it is just simply a reality of how the church is run. The process for choosing a church is the same regardless of what type of church you go to, whether it is tied to a denomination or not.
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